Gibion meteorite bag axe

[Bretwalda]

I will be traveling to Holland, Ohio this weekend to solicit some help :thumbsup: in combining a slice of Gibion meteorite and a section of a cold chisel to reshape it in to a small bag axe. Any thoughts or experience with this form of a project would be appreciated. :idunno:

 

[trent/OH]

I have a book entitled The Iron Star and what it saw on it's journey through the ages, by John Preston True. It was published in 1899. It is about a meteorite found by Cro-Magnon kids, who bring it back to the cave, and as the ages go by, it moves along with civilization. It is broken up and made into various items as time goes by. Eventually, it comes to America as the sword of Myles Standish. The book wouldn't tell you how to build an ax with it, but it's pretty cool that I just read this book, then you are about to undertake the same ting, right here in my own state. If you want to read it, PM me and we'll work it out.

 

[Rifleman1776]

No help from me.
But, I'm curious, how do you know a meteorite when you see it?

 

[bpd303]

They are usually very heavy compared to rocks and a magnet will stick to them. I have one that I had planed to forge into a knife, but decided against it because it's so unique.
http://star-bits.com/ID.htm

 

[Jim Blair]

Thanks for posting that link,years ago I found a specimen in a creek I wondered if it was a piece of a meteorite.Nope,magnetite.Haven't thought about it for 40 years until now.

Interesting project.Wonder what problems are associated with working meteorite iron?

 

[bpd303]

If it's being forged into say a knife blade it is very difficult to do. The meteorite will basically crumble at heat and has to be hammered back to solid and reheated many times with other steel added then folded into Damascus layers before it can be shaped. I'm not sure it could be forge welded as a cutting edge.

 

[Robert Egler]

They are usually very heavy compared to rocks and a magnet will stick to them.

That's true of iron and stony-iron meteorites, but not of stony meteorites or Carbonaceous chondrites. Those are much harder to quickly ID as meteorites, but on the other hand since they don't have any iron, they would not be useful for making blades out of anyway.

 

[Rick Son]

I know the type called Nandans can't be melted,the meteor fell in china many moons ago and they figured all that iron would make good swords and whatever,and i believe they couldn't be melted.I used to get small ones and make necklaces from them.I also visit a frien all the time that owns a lapidery shop,the nandans i got were very chromey on one side and rough on the other,but they were small 10.00 ones.Wire wrapped them.