Vermiculite and Anhydrous borax?

[Yvsa]

:
Guys is the vermiculite everyone talks about for normalizeing steel the same stuff that you can get in the farm & garden stores or nurseries?
Is that the cheapest place to get it?
And how long does it last?

And the Anhydrous Borax...
Is this the same 20 Mule Team Borax that's used in washing machines to help the detergent clean better?

Many thanks.

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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.

 

[Bruce Evans]

Yes the vermiculite is the same thing and you might check the price at wal mart and see if it is cheaper.
The anhydrous borax is different than the 20 mule team,in the respect that it has the moisture removed from it.You can make it by melting the 20 mule team to remove the moisture and then crushing it back into a powder and then keep it sealed from the moisture in the air or you can just use the 20 mule team straight out of the box like most of us do.If you live in a area that is very humid you will end up with moisture getting back into your borax anyway.I have good luck with it straight out of the box myself.
Bruce

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Bruce Evans Handcrafted Knives
The soul of the Knife begins in the Fire!!!!!
Member of,AKTI#A000223 and The American Bladesmith Society

 

[Yvsa]

:
Thanks Bruce!!

When forge welding do you coat the steel copiously with the borax and then place another piece of steel over it and then pound it together?

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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.

 

[Bruce Evans]

Place the new piece of steel on the piece then heat it and then put the Borax on..It needs to coat all sides so it will keep the atmosphere out when it is at welding heat...
If you put the borax in between the stell before the borax has time to melt your other piece of steel will slide around on the billet.
Bruce

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Bruce Evans Handcrafted Knives
The soul of the Knife begins in the Fire!!!!!
Member of,AKTI#A000223 and The American Bladesmith Society

 

[Yvsa]

:
Thanks again Bruce.
I hope to try some forgeing later in the Spring. And I also plan on making it over to Mike S's place for some more tips before I start.
I know it will take a lot of practice, but if I could do a piece of chain damascus one half as good as the one you showed last here I would feel as if I had really accomplised something!!!!


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>>>>---Yvsa-G@WebTV.net---->®

"VEGETARIAN".............
Indin word for lousy hunter.

 

[R Dannemann]

I use vermiculite for normalizing, it has great insulating qualities. Seems to last a long time. You might want to be careful with any dust transfering it from container to container. Its a Mica mineral of some form, read somewhere the EPA does not recommend disturbing it when found as insulation in attics. Home Depot, garden dept., sells it also. Looks kind of like another handy material, I did get a lot of kidding about using "Kitty Litter" at a Blacksmith Guild meeting.




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ColoradoBoy