What is ‘bloom iron’?
This material began as iron rich rock that I collected from old mine sites deep in the woods of New England. These are then sorted, roasted, broken into pieces, and finally smelted in a clay furnace with charcoal. This process removes impurities and creates an iron “bloom” through intense heat, chemical transformation, and maybe a little magic. This is the same process utilized by our ancestors for thousands of years to create forgeable iron from raw earth. The material is unique from modern steel and is not attainable through any other method. Each bloom is unique in its character and chemical properties. A balance of calculation, intuition, and observation is the basis of each step. A skilled bloom-smith can guide the process but must also be willing to let go of total control and work with the individual nature of each bloom.
