San mai forging question

[weo]

Would using fusion TIG be a good alternative to mig when sealing billets? . . . and i want and excuse to buy a tig torch

I'd say yes, as the main benefit to the tig welding is that you don't introduce any other metals into your billet.
There's your excuse.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Yes, rod-less TIG works very well.
Pretty is not the need ... sealing is.

That said, MIG works fine, too. You need to grind the edges clean anyway after welding the billet.

 

[Taz]

I did a TIG fusion (no filler rod) for my first damascus billet. The welds looked horrible, but it worked awesome and the billet was a success! Very clean welds in the final billet! I think it is worth it, especially if you've been wanting a Tig setup. I use a cheap YesWelder Tig205DS. It works great for fusing quarters in a stack for Mokume, too.

 

[Alex Topfer]

That said, MIG works fine, too. You need to grind the edges clean anyway after welding the billet.

yeah, but i like minimising grinding cause i'm a weirdo
I might get a tig torch and try it when i have the cash. More practice with the mig welder would probably help too

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Regardless of how good you weld the billet, the sides will have issues that will come back to haunt you later on. Grinding them clean after welding the billet and after each restack/weld will save heartache. Loosing .04-.05" of the billet width isn't a big deal compared to a delam.