Post by phoenix1967 on Apr 21, 2011 22:57:22 GMT -5
Sharing our crafts an knowlege is one way we live on. The measure of a persons life in the end is taken by God, but here on Earth, it's taken by ones affect on others. I'll admit I didn't realize Mr Ameling had died when I posted the link, and it saddens me. I have been really out of touch recently. There's always an almost palpable hollow in the world when one of the great smiths dies, but as long as we remember him, and continue to learn from him, part of him is still alive. That, I suspect, is why the website is still there.
A bit more on the metalurgy behind the fire steels:
Beaudro gave a good explanation of how to make one, betcha he has done a lot of them. I'll try to explain the why behind the how.
Carbon lowers the melting and burning point of iron.
Pure iron melts at nearly 3000 degrees... 2797 deg F
a good simple steel like 1095 (.95% carbon, or roughly 1% and 99% iron) melts at 2760... not much different, but definitely lower.
Now what we call Cast Iron, or pig iron, is roughly 96% iron and 4% carbon. It's melting point is between 2150 and 2360 (depending on trace impurities)
a SIGNIFICANT difference.
The carbon Beaudro was talking about creates crystals in the iron matrix, called carbides, that grow when the steel is heated above it's critical temperature (this is just above the non-magnetic state beaudro mentioned) and held there To "Soak" at that temp for a period of time. The longer the steel soaks, the bigger the crystals grow. The bigger the crystals, the more carbon on the surface of the crystals, the fatter the sparks. (Up to a point, of course, too much of anything is a bad thing)
Large crystal growth (or large grain in Knifetalk) weakens the steel, so it tends to be brittle unless renormalized (which kinda defeats the purpose). I do the edge quench method leaving only the striking surface hard, to keep from breaking the fool thing when my stupid old blacksmith fingers drop them on a hard surface.
Now I know someones thiking "well if cast Iron is 4% carbon, why not make one out of it?"
well, ya gotta harden it, and ya can't forge it (it kinda crumbles like half dried playdough) so you machine or cast a piece the right size. Then ya heat it up to critical, dunk it in the quench, and pick up all 100 pieces of it. The large crystals in cast iron weaken the iron matrix to the point it just cant take the stress of a sudden quench like that. Sometimes good steel cant either, which is why Beaudro mentioned losing one now and then to the quench.
A bit more on the metalurgy behind the fire steels:
Beaudro gave a good explanation of how to make one, betcha he has done a lot of them. I'll try to explain the why behind the how.
Carbon lowers the melting and burning point of iron.
Pure iron melts at nearly 3000 degrees... 2797 deg F
a good simple steel like 1095 (.95% carbon, or roughly 1% and 99% iron) melts at 2760... not much different, but definitely lower.
Now what we call Cast Iron, or pig iron, is roughly 96% iron and 4% carbon. It's melting point is between 2150 and 2360 (depending on trace impurities)
a SIGNIFICANT difference.
The carbon Beaudro was talking about creates crystals in the iron matrix, called carbides, that grow when the steel is heated above it's critical temperature (this is just above the non-magnetic state beaudro mentioned) and held there To "Soak" at that temp for a period of time. The longer the steel soaks, the bigger the crystals grow. The bigger the crystals, the more carbon on the surface of the crystals, the fatter the sparks. (Up to a point, of course, too much of anything is a bad thing)
Large crystal growth (or large grain in Knifetalk) weakens the steel, so it tends to be brittle unless renormalized (which kinda defeats the purpose). I do the edge quench method leaving only the striking surface hard, to keep from breaking the fool thing when my stupid old blacksmith fingers drop them on a hard surface.
Now I know someones thiking "well if cast Iron is 4% carbon, why not make one out of it?"
well, ya gotta harden it, and ya can't forge it (it kinda crumbles like half dried playdough) so you machine or cast a piece the right size. Then ya heat it up to critical, dunk it in the quench, and pick up all 100 pieces of it. The large crystals in cast iron weaken the iron matrix to the point it just cant take the stress of a sudden quench like that. Sometimes good steel cant either, which is why Beaudro mentioned losing one now and then to the quench.