First experience with bloom steel

[matthewfromers]

Well first of all, good day to you!

Last year I started thinking about the idea of getting a material that I can fully feel paternity. After reading through the pages of this forum and learning from other people's experiences, I decided to make a first attempt. I collected some old pieces of iron that I had in an equally old garage. The material from the spark test gave virtually no spark except for a few.

 

So I've made some like a bloomery and run with a lot of charcoal and the pieces of iron. And, of course a lot of air.

 

This is the bloom that I've got! Unfortunatly I was not able to remove the slag from the bottom of the furnace, so it cools down all togheter. My fault.

 

This is one of the pieces that I've cut out from the entire bloom. And his sparking test. And another smal pieces that I've etched.

 

Ant the end I was not able to compact the bloom, a friend of mine, that works in the metallurgical field suggest that probably is because of the chrome in it, (or maybe because I'm not good in compact bloom :P) .

Well this was my first try, I think that I've add some carbon in it, I kept the turkeye detached from the bottom of the smelter to allow the material not to oxidize. I think I succeeded. Surely some of you will be able to give me good advice!

In future I will try to add some carbon to a certified iron that here in Italy it calls s275jr that it:

 

 

so no chrome this time!

 

Hope for you all a good day my friend!

 

Matthew

[Stash]

Lee Sauder has done something similar- he called it an Aristotle furnace. He has an interesting write-up on his site Looks like a fun project, Matthew. You going to try to forge something with your bloom?

Steve

[Steve Sells]

From what is shown, this is not a bloom,  I didnt see any ore being processed, just melting of existing metals

[ThomasPowers]

Orishagane

[matthewfromers]

10 hours ago, Stash said:

Lee Sauder has done something similar- he called it an Aristotle furnace. He has an interesting write-up on his site Looks like a fun project, Matthew. You going to try to forge something with your bloom?

Steve

Dear Steve, thank you a lot! I would try to forge it! But for shure I will try with a better and more known starting material!

9 hours ago, Steve Sells said:

From what is shown, this is not a bloom,  I didnt see any ore being processed, just melting of existing metals

My fault, yes I didn't start from ore, as you said, this cannot be called "bloom"

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Orishagane

Yes, this should be a most correct term, I've been ispired also from a book of Yoshindo Yoshihara, that describe the process.

 

Thank you all for the support.

 

Matthew

[pnut]

I watched a documentary a while ago about making traditional Japanese steel. They started with black hematite sand. The old man that was the master steel maker stayed at the furnace for days. It was an interesting program. It wasn't actually about making steel it was about finding a katana lost during the disarmament of Japan after WWII the steel making was only a small part. The sword was the Honjo Masamune. It's probably in some WWII soldier's grandchildrens attic collecting dust. 

Pnut

[ThomasPowers]

At Quad-State one year Ric Furrer did a demo on "3 ways to make steel" They were orishagane, blister steel and crucible steel.  I volunteered to be the helper for that demo! (Ric was very tolerant and a good sport when he found the plastic floating eyeball in the quench tank...OTOH I was running the asian box bellows the whole time for the orishagane process.)

[bluerooster]

On 9/4/2019 at 5:23 AM, pnut said:

I watched a documentary a while ago about making traditional Japanese steel. They started with black hematite sand. The old man that was the master steel maker stayed at the furnace for days.....

Pnut

That would be Tamahagane .