Primitive Technology: Making Iron From Creek Sand

Primitive Technology: Making Iron From Sand

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About This Video:
I made iron from ordinary sand in the creek. Sand contains a minor proportion of iron in the form of magnetite (and some hematite), the rest of the sand being other non iron minerals such as silica. In this form it is not concentrated enough to use as an ore to produce iron metal. However, it is possible to concentrate the magnetite grains from the silica sand using gravity separation, as magnetite is heavier than silica sand.

So, I made a sluice box from a spare roof tile I made in an earlier video. The curved tile acts as a chute and grooves were carved into the concave surface perpendicular to it's length. When sand was put into the sluice and water was run over it, the heavier magnetite got trapped in the grooves and most of the lighter sand was washed away. The trapped iron sand was then tipped into a collection pot. This sand was then sluiced a second time to concentrate it further. From experiment, it was found that sluicing twice yields the best result for effort, sluicing a 3rd time does little to further concentrate the ore.

A furnace was then built and the ore tested. About 500g of charcoal and 200g of iron sand were charged every 5 minutes, for 6 charges. The result was a small amount of iron in the form of some cast iron spherical prills (similar to other smelts I've done) and jagged coral like formations, also of cast iron (a form new to me). When comparing the result to my usual ore, iron bacteria, it produces about the same amount of iron but with a different shape.

The benefit of using iron sand as an ore is that it can be found in almost all geological areas that have a creek or river, though the iron will be more concentrated in some areas than others. I did this experiment in a basalt rich geological location but have heard that sand formed from granite produces even better results. In summary, Iron sand, though laborious to process is easily found in most creeks, rivers and beaches and so this technique of benefiction is worth learning.

About Primitive Technology:
Primitive technology is a hobby where you build things in the wild completely from scratch using no modern tools or materials. These are the strict rules: If you want a fire, use a fire stick - An axe, pick up a stone and shape it - A hut, build one from trees, mud, rocks etc. The challenge is seeing how far you can go without utilizing modern technology. I do not live in the wild, but enjoy building shelter, tools, and more, only utilizing natural materials. To find specific videos, visit my playlist tab for building videos focused on pyrotechnology, shelter, weapons, food & agriculture, tools & machines, and weaving & fiber.

#PrimitiveTechnology #iron #sand

[primitivetechnology]

After making the iron knife from bacteria, I thought I'd investigate other, more ubiquitous sources of iron ore. The discovery that iron can be smelted from common sand in the creek is important because it means that special locations aren't required to have access to metal. Now the viewer should be able to locate a naturally occurring source of ore if they have access to a creek. Since learning this, I've never been to a creek that didn't have at least some magnetite in it.

[CM-ntso]

Genuinely don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching him build the same furnace 50 times over.

[younscrafter]

Fun fact: humans aren't the only species capable of seperating magnetite from regular sand. Sanddollars do it too, with the intent of becoming heavier, which helps them stay put in strong currents

[Szgerle]

I love how the tiny, janky little iron handknife he made continues to be his best and most versatile tool. Really shows just how much of a technological advance metal tools were.

[matterbach]

As a gold prospector this was my favorite episode yet, nice job figuring out the sluice and the water flow needed. For more efficient collecting of black sand, i'd try making the sluice riffles deeper, say a half inch or so. You'll collect a ton! Also, fast way to recover the iron after smelting would be to smash the glob up and pan out the heavy iron, just like gold prospecting

[dm]

Can't overstate how happy I am to see you back making regular videos, this is one of the best channels ever on this website.

[thewestfire]

This man has a level of patience that I lack, due to being accustomed to near instant gratification in the modern world. For iron sand from a creek, I would’ve used a lodestone if I could find one. But my man showed me a valuable method that anyone can use. Much respect for teaching a new skill.

[datra]

Tens of thousands of years of learning shown in these few minutes. Thank you!

[seansimoneau]

Man, that brick and tile hut just looks better with every video. Really solid construction, I'm glad we got to see the whole process.

[jerry]

The amount of hours this guy took to make this to happens primitively without cheating the process is purely gold. Mad respect for you good sir. It's always spark joy to see your content coming up in my ytube feed

[AlrightThere]

You can see all the calluses and blisters on his hands. Man is super dedicated to doing things properly without taking shortcuts. Shows how genuine these videos are

[beringarius]

I love watching these videos to enjoy the silence and peace it brings. But also, It makes me grateful for the things we have today.

[RenzStyles]

After 7 years of uploading, we are truly entering the iron age. I know there are some attempts years ago but this is truly the breakthrough. especially, when he's finding more ways or investigating how to obtain more iron 👏🏼

[johnjackson]

I really love this channel because it’s so authentic. My dude isn’t trying to promote anything, he’s not asking to like and subscribe *finger guns*, he doesn’t even have an introduction. He just turns on the camera and shows us his passion. Outstanding S.O.P drive on.

[mkkqrpw]

당신만은 주작이 아닌 자기 돈으로 땅을사고 거기에 친황경으로 건축물을 만드니까 너무 자랑스럽고 멋집니다.이런 건축채널에 친황경으로 만드니까
기분이 내가 다 그렇게 열심히 만들어

[Leander_]

It's absolutely mindblowing that early civilizations used this separation technique based on mass, without maybe even knowing the underlying principles. How do you even discover things like that? Very cool video like always!

[billdong]

The compounding effect is amazing; making one piece of iron allowed for easier separation of iron from sand thus increasing production efficiency of additional iron pieces

[xTheTOSHIBAx]

The close up of this man's hands tells you how much passion, time and dedication goes into those beautiful creations.

[Sedthsret]

I’ve watched literally all your videos! And just bought your book. Thank you so much for your hard work, time, and dedication to this channel.

[kamalionify]

This one is BY FAR my favorite video of yours! There's just something about it that is so satisfying, the fact that you can actually fetch some iron in water. I've first seen it months ago and it has stuck into my mind and I had to rewatch it! I just want to join you and fetch some iron from sand