Sights made from unusual material

[davec2]

For a new rifle, I am making the sights out of a meteor.  Far more rare than gold or diamonds.  The iron used to make these sights came from the far reaches of the galaxy.  It traveled to earth over millions of years.  It may have been traveling through the void since the moment of creation, slowly cooling on its journey to fall on what would become the United States.  It landed about 50,000 years ago in Canyon Diablo in Arizona and this fragment was recovered in 1891.  It came into my hands when I was a boy from a meteor laboratory and I have marveled at it all through these many years.   I am using some of its iron now to make some of the tools of my life.  I do not know where this fragment of the universe came from.  I do not know where it will come to its final end.  But for now, and for heaven or hell, the ball from this rifle will always be guided to its mark by a piece of a star.

 At any rate, I did manage to make a set of front and rear sights out of fragments of some additional iron meteorites I have.  The front sight blade (left a little tall here) was made from a piece of the Gibeon meteorite that fell about 12,000 years ago in Namibia.  It was recovered in 1836 and is fine octahedrite (iron-nickel).

The rear sight was made from a piece of a meteorite that fell and was recovered in 1776 in Xiquipilco, Mexico.  This one is medium octahedrite.

The rough finished sights.....

More trouble than they are probably worth, but I like the idea that the sights are made from a piece of interstellar debris.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

For a Buck Rogers Gun?

 

[Flint311]

Pretty cool. Iron, etc. here should be that old for a place to land though.

"It landed about 50,000 years ago..." Hope your shot finds it's target a little earlier...... :rotf:

 

[Grumpa]

The whole project seems, to me, to fit right in with tradition. Any old-time gunsmith worthy of the name would have been overjoyed to put such sights on his rifle. The effect would be nothing short of magical, tying your rifle into the vastness of space, all the way back to the beginning of the Universe, and investing said rifle with unerring accuracy - for said meteorite had travelled from the very Beginning to the exact spot where it impacted with the Earth - Canyon Diablo, AZ!

You will have to come up with a fitting name for this rifle.

You have had this metal since you were a boy. You couldn't put it to better use. You are well deserving of it.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

That is way beyond interesting, most creative (and best) use of a meteor and certainly something to show off on your rifle :bow: :hatsoff:

 

[BrownBear]

I've always had the impression that any source of iron was fair game back in the day. It just happens that your source is fairer than most! :wink:

 

[MSW]

that's really neat!

may the oldest metal guide your shots true.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Interesting and romantic. Enjoy.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Great Scott! Dylithium crystal power! Better than making them out of Kryptonite.

Did you ever see the old movie; "The Iron Mistress"? Where Jim Bowie had his first Bowie knife partially forged out of a meteorite. (It's a movie. Not real history.)

What would the monetary value of those (unaltered) meteorites be that you turned in to sights?

 

[davec2]

Col. Bat,

Yes, I saw the movie !! With Alan Ladd as Jim Bowie. I think that's where I got the idea when I was a kid. (The movie came out the year before I was born but it ran often on TV back in the late 50's and early 60's).

As to the monetary value, you can get all sorts of meteorites at all sorts of prices, but these sights were made from slices that probably cost me $100. Of course, I could probably make 3 or 4 sets of sights out of these two slices as well.

 

[coloradoclyde]

That is way cool! and your creativity is truely out of this world. :thumbsup:

 

[Col. Batguano]

I see that meteorite chunks are all over E-Bay (caveat emptor). While this stuff is pretty rare it doesn't seem to be terribly expensive, and you are not consuming something that would deprive astronomic science of an ability to advance.

 

[Grumpa]

If you got enough, it would make a nice tomahawk. Anyone you brained with it would surely see stars! :grin:

 

[bpd303]

I picked up a rather large meteorite intending to make a knife from it. So far I haven't had the heart to put it in the forge, it's too neat as it is and everything I have read about forging them is very tricky. Making a sight out of a small one is so cool though.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Is there any particular difficulty in shaping them? (Did you need diamond wheels?) These are nickel-iron meteorites aren't they? What sort of finish are they going to have when done (different from the rest of the barrel)?

 

[davec2]

Col. Batguano,

I made these with files and saws. As I noted, the hard spots are tough on cutting tools, but it's not that bad. Obviously, the material can be worked, it's just a little different than working bar stock.

I'm not sure about the finish yet. They will be dark, so I will try the standard type of browning / bluing finish I usually use and see if that works. Otherwise, I will darken them with heat. I know that works as the front blade was very dark when I silver soldered it to the brass base.

 

[Lock Nut]

Wow! That's far out and outta sight... Man! :grin:

 

[Lock Nut]

Seriously, That's pretty cool.

 

[Artificer]

Catch a falling star an' put it in your pocket
Never let it slip away
Catch a falling star an' put it in your pocket
Save it for a rainy day

For a Rifle Gun may tap you on the shoulder
for special sights
Just in case you feel, you wanna sight her
You'll have an eyeball full of starlight....

Oh, sincere apologies to Perry Como. :wink:

Gus

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi,
I hate to ask..........................Do you really think your sights would be period & historic correct?
I really do have to say NICE SIGHTS!
Fred