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Swedish Occupation: Saltpetersjudare: Difference between revisions
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After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again. | After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again. | ||
From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities. The compost was then boiled and leached. Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the salpetersjudare and guard | From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities. The compost was then boiled and leached. Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the salpetersjudare and guard personel. | ||
(Note: The correct spelling for saltpeter in modern Swedish is salpeter but in records before the 1900's is often found spelled saltpeter and the occupation as Saltpetersjudare. The correct spelling in English is Saltpeter. Saltpeter can be either potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.) | (Note: The correct spelling for saltpeter in modern Swedish is salpeter but in records before the 1900's is often found spelled saltpeter and the occupation as Saltpetersjudare. The correct spelling in English is Saltpeter. Saltpeter can be either potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate.) | ||