First steps in a smelt.

Making Iron from Rocks.
dallen
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Location: Oklahoma

Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by dallen »

you need a barrel I got one with the top cut out, you can have :mrgreen:
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Jammer
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Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by Jammer »

I may be able to find one closer. :)
quando omni flunkus moritati 8-)
dallen
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Location: Oklahoma

Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by dallen »

your right would be a bit far just to pick up a empty barrel, probably need to fill it up with some nice fine grain silica sand for you to take back with ya :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

you should be able to find one there somewhere pretty cheap. used to be guy up the road a bit from me that always had barrels and buckets for sale.

Shoot for a plastic one with a removable top, you get the best of both barrels that way.

where you getting your clay for the stack from, do you have a source close by the house, this red clay around here isn't good for much of anything to much iron oxide, and silica sand in it.
David and Charlie aka the shop monster

If life seems normal your not going fast enough" Mario Andrette
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Jammer
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Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by Jammer »

I've got a big sand pit just up the road. It's beautiful white silica sand, looks like mounds of sugar. The local cement company let's me clean up some sand where the trucks park and leak out some.
I do have a plastic barrel but we are using it for rainwater. I covered it with Bamboo to make it look more natural. I think I'll have to buy some clay, I have the red iron clay as well. There's supposed to be a kaolin pit in Georgia but I can get some dry clay for less than $10 for 50#. I'll only need one bag.
quando omni flunkus moritati 8-)
dallen
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Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 9:06 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by dallen »

United Silica has a big pit about a 100 miles south of me at Davis, only problem with them is you have to buy a truck load, but they were kind enough to tell me about a bagger in Gainsville which is just across the river in Texas, but the amounts of sand that I use I can get at the sandblaster supply in OKC.

you may want to rewatch that video I put the link on here about how they did what your wanting to do in Africa, its long winded but has some pretty good info that you have to sort out of the chaff,
David and Charlie aka the shop monster

If life seems normal your not going fast enough" Mario Andrette
mite5255
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Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by mite5255 »

This may sound like a silly question, how do you tell iron ore from other rocks, is it just a rusty color and magnetic
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Jammer
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Re: First steps in a smelt.

Post by Jammer »

What I've picked up was from Iron ore pits from the 1800's. There would be these big furnaces and a pit is usually near by. The ore is dark red and usually has some bright red areas on it. That's Hematite or Limonite, Magnatite is the magnetic one and it's more black in color. You have to be a rock nerd to really get into it. Some stuff I had just turned out to be stained with Iron and isn't any good.
quando omni flunkus moritati 8-)
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