First semi-successful forge weld!

Atlas Knife Company

Atlas Knife Company

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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A customer asked how hot my forges get. I really don't know because I don't have an IR thermometer that goes anywhere close. So, I decided to try some forge welding. I snapped a bandsaw blade into 16 pieces, welded up a billet and stuck it in a forge. This was a slightly cooler, 8" long micro forge, but it uses the same torch as the Atlas and is identical except for length. Because it is shorter, less heat stays in the chamber.

Here are my results. I ended up with 4 layers from the original 16. The pieces(layers?) are 3,3,3, and 7 layers. I know a lot of you wouldn't call it a success because all the welds didn't take. However, mostof them took, which is better than my attempt last year when none of them took. I have tried chiseling them apart, and they are definitely welded. I hammered them back into shape for this picture. Now I can order some 15n20 and 1080 and try to make a real billet, woohoo!

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Yes, I used flux. I don't think anything would have welded if I hadn't. The bricks should be OK, they aren't in contact with borax. I coat the insides of my forges with refractory cement which should be more resistant to borax. I don't think the metal was clean enough. A lot of smoke was created when I welded the strips together. Probably better to use gas shielded instead of flux core. I'll try again soon. It was fun!
 
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