Nigredo or blackening

Nigredo is the very first step of alchemic transformation: azoth, the original matter will be transformed through burning & calcination.

1- from meteorit to ingot

 

Here is the raw material, which I will use as a work material for the making of the blade. The meteorit weighs half a kilo. As meteorit is made out of pure iron and nickel, we cannot use it as it is, straight away for the blade making. Besides, while forging, it may be brittle and fall apart: so I've decided to make an alloy of steel that I can use, through smelting.

 

Analysis shows that the meteorit contains 92% iron, 6% nickel , plus a few extra elements in very small quantities. As carbon content is null, we need to add extra graphite, to get a good result. Besides, nickel content is too high, so I have to add extra pure iron to get a good balance. I make steel that I can use for blade making

 

Each of these elements is put together into a graphite crucible, able to resist up to 1 800°C / 3 272 °F, I load glass into it, as melting glass will protect the surface from oxidizing.

 

I cover the crucible with top lid and I shut off lid

 

I have tried to melt alloy in carbon , but the furnace fails to ramp up to very high temperature , I screwed up with the melting has not worked out properly

 

So I try again, but this time in a gas furnace, I load everything back again into a new crucible

 

Then I build a furnace, with ceramic fiber + top lid

 

Then I pre-heat gently the furnace, with crucible inside

 

shut the furnace and then I increase pressure until I get pressure up to 23 psi (1.6 bar gauge)

 

After 3 hours heating, over 1 500°C (2732°F), pretty damn hot!!!!

 

I cut down burner, and lift up the cap

 

then I remove the crucible

 

Let it cool down

 

I open the crucible; it seems to be alright this time

 

Yeap! This time it has smelted

 

The very first step is now achieved, the result: 800 grams of work material, there is still lot of work to do