At grass | Ores stored ready for smelting |
Bal | A mine in Cornish |
Drive | Horizontal adit |
Gossan | A yellow or red layer on the surface of minerals rich in iron oxide produced by alteration and leaching of sulphide ores |
Matte | A mixture of metal sulphides formed during the smelting of sulphide ores. For example ores of copper or nickel |
Mullock heap | A waste dump of mined rock |
Mundic | A pyritic ore for copper or arsenic |
Regulus | The semi-purified mass of metal that forms beneath the slag in the smelting of ore or an impure intermediate metal product created by the smelting process |
Scorify | “Scoriae” are waste materials or slags. Scorification (n) or scorify (v) therefore means the removal of these waste materials |
Stope | An excavation that resembles steps used especially in the mining of ore |
Tribute system | A payment system based on results where groups of miners could bid for contracts based on a percentage of the value of the ore raised. Notable in Cornwall |
Winze | A steeply inclined or vertical shaft between levels in a mine |
Bob | The beam of a Cornish Engine |
Bob wall | The thickened end wall of an engine house designed to take the weight and stresses caused by the motion of the bob or beam of the engine |
Flat rods | A series of timbers with iron fittings designed to transfer the motion of the Cornish Engine over short distances |
Pitwork | The pumping gear in mine shaft powered by a Cornish engine |
Balance bob | A beam attached to pitwork or flat rods with a counterweight at its opposite end designed to neutralise the weight of the fixtures in the shaft. By this method equal energy was required for both the up and down motion of the beam engine itself |
Buddles | An inclined trough where water is used to sort ores |
Kibble | An iron bucket or container for hoisting ore from mine shafts |
1 Acre | 4 roods = 4046.856 square metres |
1 Chain | 22 yards = 66 feet = 20.1168 metres |
1 Link | 1/100 chain = 0.201168 metre |
1 Perch | 30.25 square yards in area = 272.25 square feet = 25.29285 square metres |
1 Rod | 1 perch = 5.5 yards = 16.5 feet = 5.0292 metres linear measure |
1 Rood | 40 perches = 101.1714 square metres |
1 Square Mile | 640 acres |
Dwt | Pennyweight. A unit of weight in the Troy system equal to 1.555 g or l/20 ounce. Note that d is the symbol for the penny in the imperial system of £.s.d. |
Fathom | Length of 6 feet (1.82 metres) |
Portion | Often 640 acres |
Air wind or draught furnace | All names for reverberatory furnaces |
Ash-pit | The ash-pit is located behind or to the side of the firebox and is used to rake out ashes after smelting is completed |
Buckstay | A section of iron bar – usually I section – used to support the sides of the furnace and held in place by tie-rods. Buckstays can also be of timber |
Conker plate | The conker plate was located in the fire bridge and went from one side to the other at the end of the furnace. It was held in place by buckstays |
Cooling vault | The space beneath the hearth of the furnace which is arched over to support the hearth |
Down-take | Where furnaces are not provided with their own chimney a down-take diverts the exhaust from the furnace into the system of flues to the stack |
Fire bar | The iron bars used in the firebox supported by saddle bars or iron rails |
Fire bridge | The fire bridge is located between the firebox and the hearth of the furnace and is used to deflect the heat into the furnace itself |
Firebox | The firebox was located behind the hearth of the furnace. It was fitted with saddle bars and fire bars for the furnace heat source |
Hearth | The hearth is the floor of the furnace – usually made of sands – smelted into place |
Mouth | The mouth of the furnace was located at the front. It was generally used to skim off slag but could also be used to extract or ladle the copper matte from the furnace |
Saddle bar | A series of saddle bars or iron bars supported the fire bars or grate in the fire-box of the furnace |
Skimming bar | The skimming bar was located at the front or mouth of the furnace. It was used to limit the extent to which the hearth could be emptied of slag or copper matte |
Tap-hole | The tap-hole was usually located on the side of the furnace and was used to pour the copper matte from the furnace |
Tie-rod | A series of tie rods held the buckstays in place thereby supporting the whole furnace structure |
Frog | The indent in the top of a brick to help with adherence of the mortar |