The Iron Guild is a group of students from the Massachusetts College of Art that give demonstrations on Iron making and casting.

On Sunday June 18th, they gave a casting demonstration at the Saugus IronWorks National Historic Site.

They use a  homemade charcoal fired, electric fan blown furnace called a cupola.

Opening the top to stir the charge and make room for more charcoal and iron.

The cupola is filled to the top with charcoal and iron.

A tiny portal into hell.  It can get close to 3000 F inside the furnace.

When the Iron Makers detect that the iron is beginning to melt and pool at the bottom of the furnace, a clay plug is fitted over the hole.

Heating up the pouring ladle over the exhaust jet of the furnace.   

Buttoning up before the pour.  It was a hot day (around 90F) and it was even HOTTER near the furnace.  I don't know how they stood the heavy leather coats.

Patiently watching the progress......

When the Iron Makers feel like all the iron scrap that they have fed to their furnace has melted and is pooled in the bottom of the furnace, the clay seal is broken and molten iron flows into the ladle.

The last of the molten iron trickles out into the ladle.

The pouring begins.  Most of the molds were pressed sand molds that had designs carved into them.

It's an impressive sight to watch liquid metal being poured out into molds.  Where ever it leaked out onto the ground, flames immediately sprang up.

The other think that was impressive the the amount of heat that was coming off that pouring ladle.

The pouring continues.  The hoe like instrument keeps the floating slag from making its way into the molds.

The first yield from the furnace  was about 55lbs of iron, enough for lots of molds.