The Iron Range

Title: Description of the Smelting Process
Type: Book
Date: 1892
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: This page from the Miner's Guide describes the processes that are used to extract metals from ores.
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Activities:

1. What is the first step in getting the iron out of the iron ore?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The rocks are ground into smaller pieces so that none of the iron gets left behind and wasted inside large chunks of ore.
2. Why might you need to add other materials such as charcoal to the ore in order to get it to become pure metal?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: You might guess it's for heat, but actually the charcoal helps separate the iron from other materials in the ore such as oxygen and sulfur.
3. Where will the metal eventually collect in the furnace?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: It gathers into a liquid puddle at the bottom of the egg-shaped furnace.
4. Why would you guess this process needs to happen in a furnace?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Heat does two things for the iron. It helps make the oxygen combine with the coal, and the heat melts the iron, letting it be poured into molds.