Mosaic billets - heat to spread open ?

Mark Williams

Mark Williams

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I'm thinking that it would probably be best to spread the accordian cuts in a billet at a yellow heat. This will be my first try at this :D

Any advice?
 
try it a few ways. Do you have a picture of what your spreading? If the whole piece is heated even will it spread even?
 
That is what I would think, right in the welding temp range. At least that way if you shear any welds they will hopefully reweld when you flatten her all the way out.

But I have never done mosaic either, so that is all speculation. :)
 
This might prove comical. I didnt drill holes and cut slots to the holes. Just cut out wedges.

This was fun to play with, but I dont think any mosaic makers will have to worry about competition from me. I think I like things a bit more simple. I can see where it would be very easy to get addicted to just making up mosaic billets and never have time to finish a knife as the limits are only set by imagination.
 
Mark, I don't drill my mosaic billets before cutting either. I cut, and then take them to the belt sander, round the outside corners and sand the valley round with a good J-flex belt, open slowly at welding heats, I take several heats to open mine, if I get in to big of a hurry and try to force open a little below welding heats I get some shearing. They can be very time consuming to make and cut, and then be lost in the opening process. Have fun.

Bill
 
Thanks Bill,

I'll give it a shot this afternoon. I'll post some pictures of either a mosaic bar, or belt buckles :)
 
Just as Bill says. I have had a couple shear if there is even a small stress riser left in the inside raidius. I have also experienced decarb at the welds unless it is protected from oxygen with a small layer of borax. Yep several heats and go slow. Be sure to normalize well to settle all that stress back down back down. A Coors Light also helps settle the stress. :D
 
Thanks Bruce. I hadnt thought about decarb at the welds, I'll coat it good. I like the molten stuff flying around in the shop :) make things exciting.

I was squishing a billet at a buddie's house. The billet looked like it was taking a whiz of red liquid flux , right on my shoes. Very fun stuff.
 
Dont wear nylon socks when flattening mosaics!

When the bar gets flat enough I take off excess flux with a stiff wire brush. I buy my borax from Bill Burke, It really only takes a sprinkle for a light coat. It is finely ground powder that melts into a super thin wet protective coating.
 
To me the most important part of doing accordians is compression. You compress your billet a part. If you think you can pull it a part you will do just that, pull it apart. Don't think of stretching think of compressing. Whether you drill and saw, chop saw, or hot cut your accordian it doesn't matter as long as you remember compression.

Because of this information I tried about every method I have been exposed, successfully...Good Luck...Ed
 
Just want to give another vote for HOT Mark! :)

Ed has made more already than I probably will in my lifetime, but I've still done plenty enough to cry over quite a few.

At this point I don't hardly ever accordian anymore, I almost always do a tiling technique as there's almost no waste.

GOOD LUCK!!! :)
-Nick-
 
Nick there's no waste, stack all them accordians back in a can nice and neatly and you'll have something never matched again. :eek: ;)

Bill
 
Screwed that one up. Or should I say , those up. One peice is layin in the bottom of the forge :)

I had a void right in the very core of the billet, right in the bottom of a valley. :( . I was hoping that I could tighten it up with the hammer, but it broke into two 7" pieces. I didnt see any shearing at the other bends.

I now know for sure that mosaics are not my material of choice. It's a lot of fun to see the pattern, but it just aint in me. Oh well, never know till you try for yourself.

Thanks for the input guys!
 
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