Forge welding mild steel

J.Marsillo

J.Marsillo

Joined
Nov 8, 2000
Messages
1,255
Is it just me or is it difficult to weld mild steel to Hc steel?

I was trying to get a peice of 5160 to weld in between a mild steel eye with no succsess.I did grind both surfaces clean first and used anti borax forge welding flux.....I sure got the flux to stick...to my shirt :eek:
 
The forge welding temperature of mild steel is actually quite a bit higher than that of carbon steels, try getting the steel hotter and then hit it fast out of the forge, dont give it any time to cool down. When the right temp, mild steel can forge weld without any flux. You can also, if using something like borax or sand for your flux, add some powdered iron to the flux which can help the weld.
 
You should be able to weld mild steel and 5160, though I'm not sure it would make a good blade.
5160 isn't really "High" carbon at about .60. When you add mild steel and burn it in the forge a while, you're ending up with pretty low carbon for a blade. Probably too low.

(I'm sure you know this, I'm just pointing out the obvious for someone that might not have thought of it):)

If you're welding pieces that are irregular in shape (one really thick and strange-shapped with maybe something thin and flat) you could have trouble getting all the heat where it needs to be at the same time. The thin stuff reached temp long before the thick. and if you leave it there waiting for the thick stuff to heat up, the thin stuff will scale.
Depending upon the situation, I'll sometimes soak the assembly at somewhat lower temperatures and when it all seems to be even all the way through, ramp it up in a couple steps up to welding temp.

Good luck!:thumbup:
 
Sorry that first post was'nt too clear, I had a big cup of stupid with dinner :D

What I was trying to ask is for welding up a wrapped eye hawk, do I need any special joint preperation like scarfing or beveling or is flat o.k. or would I be better off just using wrought iron.This is my first shot at a wrapped eye I didnt want to waste any wi.
 
I have made numerous wrapped style hawks with mild steel with good results. I do scarf the ends for the weld and hammer the higher carbon bit kinda wedge shape before welding
 
Stuart - nice hawks!


I don't have much else to say...was just reading along...agree with what has already been said...and BAM...totally taken away by your pics, Stuart?


Always an awkward question to ask...but if you're ever interested in a trade (old school, blade-for-blade style)...I would love to have a good hawk. :thumbup:
 
J.Marsillo said:
Sorry that first post was'nt too clear, I had a big cup of stupid with dinner :D

What I was trying to ask is for welding up a wrapped eye hawk, do I need any special joint preperation like scarfing or beveling or is flat o.k. or would I be better off just using wrought iron.This is my first shot at a wrapped eye I didnt want to waste any wi.
Click to expand...

WI forge welds pretty easily, you just have to run the temp up quite a bit, but it seems to be a little self-fluxing (probably all the S).

Doing steel like this, I'd try to make sure the joint is clean and close. Try not to have the fire blowing on the joint, but rather a gentler atmosphere seems best for this.
My forge is all fire-brick and refractory cement, so I just get the forge good and hot, back off the fire by 1/3 to 1/2 and let the stored heat in the refractory do it's thing. The lower flame is just enough to maintain heat. Once the piece is nice and uniform in heat, near welding temp, I might turn it up a tad. You can, of course do it with a CF forge, but you have to burn a lot of fuel around your part to keep the heat up. I think that's not optimum for trickier work.
I'm also really scrupulous about heating the part in that gentle atmosphere to dull red, flux and bring it up fast and gently to welding temp. If you burn the flux, you'll probably have to start over.

Good luck and take pictures!:)
 
Daniel Koster said:
Stuart - nice hawks!


I don't have much else to say...was just reading along...agree with what has already been said...and BAM...totally taken away by your pics, Stuart?


Always an awkward question to ask...but if you're ever interested in a trade (old school, blade-for-blade style)...I would love to have a good hawk. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Daniel PM sent
 
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