Another fantastic and informative video, George! The lab coat is an interesting alternative to your usual attire. 😉

Thank you for having me on George, it was a cracking trip on the moor and made for some fun in the lab. I should add a small disclaimer I am much more of an organic/biochemist so when pointing out any errors, please be gentle 🙏

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Thanks, Ken - really enjoyed it! Next summer we're going to try the low-tech version, so get in training for working those bellows!

@kenarmstrong7237

7 ай бұрын

I best get back in the gym 😬😂

@TigerLily7.

7 ай бұрын

Great to see you on the "podcast" Ken - fascinating knowledge! 🙂

Tintastic video. Cheers

It's so fascinating to think of what they did. I'm always amazed at the amount of evidence of tin working on the moor. What with the tinners and the peat cutters it must have been a very busy place. Thanks George for another great 'not podcast' 😊

'Tingots' made me chuckle. Chances are tin was mined/streamed on the moor for thousands of years. The Nebra Sky Disc found in Germany has Cornish gold and tin and dates to the early Bronze Age, 1800BCE-ish. And with a Bronze Age shipwreck just off the South Devon coast containing...'tingots' it's not a stretch to imagine they came from the moor. The burial at White Horse Hill had amber beads (as well as tin) which means they had to be trading something of value. Good luck on your search for tin ore.

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Yes, the evidence for ancient tin mining is definitely there! The most difficult thing we found was simply trying to identify cassiterite - there's surprisingly little information online, other than that it's black. I wonder if the River Bovey was a bad choice for panning, too, as it's not as highly associated with tin streaming as some of those on the other side of the moor.

@rialobran

7 ай бұрын

It's possibly better to have tried the Plym,Tavy, Walkham or pretty much any of the western rivers and streams. I do have a large quartz with what I have often wondered may have a piece of cassiterite imbedded in it, you'd be more than welcome to try it. I have no idea despite my heritage to my shame. @@thedartmoorpodcast

@jonathanpork-sausage617

7 ай бұрын

What about the upper reaches of the Avon where there are remains of tinners' huts? You could recreate the lifestyle!@@thedartmoorpodcast

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Ha! That's a really fun idea. I'll get to researching the daily routine of sixteenth century tinners... I bet it's miserable!

Discovered the channel as of your last video and was instantly hooked as someone who loves Dartmoor, been binge watching your videos since waiting for the new one , cant wait to watch !

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Enjoy the back catalogue!

Thanks for this video. I can't imagine living and working on the moor as a tin miner. What was their mental health like?? The 'tin era' certainly makes me look at the moor differently.That landscape has a lot of stories to tell. I also really enjoyed the line 'We decided to blow it up anyway'. That felt very British, and made me feel seen and understood 🙂

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Ha! 'Seen and understood' gave me a chuckle! I'll definitely delve more into the life of a tinner when I return to this next year - lots more to explore there.

Not sure on the science myself but I’m sure I heard Neil Burridge (beardy tin man) say that although copper takes more heat to smelt, tin takes much more metallurgical knowledge. I’d be interested to know if Ken has had any thoughts on what acid solutions Bronze Age people would use for getting rid of the soluble impurities?

@kenarmstrong7237

7 ай бұрын

I am not sure Bronze Age people would have access to acids, if I implied that they would have done, that would be in error. Much more likely that any washing/leaching would have used water. I think the use of acids came about much later when we had more chemistry knowledge.

@HeffalumpHorralump1

7 ай бұрын

Thanks Ken! No implication on your part at all, but I really wouldn’t be surprised if they had devised some method, plenty of acidity on Dartmoor! Do you reckon then it would have taken repeated washes in water, possibly using something like the original panning technique in order to replicate this? More hard work!

Enjoyable as it was ,there was very little sarcasm in that one. Are you going soft?

@thedartmoorpodcast

7 ай бұрын

Haha! Fear not - I have a suspicion that the next one will exceed its sarcasm quotient.