• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.38
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• pp.179-222
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• 2005

Studies prosecuted on relics in those 17 bronze workshops that have been thus far excavated show that these workshops may be roughly classified into a royal workshop, a state-operated workshop and a private workshop depending upon by whom they were operated. Workshops in the Gyeongju area developed from a small royal handicraft manufacturing to a large state-operated handicraft manufacturing scale, and then later on gradually changed to a private handicraft manufacturing industry. The royal bronze workshops were operated in a small scale, as shown from the relics excavated at Wolseong(月城), Imhaejeonji(Anapji:雁鴨池) and their neighborhood places around Hwangnam_dong(皇南洞). The state-operated bronze workshops are concentrated upon one point around Dongcheon-dong(東川洞), Gyeongju city. On the other hand, in the state-operated workshop stage, a broad street was built by a workshop, which is presumed to aim to thoroughly transport materials needed for the workshop. And the point that wastes from bronze workshops were used for road repairs indicates that road repair works were carried at the bronze workshops near the road. The private workshop as a new type of workshop was operated by the aristocracy. For that purpose, craftsmen belonging to state-operated workshops or individual artisans were absorbed into the aristocracy-operated workshops. These types of workshops were pervaded throughout the city. When private workshops came to emerge in the houses of the aristocracy, the operating subjects of workshops began to change from state-operated to private workshops. Temple workshops were located at a Buddhist temple within the Court and directly produced things needed for the court, including bronze foundries. As aforementioned, through the presence of bronze workshops operated in the Silla Court, we can identify the relationships between their technical level and trading areas and among their origin, supply and demand sources, along with phases of social life in those days.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.10 no.1 s.13
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• pp.31-37
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• 2001

The metallurgical investigation of four lumps of bronze from the third building site of the northern workshop site at the Neungsan-ri temple site in Buyeo was performed. The microstructures of a section of sample was observed by SEM and qualitative and quantitative analysis of the sample was performed by EDS. The results are as follows: Sample 1 of the lump of bronze from northern workshop site in the third building site at Neungsan-ri temple site and sample 2 are speculated to be low-quality bronze resulting from refinery of matte which formed on the process of bronze refinery. Sample 3 is speculated as a lump of bronze which is one of Cu-Sn system and the one made by alloy only with pure bronze and tin on the process of bronze refinery. Sample 4 is confirmed as a lump of bronze which is one of Cu-Sn-Pb system from alloy of tin and lead into pure bronze. It is believed that the third building site at Neungsan-ri temple site in Buyeo produced bronze matte by refinery of copper ore or produced low-quality bronze by melting matte imported from outside.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.421-430
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• 2011

Thermal conditions in practice at the traditional bronze workshop of the Korean Folk Village in Yongin were examined along with the microstructures of some high tin bronze objects made there. Laboratory experiments approximating the conditions of the workshop were also carried out and the results were compared. The operating temperature of the workshop furnace was measured to range from $750^{\circ}C$ to $850^{\circ}C$ while the surface temperature of an object, upon its removal from the furnace for additional thermo-mechanical treatments, was generally in the range of $600^{\circ}C$ to $685^{\circ}C$. This variation in working temperatures was reflected in varying microstructures developed upon quenching. The products of the Folk Village were found to consist of microstructures where the ${\alpha}$ grains of the Cu-Sn system were distributed in the background of different phases including the ${\beta}$-martensite phase, retained ${\gamma}$ phase, ${\alpha}+{\delta}$ eutectoid or their mixtures. This variability, which is also identified in objects made in ancient times as well as in our laboratory experiments, suggests that the actual thermal conditions given during the quenching treatments are much more complicated than is inferred from the temperature measurements. This paper will present detailed accounts of the thermo-mechanical treatments as observed in the high tin bronze workshop of the Korean Folk Village and discuss the evolution of varying microstructures in terms of the substantial variability involved in the implementation of the traditional forged high tin bronze technology of Korea.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.157-169
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• 2010

This study focused on the material characteristics and archaeometric relationship between the molten glass and bronze materials within the crucibles and gilt-bronze Bodhisattva statue excavated from the Ssangbukri site in Buyeo, Korea. Yellowish green to red brown vitreous material in the crucibles was identified as lead glass which contained scarce amount of BaO, and low $Al_2O_3$ and CaO. Metallic molten material was identified as bronze of copper-tin-lead alloy with low amount of impurities that indicated well-refined materials. Also, cassiterite was used for raw metal ore of tin. The Bodhisattva statue consisted of major copper with trace impurities in the core metal, and gold amalgam in the gilded layer. Though lead isotopic analysis showed contradictory results in each lead glass, bronze and Bodhisattva statue that required further examination, it could be stated that the statue was made in the Ssangbukri site based on the high-level technical skills of bronze production.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.493-502
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• 2018

Currently, the fabrication of a high-tin bronze spoon by traditional manufacturing techniques involves 10 steps in the bronze ware workshop. Hot forging has a major influence on manufacturing and involves two to three steps. The dendritic ${\alpha}$-phase in the microstructure of the high-tin bronze spoon is refined and finely dispersed through hot forging. In addition, twinning is observed in the ${\alpha}$-phase of the hammered part, and the ${\alpha}$-phase microstructure gradually transform from a polygon to a circular shape due to hammering. In this process, the adjacent ${\alpha}$-phases overlap with each other and remain combined after quenching. The microstructure with the overlapping is also observed in bronze artifacts, and this shows the correlation with technical system. The results of the experimental hot forging of Cu-22%Sn alloys show that the decrease in in the amount of the dendritic microstructure, which forms during casting, is in proportion to the number of processing steps and that the refined grain obtained by hammering contributes to the improvement in the strength of the material. From the hammering marks, which are observed on both the bronze artifact excavated from archaeological sites and on the high-tin bronze spoon produced in the traditional workshop, it is presumed that the knowledge regarding the unrecorded manufacturing system of bronze ware in ancient times has been passed down in a traditional way up to the system used currently.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.403-410
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• 2012

The brine treatment applied during the fabrication of forged high tin bronze objects is considered effective at the removal of surface oxide layers developed at elevated temperatures. There is not much information, however, available for the understanding of its exact effect and purpose. This work performed laboratory experiments to characterize the effect brine treatments produce on the surface of bronze objects during fabrication. Specimens were first made in the bronze shop of the Yongin folk village under varying conditions of brine treatments, and the results obtained were then used in the following laboratory experiments where the effect of brine treatments were investigated in terms of brine concentrations, alloy compositions and thermo-mechanical treatments. The results show that oxide layers generated at high temperature are easily removed by the brine treatment. It was found that the element, chlorine, played a key role in the removal of such oxide layers as opposed to the other constituent of the brine, sodium, makes no notable contribution. In bronze alloys containing 22% tin, this brine effect is obtained regardless of the application of forging as long as the brine concentration is over 0.5% based on weight. In alloys containing lead, however, no brine effect is observed due to the molten lead that emerges from inside the hot bronze specimen and forms a thin layer on its surface.