Preparation for the 2002 campaign started with the removal of the roof of the smelting shed and the removal of the assorted debris of almost 2 years disuse. The furnace itself appears in remarkably good condition.

The day was mainly spent in the preparation of the materials for the smelting next week. Corus Port Talbot Steelworks has kindly provided iron ore, which was collected today, and some of the charcoal from a clamp of birch built in 1999 by Ian Smith has been crushed and bagged.

After a weekend spent watching nervously the stormy weather, we were at last able to put a cover back over the shelter. We have decided to use scaffolding rather than attempt to replace the now rotten uprights of the shelter. The infamous old red tarpaulin was placed over the frame, and it appears to be just about capable of keeping the worst of the weather out, although now full of holes and rather brittle. Once cover was available, the furnace could be repaired, which turned out to be a suprisingly small task. The bellows were retrieved from storage, and it was discovered that the bottom board had split. A repair was effected using beeswax.

The final task before tomorrow's smelt was to mount the bellows.

After a wait of nearly 2 years, smelt 20 finally takes place. The smelt progressed very smoothly with the birch charcoal burning well and cleanly. The initial wood fire burned for 35 minutes before the charging of charcoal started. The charging of the ore started at 1h:50m, coincident with the iginition of the exhaust gasses. Ore and charcoal were then added in 3kg batches over the following 2h:25m to a total of 24kg of charcoal. The tap arch was kept unblocked and fed with charcoal (as in the last few smelts). A further 6kg of charcoal was added to assist the burn-down phase and the "bloom" became visible after 2h:30m (6h:45m from the start). The "bloom" comprised a well develop dense slag block, 25cm in diameter and up to 12cm thick, with small amounts of iron near the top and base. On top of this block was a slag tube extending the blowhole 15cm from the furnace wall and 10cm wide. In front of the tube an arcuate ridge of sintered ore and metallic iron had formed around the distal edge of the slag block, rising about 8cm above the flat top of the slag block.

This was a very wet day, but smelt 21 took place as planned.

After a long break, a start has been made with the planned alterations. The site is rather overgrown after the wet and warm late summer. The roof was adjusted after the recent gales, but the scaffolding erected in March seems solid. The clay step on the blowhole side of the furnace was partially removed, and a new blowhole, inclined inwards from just above the ground level, was dug through the wall. Some material was also removed from the base of the furnace, exposing the central thermocouple.

The excavation part of the furnace alterations was completed. The steel inserts have been positioned in the new blowhole, which is slightly more steeply inclined than the previous one. The blowhole lies at about 30cm lower on the inner wall than the previous, and the newly excavated base lies some 25cm below. The lower part of the interior will need further work as the limestone chippings, originally intended to improve drainage beneath the furnace, now lie at a level just above the new blowhole and will require protection. The major outstanding task is the lowering of the tap arch top to about the level of its previous base.