History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c13.s2.t4.42

v1.c13.s2.t4.42

Flux – No evidence of the use of lime stone or lime as flux has been found except the SiO2 and CaO present in the ore and the charcoal ash. Some times SiO2 has been added to the charge to make the fluid 2FeO-SiO2 slag. Ayurvedic charges for ‘Satvapatan’ i.e. extraction of metals from minerals have used Borax as flux. The first use of lime as flux in iron smelting has been found at Ujjain (M.P.) and Bairut (Rajasthan), where this technology went through a faster growth.