J. Bennett

Cooper, I also live about 15 miles from Brooks. I might make it there Sunday. Jerry

Hello. Just wondering if anyone has ever made, (forged), and ground a pair of scissors. Thanks

Hey thanks once again Ice. Your Google-Fu is powerful ! I want some boron to harden up my new steel without carbon.

Yep:D Specifically ferro boron..........

Yes, but not Specific chemistry..

Hi y'all. i would REALLY love to know the exact chemistry of neodymium iron boron magnets. I'll tell you why, if I can find a definitive source. Thanks a bunch, Jerry

Thank you Matt's girl friend! If you don't mind, i will share this link. This need comes up from time to time. Jerry

Hey, that's not bad. Price is decent also. Although the dollar is sucking right now. I'll give them a call. Thanks Mate:)

need some pure iron as a base to make a special alloy in a vacume furnace. More controll, as this is a "micro alloy" steel. I need to make it for "official" testing. I can make some pure iron in my t-mite powerd star chamber furnace, but I need to re-build the reaction chamber, and I'm in a hurry...

I wish. Wrought has way too many inclusions and silica in it.:(

Hello. I am looking for a source to buy some Ferro alloying chems in small quantities. Specifically some pure iron. I am in a hurry and have to rebuild the star chamber, and don't have time. I have been offered the use of a vac oven and equipment at a local University, to work on my new steel. All I need is 2 pounds of pure iron, toot sweet. Thanks, Jerry

I wouldn't use t-mite for cutting. They make little "pens" with t-mite. Cool little toy. A good intro to the proper use of t-mite. Jerry

Hey thanks. I bookmarked that site. Yeah, i think I'm pretty much stuck with MgO. I made a refractory out of wood ash and charcoal. Worked very well. The problem was that the liquid iron absorbed HUGE amounts of phosphorous. The 5000 degree furnace cement from Mcmaster is ok, but impart copper and other bad things into the melt. MgO is very inert and even though it's melting point is rated @ 5k, I think you need a little more than that to liquefy it.

Yes, I have patent pending. I couldn't find any other furnace design close, so what the heck. You can use propane burners. I like charcoal because it gives serious btu's. I might even use an oil burner. It's real versatile. I can change the shape to accomodate any situation. I know little about metallurgy. That's one reason I join these boards:D

Yep. That's me. The star chamber works better than expected. Don't understand the whole Theology, but what ever works..;)

Funny you should mention niobium oxide as a reactant. Oxides can be either, or both. I can make a refractory from aluminum oxide, but aluminum is the main engine that fires the candle... Experience and a a touch of chutzpahs is all that's needed. BTW, WHO ARE YOU? A blacksmith that knows the intimacy of fire:confused:, or some master at Google-fu? :confused:

There ya go. Much better answer. I just do this stuff by the seat of my pants. Speaking of oxides.. I want some bulk, niobium oxide. I have never seen a more heat resistant material in my life! If you add niobium to a melt, make sure it's free of all oxide. it will totally wreck a melt otherwise.

That's a good question, but a very complicated answer. keep in mind I'm a backyard metallurgist, so take everything I say with a grain.. In alloy making, melting points are only for reference. You can alloy such and such a metal, say with a 4000F melting point, into molten iron @ 3300F. Why? It's called, well I actually don't know what it's called, but I call it the flux effect. Just like molten flux can destroy a forge lining, several hundred degrees below it's melting point. I would never use any metal crucibles to hold any other molten metals.. Although you can drastically reduce the melting point of alumina, and hold the liquid in a platinum crucible. Alumina, aluminum oxide, has a higher melting point than platinum, but the flux changes that. The making of Ramaura Cultured Rubies I live in rural St. Paul, next to Champoeg.

Wow. Thanks to all the people who put the hard work into that. Great resource.

Thanks! I'll be printing that out for my library:) Wish I would have found this forum earlier.

That's good advice. I'm not a pro, but work extensively with hand tools at my day job. I think the vibration is starting to get to my joints. I try to warm up a wee bit also. Range of motion is very important for your shoulder. I see guys my age, (47), who are starting to loose a percentage of their arm motion. Ahhhh, Tiger balm:D

OK then, who among us, uses power hammers? Yes, I'm jealous, but I bet I can beat any smith who uses a press or power hammer @ arm wrestling. Right handers on right handers, south paws on south paws. Well, OK that does not prove anything, except rotator cuff problems, carpal tunnel syndrome, stone finger, etc. At least us hammer jocks can boast after staggering home from the pub.. Hammer Jocks Unite

Well, I guess I'll play the heretic once more:D 15 years ago, there was no internet as we know it. I had always wanted to forge a sword one day. I had nothing but the library and an old hand cranker that belonged to father in law. I read and read and read some more. Well, believe it or not, the very first object I had ever forged was a bastard sword. I just cut to the chase. I didn't know any better at the time, because there wasn't anyone to tell me I couldn't.. I must say though that I could not have done it without the tutleage of one of one JPH, via his great book. I hope I made him proud:D Anyway, the point is, just do it! Oh, I still have that old bastard. I chop, cut, experiment with and it still performs, even though it's tip heavy.

Thanks. I ran across that while doing a patent search for my furnace:D I've fooled around a little with the layered system, but it wasn't too complicated. It's good for adding carbon to make a certain alloy. My furnace is more mechanical, as it utilizes "drop mixing" and the slag is used as a "lid". That would be awsome. Adell's listed the old timey stuff as "magnesia tar". Have no idea what it was, but it must have been some sort of carbon binder.:confused:

That has a lot of useful information. T-mite is low tech, but after observing scores of runs, some up to 12 pounds, I know that there are a lot of complicated thermal dynamics going on. I didn't like the sulfur/iron info though. I assumed the reaction got rid of all that nasty stuff. As for the 5000 degree requirement, I put melt doors in the bottom and a very small tap hole. That way it gives the reaction some time to settle and separate. Consequently it sits on the refractory a while. I've weighed the iron afterwards, including all the "spatter" I could find. I find that during large runs, about 5% of the iron boils away. There is probably +- 2% as there might be a bit of unreacted iron oxide in the slag. That's around 6000F. So there are "hot spots" in the reaction. I have designed a t-mite furnace I call "the star chamber", that utilizes a lot of insulation and a large outside heat source. Heat on more heat. I imagine the "flame" in the middle of the reaction is approaching low fusion temps. I guess around 8 grand F. I'll have to set up a cheap spectro to see one day. I have found MgO works the best as far as heat resistance, liquid resistance and cleanness. But it's very hard to bind into a usable ceramic form. I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Thanks for the link.