Scale knife

[Badmouthblacksmith]

So I've had an idea floating around in my head. I am wondering if it would be possible to use crushed up forge scale as a powder for canister damascus. The one thing i do know is it's magnetic so I believe it is still ferrous. But will it still have the same carbon and steel properties of the parent steel? Is this at all possible?

 

[JeffreyFogleboch]

Interesting idea but I don't think it would work. Scale doesn't weld and I don't think it would have the same properties...its an oxide made up of Iron and oxygen. I suspect that the only thing it would do is prevent your other steels from welding.

-Jeff

 

[timgunn1962]

It's not likely to work at all.

The scale is mostly Iron Oxide. It's effectively the same stuff as some of the iron ores that are use as the starter material for iron and steel production. Most of the processing to make steel involves removing the Oxygen from the Iron Oxide and you've undone all that processing by Oxidizing it back to scale.

 

[Badmouthblacksmith]

Alright good to know. Sucks i cant make a sparly knife, but it was just a thought. Could i use the scale to make ferric chloride by putting it in murionic acid to begin making ferric chloride.