Will oxidizing cast iron remove carbon for smelting purposes?

Dan Seaver

Dan Seaver

Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
898
Well I am working on setting up a new smelter and found a source for all the free cast iron and steel shavings I want. I know that you can smelt iron oxide to create iron and then steel using a carbonizing blast furnace, but will the iron oxide from cast iron retain the carbon? I *think* that the carbon would remain but would not affect the carbon content of the steel bloom produced when compared to the carbonizing atmosphere produced by the charcoal. I found no sufficient information while searching the internet so now I turn to you fellas. Thanks for any information you share.
 
"iron oxide from the cast iron " .Start from square # 1. Steel contains iron+carbon, cast iron contains iron +carbon [no iron oxide ! ]. The high carbon content of cast iron must be lowered and this can be done by adding iron oxide. So all you need to find a source of iron oxide like iron ore.
 
you MAY be able to get rid of some of it by using a relatively low tuyre angle so that you have effectively 2 reduction zones, if I interpret my notes from Michael McCarthy correctly, but he was making wraught or steel from ore, not reprocessing cast, so the whole process may not apply at all to what you are doing. You would probably be better off doing crucible melts and combining some of your cast with iron or mild

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mete said:
...cast iron contains iron +carbon [no iron oxide ! ]...
Click to expand...
This is why I want to oxidize the cast iron, to produce the iron oxide and the carbon should produce carbon dioxide. I'm not trying to remelt cast iron but instead covert it into iron oxide for use in a tatara. Perhaps I will just find a source for plain iron for my project, the local river has the same iron sand type as used for traditional tamahagane.

So my question is simply will the oxidation of cast iron result in iron oxide and carbon dioxide?
 
Now I understand ! That would do it but it's the hard way !! Where are you in 'upstate NY' ? Sam and I were talking to a fellow from NJ who has been making iron the old way and got iron ore from VA IIRC. That was better quality than found in NJ.....In the old days you made cast iron from ore ,then broke up the cast iron and burned out the carbon with air. Adding ore to cast iron would get there a different way.
 
I'm in Lewis county, near a small town called Turin. Currently I'm making a small tatara that I can adjust the carbon content of the steel being produced by changing the air flow. Normally a tatara will produce steel with a carbon content between .8 and 1.4, by using more charcoal in the ratio is should be able to achieve the same results when starting with iron oxide rather than iron. I think adding ore to cast iron would work better in a crucible but I will think about it.
 
It seems like a very hard thing to do. Unless you have a way to chemically analyze the ingredients or product you are working blind or by trial and error. You could do an etch of the final product and get an idea of the carbon content or distribution throughout the metal but again this would be hit and miss. Once you find the right compostion you have to keep the ingredients and process consistent. I would get an old metallurgy book or go on line to study the process of iron smelting and steel making. It seems like a lot of work to make a knife when you can buy almost any steel alloy readily.
 
It does seem like a hard thing to do and especially hard to keep consistent. But, I don't think the amount of work has much do do with this. I see a discovery and learning project and the satisfaction of being able to say I did it all from start to finish. Good luck and please keep us in the loop. I am very interested.
 
I'm in Syracuse, how far are you ?
I am trying to set up a bloom smelt.I may be interested in working with you on your tataraproject
Email me offline

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Sunshadow, he's in that place where it gets 50' of snow each year , do you have a snowmobile ?? Only cows and cheesemakers live there !!
 
Its hard but not impossible, just using my sideblast forge I made a medium carbon steel kera (bloom) of 3 pounds. Honestly ib2v4u has an good idea of what I want, to make knives that are unique all the way down to the steel used. The steel will not be consistent throughout which is why folding and welding is necessary for traditionally made steel.
I'm about 45 minutes from Syracuse and will send you an email after work tonight. Mete is right, I am topographically located where lake effect snow falls the heaviest with compacted drifts of 8'. People are outnumbered by cows 2.25 to 1 but I don't know any cheese makers, perhaps your thinking maple syrup which is a good business out here :).

I will keep you guys updated once I have the smelter running and I hope to share what information I learn at next years Ashokan.
 
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