Wolverine

It is not known if that particular animal was a native of the state or if it had come there on its own or with the aid of humans. Wrought iron literally means Worked iron. One was observed in February 2004 by hunters and biologists, marking the first time in roughly two centuries that a wolverine had been positively identified in Michigan. As irregular past-tense forms in English have historically been phased out over long periods of time, wrought became worked. However, the animal is hardly a common sight in the state.
Word Origin: The word “wrought” is the old past tense of the verb to work. The state of Michigan is known as the Wolverine State, and University of Michigan's sports teams are named after the wolverine. Wrought iron products as described in routine commercial transactions usually refer to mild steel products which are also described as ornamental iron work.

The wolverine is still trapped for its fur in some parts of its range. In old, very rusted pieces of wrought iron, the grain is revealed, making the iron bear a striking resemblance to reddish-brown wood. Wolverines, especially males, require large home ranges. This grain makes wrought iron especially tricky to smith, as it behaves much like wood grain--prone to spontaneous splitting along the grain. The present worldwide wolverine population is unknown, although it appears that the animal has a very low population density throughout its range, possibly as a result of illegal hunting. The strengths across the grain would be about 15% lower. A small number remain in the Rocky Mountain states. "Treble best" could reach 28 tons per square inch (386 MPa).

Before the widespread European settlement of North America, however, it was found as far south as California. "Best" bars would have a tensile strength along the grain of about 23 tons per square inch (317 MPa). It is currently found primarily in arctic regions such as Alaska, northern Canada, Siberia and Scandinavia. Faggoting resulted in impurities within the metal ending up as long thin inclusions, creating a grain within the metal. The young "kits" develop rapidly, becoming adult size within the first year of up to thirteen years of life. Wrought iron which had been faggoted twice was referred to as "Best"; if faggoted again it would become "Best Best", then "Treble best", etc. The young, usually three or four, are born in the spring. Historically, this would be followed by faggoting.

Females often will not produce young when food is not abundant. This process took time to develop, but by the 1750s a number of oxides had been identified that would react with the excess carbon to produce carbon dioxide, which bubbles out. Wolverines mate in the wild, but implantation in the uterus is delayed until early winter, which delays the development of the fetus. In order to use it in ironmongery, it had to first be converted to a form similar to what the bloom/wrought process produced. They have been known (and been filmed) to capture kills from other predators, such as polar bears or a wolf pack. However the product of a blast furnace, pig iron, had a very high carbon content and was very brittle. However, because a wolverine will attack an animal caught in a trap, early trappers often tried to kill them. Soon iron prices were dropping rapidly as production shot up.

It is generally not aggressive towards humans, preferring to avoid human contact. Not only was the fuel much cheaper, but it also could be burned in a "lump" instead of a thin sheet, allowing the furnaces to be much larger. Its preference for reindeer have caused it to be hunted significantly in areas depending economically on caribou herds, and its status is sometimes in danger in such regions. The introduction of the the much less expensive coke for use with the blast furnace by Abraham Darby I in 1709 changed ironmaking and replaced charcoal. The wolverine is both strong and ferocious and has been known to kill animals as large as moose. As wrought iron lacks the carbon content necessary for tempering, it is believed that cultures that never discovered how to make steel would cold work wrought iron tools in order to harden them. It has also been known to give off a strong, unpleasant odor, giving rise to the use of the term "skunk bear" to describe the animal. Hammering a piece of wrought iron cold causes the fibers to become packed tighter, which makes the iron both brittle and hard.

It resembles a small bear with a long tail. The fibers of wrought iron gives it some interesting proporties, however. The wolverine can weigh up to 30 kg (66 lb) (male), and is 70–110  cm (27–43  in) long with a 20 cm (8 in) tail. Also due to the slag, it has a fibrous look when broken or bent past it's failure point. This makes it very resistant to frost in the cold environment where wolverines live. These slag inclusions give it a "grain" like wood, and distinct look when etched. The fur is long and dense and does not retain much water. As a result of this process, many strands of slag are mixed into the metal.

It has glossy brownish-black hair with strips of light brown along the sides. This process gives rise to the name "wrought", as the iron was pounded, twisted, and folded. The wolverine is a stocky and muscular omnivorous (but largely carnivorous) animal. The bloom was then mechanically worked to break off the masses of slag and impurities. . In a bloomery, the fire does not get hot enough to melt the iron completely, so you are left with a spongy mass containing iron and silicates from the ore; this is iron bloom from which the technique gets its name. luscus. This way little carbon entered the iron directly.

g. As the ore melted it would be reduced (ore is iron oxide, or rust), mixing with the charcoal to release carbon dioxide. Two subspecies are recognised, the Old World form Gulo gulo gulo and the New World form G. The heat produced would melt the ore. It is the only species currently classified in the genus Gulo. Air was blown onto the charcoal after lighting it on fire. The Wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the largest terrestrial species of the Mustelidae or weasel family, and is also called the Glutton or Carcajou. Bloomeries used charcoal-heated smelters, typically in the form of small pots or ladles, into which the ore was poured and then covered with a thin layer of charcoal.