- Safety Requirements/Precautions that must be observed
- What are Volunteers and Participants
- Sign-up to be a volunteer or participant
- Detailed schedule for the Bloomery Smelt Workshop
- Weather Updates
For more information or to be added to the smelt listserv to receive all announcements, email Dr. Devlin: rebecca.devlin@louisville.edu.
Safety Requirements/Precautions that must be observed
- Volunteers/participants who approach the chimney (within the 10-foot radius) must wear safety glasses to protect against airborne sparks (provided by the workshop).
- Volunteers who feed charcoal and ore into the chimney must wear leather gloves (provided by the workshop).
- Volunteers/participants must wear close-toed shoes and clothing constructed from natural fibers (e.g. cotton, linen, wool, as these are more flame-resistant than synthetic fibers).
- Volunteers/participants who plan to mix clay on Day 1 (April 13) are encouraged to wear N-95 masks (some will be provided by workshop)
- Volunteers/participants must sign a participation release form/waiver, which outlines the nature of the event, materials used, and safety precautions they are required to follow.
What are Volunteers and Participants
Volunteers
Volunteers are need to help with various tasks associated with running the workshop, such as helping set up each day, working the table to make sure everyone who participates knows the safety guidelines and has signed their release form/waiver. We also will need some volunteers to watch the workshop equipment when it is not in use, and to clean up at the end of each day. To volunteer to help you must fill out the form that will be posted by April 3rd to confirm you will follow all safety requirements, and submit a signed Participation and Release form.
You do not have to help with the smelt itself to be a volunteer (but you can!) Only volunteers who have acknowledged safety requirements and submitted the Participation and Release form will be allowed within the safety perimeter.
Volunteers also should sign up for specific times so we know all slots are covered (the spreadsheet will be linked in the form that will be posted by April 3rd).
Participants
Participants are those who want to work with Dr. Welton on the actual smelt. For example, participants will make the clay (Day 1), build the chimney (Day 2), and feed crushed charcoal and iron ore into the top of the chimney (Day 3). See the daily schedule below for more details.
Anyone who wants to participate, must fill out the form that will be posted by April 3rd to confirm you will follow all safety requirements, and submit a signed Participation and Release form. ***Only participants who have acknowledged the safety requirements and submitted the Participation and Release form will be allowed within the safety perimeter. Participants do NOT have to sign up for specific times, and can stop by whenever they are available and for the activities they are interested in (provided a waiver has been signed and they are dressed according to the safety guidelines listed above).
Sign-up to be a volunteer or participant
Use the above link for the form to confirm the safety requirements, and to sign and submit the required Participation and Release form (it is included in the link/form above). The spreadsheet to sign up for times to volunteer is also included in the form/link above.
Detailed schedule for the Bloomery Smelt Workshop
Day 1, Monday, April 13, 2026, 9 am-5 pm*
Preparing for the Smelt and Q&A with Dr. Welton
- participants will work with Dr. Welton to make clay, prepare charcoal and set up the staging to build the furnace/chimney on Tuesday
- since Days 2-3 will be more intensive, Monday’s workshop is the best time to come by to ask Dr. Welton questions about the workshop, bloomery smelting, blacksmithing and their research on ancient and medieval world
- 4-15 participants are needed to help make clay, etc (10 am-2 pm* will be the most active times)
- N-95 masks are recommended for those who plan to mix clay (some will be provided by workshop)
- no fire or heated materials will be in use on Day 1
- volunteers will be needed for set-up before 9 am, helping throughout the day, clean-up/watching the space after 5 pm
*Due to the nature of the workshop, times may vary based on the actual timing of the smelt process.
6 pm: Public Lecture by Dr. Welton in Gottschalk Hall 303 entitled, “The swordsmith's promise, the warrior's fear: New perspectives on early medieval pattern-welded swords from experimental archaeology”
-A quick meeting with workshop participants and volunteers will follow the lecture
Day 2, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 9 am-5 pm*
Building the Furnace/Chimney with Dr. Welton
- 4-5 participants at a time will work with Dr. Welton to build the furnace/chimney (9 am-around 2 pm*)
- at around 1 or 2 pm*: a small bonfire will be built to dry the chimney, then be allowed to dry down until it is safe to leave overnight
- participants will need to follow all safety guidelines, including signing and submitting the waiver/participation release form in advance, and wear protective googles and gloves (provided by workshop)
- volunteers will be needed for set-up before 9 am, helping throughout the day, clean-up/watching the space after 5 pm
*Due to the nature of the workshop, times may vary based on the actual timing of the smelt process.
Day 3, Wednesday, April 14, 2026, 9 am-5 pm*
Making Metal and Forging with Dr. Welton
- participants will work with Dr. Welton to feed crushed charcoal and iron ore into the top of the chimney (9 am-around 1 or 2 pm*)
- at around 1 or 2 pm*: the “Bloom” or (solid lump) of metallic iron will be ready and removed from the base of the chimney (spectators might plan to show up 12- 2 pm so they see the bloom)
- after the Bloom is removed, Dr. Welton will set up a charcoal forge
- participants will need to follow all safety guidelines, including signing and submitting the waiver/participation release form in advance, and wear protective googles and gloves (provided by workshop)
- volunteers will be needed for set-up before 9 am, helping throughout the day, clean-up the space after everything cools down (several hours after the bloom, so 5 or 6 pm*)
*Due to the nature of the workshop, times may vary based on the actual timing of the smelt process.
Weather Updates
The workshop will happen rain or shine. We will have a tent, so those volunteering can avoid any rain, but other than Monday, when we make clay, there will not be shelter around the furnace, so be ready to possibly get wet if you are working the actual smelt.
As Dr. Welton has said, "The smelt does not care if it rains". We might be sad about the weather, but the smelt will go on. In cases of severe weather, if adjustments need to be made, we will post them here, and email you those who signed up via the Google Form via the listserv.