I made Fluxless cable damascus!

[Greenberg Woods]

Hey guys, i finally made steel stick together by hitting it!

I have a larger and better welded piece in the forge cooling down, but this is my first go at fluxless damascus.

The cable was full of asphalt lube and other nasties, but i found a way to take them out without using flux!

The process to remove it is rather danergous, so i am not going to post the exact method i used. If you are interested and a skilled smith or chemist, send me an email or a PM and i will explain how i did it. If you are a little newer, flux isnt so bad.

 

[3fifty7]

Is there a downside to using flux that you are trying to avoid or are you doing this because you can ?

 

[Von Gruff]

Flux can eat the lineing/insultion on gas forges from what I understand

 

[Greenberg Woods]

Is there a downside to using flux that you are trying to avoid or are you doing this because you can ?

Flux can eat the lineing/insultion on gas forges from what I understand

basically. It eats the lining of your forge and is just generally pretty messy.

 

[3fifty7]

Thanks that is understandable, I am new to forging blades with only a couple of forge welded blades. My forge is covered with satanite and if I'm using flux I place a hard brick on the floor of my forge to rest the fluxed steel on. I have noticed that it leaves my anvil quite nasty as well.

 

[jdm61]

A lot of people burn out the crud in the forge before fluxing. That may create more decarb but remember that with cable, decarb=pattern.

 

[Atlas Knife Company]

Arriel Salaverria had a tutorial on how he does it. IIRC, he put the cable in a stainless pipe then welded it closed, cut off the pipe afterwards. That's some nice looking cable. Did it make you nervous twisting it open to see if it welded? It did to me the first time.