Arc welding

[cat_x29]

I have been experimenting with arc welding guards,sideblades,and other things with great success. It creates a unity between the blade and the rest of the knife by fusing the metal pieces into one solid piece. The acoustic quality is also affected which gives the knife that sought-after "ring" of a superior blade.

Has anyone else experimented with welding and what were your results?

 

[Scott Park]

I have been thinking about trying that myself. I have heard of a brass arc welding rod, but have never seen any. Is this what you are using, or are welding stainless to stainless, stainless to carbon? Anyway, it's an interesting idea and would seem to be faster and easier.

 

[RANDY BLACK]

cat_x29
I`m in the process of making an integral
type dagger out of ATS-34. Instead of removing stock from a thick piece of material,I`m going to weld the guard and hilt sections on to a flat blade using the GTAW(Gas tungsten Arc Welding)process. Yes
this is the backward(so to speak)approach to making this type of knife,but hey why follow the crowd.
I plan to use ATS-34 filler material to maintain the same color match when polished This will be basically an autogenious weld, and, I do have some concerns about cracking. I do know that some 300 series stainless steels and other alloys are prone to cracking problems when autogeniously welded.I have found nothing to indicate that this is a possible problem with ATS-34,...but?(any metalurgist/welding engineers out there??)
This will be my first attempt at welding a martensitic stainless steel but with a 400-600 degree preheat,interpass temperature control and postweld heat treatment,I think it should work.
Now if I just get out to the workshop and finish making the pieces.......!

RB