Cant really title a blade type accurately because I have not decided yet. I finally got the courage to work out some Campo Del Cielo Meteorite into a usable form. These are about 7% Nickel plus about a total of 1% Cobalt, Iridium and Gallium, the remaining is pure Iron. I said I feared this because of the expense of these being from 50 cents to a few dollars a GRAM. And the fact that they have a habit to like to shatter when heated and hit with a hammer, so I choose to use the can welding process.

I started by breaking up the space rock into small pieces, and cutting up some wrought iron rod and collecting the band saw powders from the cutting in a news paper. I know they sell steel powders, but I dont have any on hand, and the wrought made more sense.

I added the pieces in the 1.5" square pipe than I had already I welded an end closed, and after the pieces were packed in place, I filled it with a mix of borax and wrought iron powder. then welded closed the opposite end then drilled a few 1/16" holes on both ends for gas release.

Then into the fire. My coal forge was running hot with nice clean Coke, I took this slow and easy like with a motorcycle chain, to close it up so I did not break the outside of the can. This also allows heat to travel through this can better by reducing the voids. I watched the gasses escape with a little flame, and after a while I got a solid mass drawn out to 1/4 x 1.5 x 16 inches ready to fold. After a few folds this should become a homogeneous bar and then I can use it with high carbon layers for a pretty pattern welded billet for an as yet to be decided blade. and I still have enough left to make one more of these.

Thats awesome! Hope all goes well. Cant wait to see pics:D

So you cant really make anything solid with pure meteorite? I always wondered what that stuff was like:confused: Im probably going to stay away from it for a long time lol.

that sounds really cool id love to see pics.

Why the borax inside the can? I'd think it would be just more junk to get in the weld.

All the can welding I know of is done fluxless even the one where the fellow welded up lathe swarf. Just a little oxygen scavanger like WD40 added before heating for the original welding run.

I was advised to use a little borax by a member that can welds.

This was a first for me, both meteor and the can weld, so I followed another makers advise. I used maybe 2 tbs of borax, I never use much flux, an this wrought iron had plenty of silicon.

This sounds like a fascinating project! Please keep up posted with your progress.

Very cool Steve, I await pics with bated breath.

Frosty

Pictures please!!! Good luck.

Steve sounds like a great project I also would like to see pictures of the process.
William

Steve,
one of the reasons I am smithing now is because of a book called the skystone, by jack whyte, now you are doing what I read about. I must admit to some envy, because I would love to do it myself. When all is said and done, why don't you write it up in a complete form, I would love to have something like that in my library, for when I grow the, er um, get good enough, to do it myself, I just happen to have a big frag of meteorite.
I too await some pics, wish you would have documented the whole process with pics!! If you do it again, do so and sell it, I'll buy!!

I have pics, what ever made you think I forgot the camera just not a lot to show yet

Edited April 24, 200917 yr by steve sells
typo

Very cool. What a fun project that must be. Did you take any pictures of the meteorite before began the can weld?

thats a great deal more than I knew before you started the thread!!

Very cool. What a fun project that must be. Did you take any pictures of the meteorite before began the can weld?

thats the first pic, that rock is it

I know, I don't think your post had shown up yet when I hit reply.

So what are you leaning towards for blade style?

Steve, what would one with a blade in mind look for in a meteorite? Nickle and silicon?

what size were the chunks of Campo Del Cielo Meteorite ???

Hey Steve I have a great idea! You can be the hero in my new Hollywood blockbuster about Alien mutant killer flaming kamikaze bees! A heroic blacksmith comes to the rescue of a small town that is mercilessly attacked by Alien mutant killer flaming kamikaze bees using the only weapon that can destroy the monsters...A handforged sword made from a meteorite that originated from the bee's now destroyed hive-planet!.....OK, it's a work in progress. Can't wait to see the pics...hurry up!

these Meteorites have no silicon. they are about 7% nickel, and about 1% total of Gallium, Iridium and Cobalt, the balance is Pure iron. By combining this with old wrought iron I added more iron to reduce the effects of the trace elements and bring back the nickel to a more manageable amount, it also added Silicon, from the wrought into the mix, making it stronger than the brittle meteorite was at the start.

when buying one to use check its composition, you want solid block of iron (to the eye) not a rocky Iron Ore type. A magnet for a fast check cant hurt. but a lab analysis is not too much to ask for the prices they are getting. this is not a production run type thing LOL

Edited February 12, 201412 yr by steve sells
typo

Cool. Most I see have lab test docs with them when you buy.

You've got me thinking about buying one. I'm not ready to forge one yet, but if I am going to try eventually, I might as well get one now and let it sit on my coffee table until I'm ready.

it an incredibly interesting proceess, the melting and welding of metals. it is really cool how ou are making the metal suitable. how did you come up with the idea of using metorite iron?

i have done something similar .... a frieng of mine aquired from a rockhound about 1/2 of a coffee can of the grindings and chips from sawed meteorites (they saw um into slabs)
I made 2 blades useing the same basic tecnique . those were in payment for the material . came out with a real interesting pattern ... i lightly etched it then blued it and part of it took a nice blue part went to a purple with red hints and part stayed shiny ( nickle from meteorite) it was a mix of the meteorite and 5160 and maybee some o1 (was a wile back) ive got a good bit left and was going to do some letters or some type of pattern out of it .ime going to probably take it to a friends shop to weld it cause he is makeing a forgeing press so it wont mess up the pattern with the hammer.i found it kinda tough to get to weld initially but once in a billet it works just like any other nickle alloy... good luck!

now its 1.25 x 16 x .2 inches at 120 layers, of wrought iron and Meteorite mix. So it looks like I got it.

Even if I make the blade billet only 200 layers, this one' layering will be too fine to see any separate layers (equivalent of a 24,000 layer billet at this level because 200 billet layers x 120 meteorite)

Edited April 29, 200917 yr by steve sells
addition

Steve,good for you,to accomplish something like that,very cool.Many years of careful,systematic work,is what allows one to eventually get into the neat stuff such as this.
You too,dablacksmith,my hat's off to both you guys,and thanks for talking some about it.

MR. sells i have to be honest. it is an amazing process that goes into a knife and an even more amazing one going into a blade like this. i kinda thought using dril rod was a 'cool' way to make a knife. i guess your metorite blade is WAY cooler than that! good luck and i hope it works out. and id love to see some pics. :)