steel making

G

Gene Martin

Joined
Feb 5, 1999
Messages
1,068
After a discussion this afternoon, I profess my utter ignorance and have to ask: can hematite be worked down through the forge and ultimately, by adding carbon, make steel? Kind of like the Japanese method, slightly different. The hematite in question runs about 50% magnetic.

So, can it be done in a semi traditional Japanese manner, would ot have to be worked into a bloom and go from there, or am I barking up a tree?

My customer is into all things Japanese and has ordered some tamegahane, IIRC, but also has a bunch of hematite in rock form.

Ideas? Thoughts? I'm wasting brain power as well as my time?

Thanks, I've got the popcorn.

Gene
 
It all comes down to efficiency, magnetite is so iron rich that it will require less resources and effort to reduce, hematite will require a little more, limonite will really make you work for it.

In this smelt I managed to get almost 8 lbs. of medium to high carbon steel (averaged) from relatively small ammounts of magnetite ore and an ammount of charcoal I was pleased with:
ore.jpg

charging.jpg

stack.jpg


I would expect to feed a little more ore and charcoal into the top for hematite.
 
I just found out that I can buy it from Laguna Clay dealers, of which there is one in Syracuse :)
Kevin, were you making your own charcoal, or did you find a source for lump charcoal?
I just did my first charcoal making burn this weekend, and it is a slow way to get charcoal considering I have to drive to Ithaca to do it (60 miles each way) and I only get about 15 pounds per burn. I am hoping to get a smelt in before snow sticks (I was hoping to do one before first snow but that was yesterday)

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Sunshadow you could try wicked good lump charcoal, I'm ordering 1300lb today if you want to try a bag or two to see if you like it. :)

It can be done but not in a forge, too much slag would be produced. Start with a smelt then break up your bloom and organize the pieces according to carbon content. Adjust the carbon in your forge using the carbonizing and oxidizing areas. Make sure you have a more carbon than you want in your final product because you loose quite a bit though forge welding.
 
This forum has such interesting topics on it. I get a kick out of reading what other people are doing in their smithies.

Ickie
 
steelshaper said:
Where could one get magnetite?
Thanks Will
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Will, if you are in East Jordan, you are closer to it than I am, the U.P. is one of the richest ore deposits in the world. If you find any good sites where they don't sick the law on you for digging, please let me know. I have gotten the ubiquitious taconite pellets in the past. The actual taconite ore is rather poor, but the pellets area little more refined and are supplimented with better ores.
 
ekibyougami said:
Sunshadow you could try wicked good lump charcoal, I'm ordering 1300lb today if you want to try a bag or two to see if you like it. :)

Thanks for the offer, I just found lump charcoal at the local Wegmans for 49 cents per pound (in 10 pound bags) and bought 70 pounds, the stuff looks good, I am going to have to break it up into smaller uniform pieces. I will be picking up 5o lbs of Magnetite from Clayscapes Pottery in Syracuse after Payday, and another 50 pounds of Weggies charcoal, hopefully I will be able to do a small bloom sometime in the next couple of weekends.
I would like to get out and check out the Tatara process if you are doing it on a weekend that I am free.

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Well I should have the tatara running by Dec 10th. Car costs have put off the project and the purchase of a hydraulic press for processing the steel afterwards. Good luck with your smelt!
 
Hope your car quits interfering. I should be getting 100 pounds of granular magnetite from Clayscapes (315)424-6868 on Fayette street in Syracuse

it's 54 cents a pound if I remember correctly, I worked with Andrew there, he special ordered 100 pounds for me today, it should be on his truck shipment next week, I plan to set up a little tylecote smelter at my mothers on Thanksgiving, and while the food cooks I'll be cooking rocks!


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This is really cool, I like the idea of making a product from scratch. I thought that Kevin had a hollowed out anvil that was glowing... then realized it was a piece of steel!
 
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