AAAARGH forge welding...

J

Jared Stenoien

Joined
Dec 4, 2005
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1,025
ok i've been trying to teach myself how to forge weld for a couple of weeks now and i'm just not getting it i guess. so any pointers? also if there's anyone in the phoenix arizona area that could maybe show me how in return for some work in their shop after school or something? that'd be great :D
 
Help will be much easier if you could explain a few more details.What type of forge/fuel are you using,what type of steel are you trying to forge weld,whats your choice of flux.there is alot that can go wrong when forge welding. I learned how to forge weld by watching the blacksmith at the rennaisance fair :D

NOTE: please DO wear safety glasses hot welding flux WILL destroy your eyes in short order.....and thats no jive ;)
 
mrstenoien said:
also if there's anyone in the phoenix arizona area that could maybe show me how in return for some work in their shop after school or something? that'd be great :D
Click to expand...

FWIW - master bladesmith Tai Goo offers knife making classes down in Tucson - you can contact him via his website www.taigooknives.com
 
as to the "forge" i'm using it's actually a natural gas? heat treating furnace at school but if you leave it in long enough it gets pretty hot :D and i'm trying to weld mild steel probably, not completely sure as it's just whatever scrap i can get. also yes i do wear glasses and i am using borax as a flux, thanks wild rose i'll check into that!
 
You're probably not getting it hot enough or the steel you're using has alloys that do not like to be forge welded. You need to watch someone forge weld to get a feel for it. There are some good videos out there on the subject. Spending a day or so with Tia Goo would be priceless :thumbup:
 
When your billet gets so bright you can not look at it then it's ready to hammer weld. If you can look at it it's not hot enough. You don't need a pyrometer and make sure you using anhydrous borax, at least if you just getting started in pattern welding. Center Cross video carry's Ed Caffrey's video on damascus, I high recommend it.

After watching Ed and Tom Ferry at a hammer in show us how to do it I went home and tried it. My first billet came out perfect using 1080 and 15n20. It is not as hard as it appears but you must follow very rigid steps and not cut corners. Just stick to 1080 and n20 while you are getting started. It is a foolproof combo and then after you get a feel for how it works then you can go after some of the more challenging weld combos. Having my first billet turn out perfect had to be some luck mixed in and not just following the steps. Nothing I do has ever worked on the first try.
 
You are trying to do a process that you don't know how to do,with a metal that you don't know what it is,in a forge that is not a forge,at a temperature that you don't know what it is....And you can't figure out where it is going wrong??? Read up on blacksmithing and making damascus to learn about forge welding.You have to have the right flux,forge,temperature,hammer, steel,and several other variables for it to work.I would start with simple lap welds of two pieces of 1030 flat bar. When you master that,go on to more complex welds.There are several good tutorials and books on blacksmithing and bladesmithing that cover this.
 
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