Possible source of DIY iron production???

[swordandshield]

Hey guys! Well i know this is going to a bit foolish (like those that ask "teach me to make a sword") but i have been wondering about this for a while..... Iron manufacture is at its most basic state taking iron ore, and heating it high enough to drive the impurities off, and in modern cases liquifing it, producing a usable state of iron.....

 

Anyone who is fond of chemistry should recognize this equation....

 

Fe2O3 + 3CO = 2Fe + 3CO2 

 

This is the equation for a thermite reaction. Iron oxide is combined with aluminum powder and burned at an intense heat enough to melt the iron(and anything around it) and drive off the oxygen molecules that are bound to it. Theoretically, what you should be left with is a chunk of pretty pure iron, i would think similar in ductility to wrought, minus the silicon slag..... I understand that it wouldn't be practical to try and make enough iron to do anything substantial with, but could you on a small scale produce enough iron to make some S hooks or something of the like?  

this information is false

[Nobody Special]

Very simplified equation, not nearly all the reactions that take place. You can make diamond with explosives too, and gold from lead with the right nuclear reaction, but not nearly cost effective.

 

Also, in my experience, thermite tends to be messy. Easy to make, but you'd probably end up with a lot of small globules all over the place if you got anything at all. And that's all after you consider local, state, and federal laws, which are a lot nastier than they used to be.

 

That aside, I'd love to see it tried, especially with pics. Be careful, that stuff burns through everything....we used to demonstrate on old engine blocks.

[thingmaker3]

A buddy of mine used to make a few pounds of steel at a time using the thermit reaction. He called it "Oregon Hagane."

 

Please research and exercise all appropriate precautions. This stuff is xxxxxxx dangerous compared to what we normally do here.

[oddtodd]

Personally the thought of trying to make iron with thermite scares the heck out of me.

[Chinobi]

having done small batches of the stuff, and having 200 grams of it ignite in a fume hood in front of my face im going to flat out say do not attempt.  im sure it can be done (however your reaction as stated earlier is indeed wrong) but it is very difficult to control in an amateur setting and the resultant solid is very brittle and full of inclusions and will pick up plenty of sand (or whatever) you let it puddle in.  i dont know what the forging characteristics of aluminum oxide are either, but your resultant slag is going to be iron and Al2O3 (IIRC), which is far from pure iron.

 

i really need to make a point to chase down the photos (somebody shot a video too...) from that project :(

[Charles R. Stevens]

In rail line welding, the thermite reaction was carried out in a large crucible, designed for the job. The two sections of rail were set with in a prescribed distance of one another and a casting flask was built around them. The super heated molten iron was pored in to the flask, melting the rail and forming the weld.
Pay up you insurance and get your affaires in order befor playing with the stuff. Do your research as to safe handling, both of the thermite and the resulting molten metal. The reaction produces a melt of much higher temp. Than is usually in countered in smelting and casting, so it takes extra care. Don't work with this stuff on concrete. If the crucible or flask fail the resulting explosion from the Spaulding concrete will be desasterus.

[Chinobi]

great vid of the rail weld process in this thread:

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/29787-railroad-thermite-welding/?hl=thermite

search 'thermite' at the main forum index too, this has been covered a few times in the past and there is a lot of expanded information already available.

[ThomasPowers]

Now now; *it* *has* *been* *done*!  A fellow over at swordforum.com (in the makers section IIRC) used to use various thermite reactions to get custom alloying done at his home.  Made some really wild stuff.  Unfortunately after a number of years he came back and posted that he was stopping as he was going blind due to damage done by the thermite.

 

So yes it can be done at home, yes it can work to make usable alloys and yes you can irreparably damage yourself unless you invest in very high grade safety equipment indeed!

 

I'll stick with doing bloomery runs