forging meteorite

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Ken H>

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Dec 31, 2011
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Hello ya'll. A while back I purchased 100 grams of Campo meteorite with the idea of using in canister forge. Here's where I ordered & photo: https://www.ebay.com/itm/173804262860?

I also ordered 5 lb of 1084 extra fine mesh powder to use.

I'm looking for info about size of canister for this project. I'll take some 1/8" mild steel I've got and bend/weld a canister. The steel is actually .110" thick including the paint. Once I remove the paint I expect closer to .100" thick. How best to do this. Remember, the only "powder hammer" I've got is the "Arm 'n Hammer" type.

I'm thinking perhaps a canister about 1" deep by 2" wide and perhaps 6" long. What percent 1084 powder vs the Campo bits would be best? 25% Campo? I'm thinking perhaps grind away paint for a clean mild steel interior rather than coating with whiteout, then plan to grind mild steel off?

Does anything need to be done to the Campo Meteorite bits as far as cleaning? They're clean now, almost like they were polished a bit? Maybe wash in Acetone?

Looking for some guidance on this project - I KNOW I know nothing about meteorite forge welding.

Thanks for any suggestions and guidance.

Ken H>
 
I’ve seen a couple of videos on YouTube about forging meteorites, and man they really seem to have a hard time at it!

I was just at a rock shop where they had big chunks of the stuff, and the same idea popped into my head too. Man it sounds like an awesome idea, but I KNOW it’d be beyond my capabilities.

Good luck sounds like an awesome time!
 
Well, that's why I'm going slow and trying learn before trying the forge weld. The big chunks of meteorite you saw - any idea what meteorite it's from? How much iron is in it? The Campo meteorite is one of the good ones with around 92.9% iron and 6.7% nickel.
 
First let me say I have never forge welded metorite in a can or otherwise. I have forged powered metal in a can. I suggest you find some thin walled (1/8") steel tube and practice your welding before venturing onto the metorite.
I usually use 3x3" tube 3" long but that is because it was readily available. I have used 1.5"x3" tube and even exhaust pipe. If you use exhaust pipe make sure it is plain steel and not aluminumized. If you don't reduce the cross section dimensions enough each pass you won't get a good weld. If you reduce it too much you may pop the end off the can before you get everything stuck together inside. It really sucks to have the powder run out on your press, or in your case the anvil. A cheap alternate powdered metal is shot blasting media. It comes in a variety of sizes and is usually close to O1steel in composition. CHECK with the manufacture before buying.
Hope this helps you picks direction to go.
Jim A
 
Forging a test canister of powder metal for first time is a good idea. Might even toss a few chips of metal to simulate the chips of Campo meteorite. GREAT idea - thanks.
 
I have made meteorite damascus. I forged Campo meteorite pieces flat to around 1/4" thick (take your time, it is crumbly if worked too cold or too fast), layered them with 1/4" 1084 and .100"15N20, forged it down solid, and folded it 4 or 5 times. The president of the Richmond Knife Club owns the knife now.

Your canoe canister will be fine, and much easier than my hand welding. Make sure to vibrate it down well before welding to top on. I would go 50-50 in the canister, and when the billet is folded and done as below, make san-mai on a core of 1084. A strip of .020 pure nickel between the core and san-mai pieces will make a hamon look when the knife is forged and finished. The effect is very nice. I would avoid higher carbon core as it may tear itself down the middle due to different cooling rates.

TIPS:
I would suggest you line your canister sides with HT foil. One piece can be cut to fold and cover the sides and ends. Make a test piece from printer paper and use it to cut the foil.​
Clean the meteorite pieces well and let dry. Bake in an oven at 300 for an hour before putting in the canister.
Work the canister until it has a rock solid feeling.
After removal, work the billet hot, like it was wrought iron.
Start gentle when doing fold welds and work up to hard hammering.
Make sure it is completely compacted in drawing out before the first fold. Once compacted and flat, the folds go pretty much as normal.
HT for the 1084.
.
 
Stacy: Thanks for the detailed reply. You've provided exactly the info I was looking for. I've got this thread bookmarked so I don't lose it. It will be a while before I actually get to do the forging - it's HOT outside these days and I don't handle heat as well as in yrs past. The last few days we've had Heat Index up around 110F or so. This morning around 8am when I walked outside it was like a sauna with heat and humidity.

A question here, just how important is it to do folds after forging the billet out solid? If folds are really needed, how many? Can I forge billet out today, then a few days later do a couple of folds? Then perhaps more folds (if needed) a few days later? OR - is it fairly important to do forge welding all in same day?

When you say "forge HOT" - do you mean up around 2200F or so like for forge welding SS cladding with carbon steel core San Mai?

I don't have .020" thick nickel, but do have some .005" nickel I've used on San Mai and the Damascus blade I made.

Thanks again to all for guidance.

Ken H>
 
The thinner nickel will work, but the faux-hamon won't be as distinct. Yes, hot means 2100-220F. Once you solidify the billet, you can work on it whenever you have time.
 
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