[Niko Hynninen]

Hi All!

Im been sleepy for while....all most anyway.

I managet to make tatara smelter in my parents summercottare lake scene he in Finland.
The name Island of lambs Bloom comes for name of the place. Summercottage is located in island and ist name is island of lambs.... it not easy to translate it in eng.

Now i have all fotos ready and i did ad some text also.

Im sorry if i but too many pic in one topic at ones.....i try to ask info for DGentile, but i was too exited about this project. Sorry if i spoiled this

Here is the project.



Making the base work for tatara smelter. I raced the bese about 30 cm of the ground, so that moisture dosent effekt botton of tatara. Concrete palte is for firebriks.





Cutting holes for airholes and pipes.




Bricks ready and some testing here.



Removing dust form bricks



Laying the brick work whit firemortar.



Getting height



Airpipes in place..firemortar is too nasty stuff my hands




Making inlayer from firemortar.



Pipelevel and inlay ready



Top of tatara ( first level)



Inside. Slaghole front and pipes left/right



Laying the clay on outside wall.



Ready



I made the next step same way...im pleased.




I deside to reinforge wall whit some straws



Test fire and preheat

Fire in the hole

Inside

Slaghole



After 2 h preheating its runnig ok!






The first set of crushed hematite and coal, cheking the burn.



Try to run some slag....no there is no .....not good :261:



Man and smelter



Allmost at the end...its getting dark quickly




Taking down tatara



Island of Lambs Bloom



Next day, sunlight



Small forget and watter quenst piece




Sparktest........1% C mayby



This was my first smelting project. I was happy it went ok...least i think.

I like to thank all you guys, you give me lots of info befor i start this.

Thanks :notworthy:

Niko

[Richard Furrer]

Niko,
Very nice...well done.
Looks like a long fun day in a beautiful area.

Ric

[Mike Blue]

Well done from beginning to end.

[Greg Thomas Obach]

you da Man :notworthy:

excellent pictures... thank you

Greg

hard work, deserves a beer !!

[P.Abrera]

Oh yeah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about... :35: :You_Rock_Emoticon: :35: :You_Rock_Emoticon:

[B Finnigan]

Very cool Pics! The trees and brush around you look identical to the ones around Western Washington. Which means you probably get the same amout of rain as we do here.

[Garrett McCormack]

Nice pics! Looks like you had fun.

[Niko Hynninen]

Thanks guys

I dit have fun and lots of it. I deffenetly make new tatara next summer, and try to make some thins little different.

Greg!
I have to be honest about that beer i dit have some of it, bit just some.

B Finnigan!
Funny that sad about weather...it bean dryest summer over 100 years here in Finland.
Some trees and brushes are died of leak of water.
I dit have to wait one week before i could fire the tatara. Day before start here was small thunderstrom and some rain.
Landscape was too dry and dont want to start forrestfire water water!

What you guys think carbon contenst? Is´t about 1%

My plan is to make small tanto or wakizashi of it.
Do i just forge the bloon flat and make it smaler pieces, waffel like. Just like they make it in japan.
I undertand welding the billet in one direktion....on top. But how about the sideways and other direktions...
The billet is formed different forms of steel pieces....i dont get this

Thanks agane

Niko

[Alan Longmire]

Too cool, Niko! :35: :You_Rock_Emoticon:

[Jeff Pringle]

Wonderful set of photos, looks like a great place to smelt!
Bravo on the bloom :35:
With regards to welding up the plates, it will become clear once you start in to it. Home-made steel sticks together much better than commercial stuff, so you don't have to hit it very hard. Once you've gone over the packet on the top side, you'll be able to work it from the side as well.
Check how the metal works by folding a single piece a couple times before you make the whole packet up.

[J.Arthur Loose]

Nice work!

[B Finnigan]

Knowing that the sparks never photograph real well I would say you have at a minimum of 1% C. The orange feather on the sparks is very visible.

This post has been edited by B Finnigan: 02 September 2006 - 10:14 AM

[Ty Murch]

I've been wanting to try making some steel for some time now. I've heard a few people mention that it forges and welds so much easier. That makes it real intriguing to me.

[EdgarFigaro]

What kind of fire bricks are those?
Are they the hard ones?

Was the slab under it just normal concrete or more of a furnace variety?

[Niko Hynninen]

Thanks guys for response

Jeff!

I heard that this kind of steel welds better then commercial stuff. Just like you said.
The weldin direktions all most made me headache
Thanks! The small piece in pic did in fact weld easily. So i go ahead my plan and continue..Waffels, ricepaper, clay, ash....welding heat... exsided..dam this is fun

Edgar.

The briks are just firebricks. Here in Finlans we have just one type on them. When i cut the airhole places, it dit take some time so they where quit hard.

Concrete was normal, but i dit lay bricks over it....number 5 pic. Next mornig after Smelting concrete was hot but ok.

NH

[Jesse Frank]

Awesome!!! That's a cool furnace!!!

[Adlai Stein]

WOW! Thanks for sharing the step by step pics are very nice.

[Jesus Hernandez]

Great job Niko.
This is a fascinating process. Can't wait to see a blade made of the steel.

[EdgarFigaro]

Thanks for the info.
Over here we have some that are hard, and some that are quite soft, so was curious.

Thanks again =]

Really wanna give that a try sometime Looks like fun!

[Bob Ouellette]

That's real cool. I like the step by step pics a lot.