wootz making crucible

[matkins101]

I came across an article a few years back in scientific american about the lost art of damascus steel, they were talking about creating wootz that had the basic properties of ancient middle eastern and indian wootz. the article was based on this article in JOM.

JOM article

Anyway I was wondering how to make the device to smelt the wootz or if that is too complicated wich i doubt were i could buy one.

if anyone has a better technique than the one mentioned in the article please feel free to mention it has any advice is good advice.

mike

[DimeNickel]

Hi Matkins

to make wootz you need a crucible furnace !
-firstly you have to decide what size melts you want to make? and design your furnace around this idea.
(eg .. if you have the dimensions of your crucible that you will be using... such as an A6 for around 6 pound melts)
- find a good local supplier of refractory and if your lucky...talk to the specialists there and they will help you with your furnace dimensions and construct..... I know that the guys at RHI helped me out alot...
- to be cost effective... you will have to make the furnace and burner yourself.....otherwise you'll need a huge sum of cash to buy one of those commercial crucible furnaces..
-clay graphite crucibles are the best for this application and vesuvius is where I get mine.. (Canadian thermix inc)

check this out... its one dudes account of a small crucible furnace

http://members.surfeu.fi/sparetimela...e/furnace.html

this site is quite informative..

Greg

[matkins101]

thanks

[matkins101]

sorry

[Terry Primos]

No problem Mike. We all hit a wrong button from time to time. I figured this was where you intended for it to go and merged it in for you.