Junksmith Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 So it appears that poor farmers in certain rural parts of China 500 years ago did not have fireworks accessible to celebrate Da Shuhua (the autumn festival of lights celebrating the harvest). What else looks like fireworks? Molten iron being thrown against a wall of course! Who was behind the idea? Area blacksmiths! This makes me even more proud of our heritage. See video below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 WOW!!! That was COOL! I wouldn't do it myself, but That was COOL!! Dangerous as all heck!! But That was COOL!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I wonder if we should teach them about launching anvils with blackpowder.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 there is an artists Richard Serra in his early years he did molten lead. sure it was not as dramatic as the fire and light show didn't the Chinese invent gun powder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 That guy -- the Chinese iron-flinger -- is nuts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Thats cool! Did you notice the flingers suit? I'm sure he wasn't feeling any hot spots. I was at a ground breaking art show where they built the new SF MOMA. David Ireland was firing molten steel at the wall next to the site. Very cool.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Reminds me when I was trying a billet of mild steel and cast iron (old bath tub, so thin and high grade). Didn't work out like an author had suggested as possible methods of carburizing wrought iron in medieval times, but at welding temp the cast iron would splash out in large molten globs that would fly through the air until---I conjecture---_the excess carbon was burned out_ and then explode into burning iron sparklies. Most amusing if you like really juicy welds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Reminds me when I was trying a billet of mild steel and cast iron (old bath tub, so thin and high grade). Didn't work out like an author had suggested as possible methods of carburizing wrought iron in medieval times, but at welding temp the cast iron would splash out in large molten globs that would fly through the air until---I conjecture---_the excess carbon was burned out_ and then explode into burning iron sparklies. Most amusing if you like really juicy welds... Glad I was not the only one Thomas....I did learn that after the tenth weld it settles down a bit...in retrospect that was most likely due to the fact that there was no more cast iron present in the billet. I'll be getting back into cast iron next year...but I am not sure my insurance company would like the Chinese approach to the Fourth of July..... Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 What was funny was running into a MatSci professor who was researching using low carbon steel balls in a cast iron matrix and balancing the numbers just right that you would get a high carbon steel through carbon migration. He was rather plaintive about asking why we were not in his MatSci classes and sad to learn that we were blacksmiths/blademakers with geology degrees... The method of crayoning on cast iron to a Low C piece to "hardface it"---I want to try a piling sample with the pieces treated like that sometime just to see what happens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I built a trebuchet that will hurl 8lbs. almost 100 yards, it has a wire rope sling, been dying to toss something on fire! Good show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenylittlemetalguy Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 I built a trebuchet that will hurl 8lbs. almost 100 yards, it has a wire rope sling, been dying to toss something on fire! Good show! And now we know where the "Danger" in Danger Dillon comes from... My kinda guy. I would like to see that. How about molten aluminum into a lake? I heard that makes a big boom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 And now we know where the "Danger" in Danger Dillon comes from... My kinda guy. I would like to see that. How about molten aluminum into a lake? I heard that makes a big boom.No, that makes art! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Somebody be sure to shoot video of that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 May I suggest a telephoto lens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I almost suggested written instructions on how to post the vid, left with someone who won't be present for the event. You know . . . just in case. Of course that doesn't mean that some little part of my brain hasn't spent the last few hours wondering what kind of container you could use to launch molten Al from a trebuchet. It'd have to be able to completely contain the molten metal (spillage seems like it'd be a bad thing) and survive the shock of launch, but break open on impact. Or at least that's my vision. :ph34r: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Castable refractory would contain and fracture on impact. A bit out the end would be fine as well, a perforation in the vessel could be, pretty... BurningMan :ph34r: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I almost suggested written instructions on how to post the vid, left with someone who won't be present for the event. You know . . . just in case. Of course that doesn't mean that some little part of my brain hasn't spent the last few hours wondering what kind of container you could use to launch molten Al from a trebuchet. It'd have to be able to completely contain the molten metal (spillage seems like it'd be a bad thing) and survive the shock of launch, but break open on impact. Or at least that's my vision. Induction coil around a ceramic pot...or the whole lot in a forge to 1700F You can wrap the exterior with some thin inswool like paper-mache for added support. I would think the slow constant exceleration of the slig would be a good way to laungh the mess. Or just drop it off a cliff into water...all down hill with no issues....not all lakes have flat land around them. I'm not convinced there would be anything worth watching unless the water volume and thermal mass of the molten liquid were within a certain "sweet spot". A bullet mold of aluminum into a water glass is nothing but a hissing bubble bath. You need the steam to launch the yet liquid metal....to much water and the metal sinks and quenches with some steam bubbles...like making poured lead shot. Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Sure, ceramic would do for melting and impact. It's the surviving the launch part that might be a little hairy -- your slow, constant acceleration observation is dead on. A trebuchet might be the thing. You're right that just chucking it into a lake probably wouldn't be very exciting. I have some thoughts about what might make it exciting, but maybe I shouldn't plant ideas in the head of every teenager who wanders by this thread. (I say this as a guy who spent his share of time as a teen making napalm, striving to make ever-larger firecrackers with black powder, playing with an O/A torch when no one was looking, and just generally doing some things that, in retrospect, may not have been great ideas.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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