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Recommendation? Welding 5160 stock

C

Chris Gore

Joined
Jun 21, 2019
Messages
8
So I have 40 feet of 5160 stock laying around, the issue it it's only an inch wide.
My question is if I weld two bars vertically (lengthwise), would it make it unusable? If so is there any workaround, like heat treating and tempering the full bar and then working it by hand?
 
Stack three pieces and forge weld to make a 3/4"" by 1" bar. Forge that out to make whatever size blade you want.

Or - order some in the size you need.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Stack three pieces and forge weld to make a 3/4"" by 1" bar. Forge that out to make whatever size blade you want.

Or - order some in the size you need.
Click to expand...
Either would require things I can't afford, the only reason I have this much stock is because a local shop overstocked it. I'm not equipped to forge weld anything so large either.
 
Can you forge-weld enough for one knife at a time?
 
Welding any high carbon is a totally different animal than low carbon. Best thing would be to do some testing, cut you a couple of strips, say 1"X1", weld them together to make a 1" X 2" coupon, grind it smooth so you shouldn't be able to see the weld at all. Then anneal the coupon. Once it's all annealed, ground smooth so you can't tell where the weld is, clamp in vise and bend 180° - does it show any cracks? How comfortable do you feel with it? Can you hold that level of weld for the 12" long strip required?

Also VERY important is the weld bead will be of lower level carbon than the 5160 steel you're using.

Be sure to let us know how it works. HIgh carbon can be welded- how well it works depends on a LOTS of things.
 
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Forge welding 5160 is tricky at best as it does not like to weld to its self. And stick welding in my opinion is an absolute no go. Not only it it going to crack as it cools but it will warp like a sun of a gun. Maybe if you had a tig welder and heated it real hot and just fused the edges togather. That’s a can of worms you could not pay me enough to open. Especially with how cheep 5160 is to buy in what ever size stock you want.
 
I nobody going to mention the ugly strip of pot metal right down the middle of the bar of you stick weld it together?
 
Ken H> said:
Welding any high carbon is a totally different animal than low carbon. Best thing would be to do some testing, cut you a couple of strips, say 1"X1", weld them together to make a 1" X 2" coupon, grind it smooth so you shouldn't be able to see the weld at all. Then anneal the coupon. Once it's all annealed, ground smooth so you can't tell where the weld is, clamp in vise and bend 180° - does it show any cracks? How comfortable do you feel with it? Can you hold that level of weld for the 12" long strip required?

Also VERY important is the weld bead will be of lower level carbon than the 5160 steel you're using.

Be sure to let us know how it works. HIgh carbon can be welded- how well it works depends on a LOTS of things.
Click to expand...
The main issue is that it would absolutely be lower carbon, and that's why I'm not out there welding it all right now.
 
The best scenario is to find a nearby smith set up for forge welding and have him do it. A press or power hammer would be the best.

A good suggestion would be to cut it into 12" bars. Stack four bars with strips of thin 15N20 between them and make a low layer count damascus. Draw it out to around 3/8" to 1/4". That will give a billet that can be used for swords, knife blades, guards, and other neat things like bottle openers and BBQ tools. Make as many of these billets as you can in a day at the friends forge.

An alternative is to find someone who has the equipment and will weld the billets up for a reasonable fee. Ship him the 12" bars and he will ship back the billets.

As far as propane, if you are not using a bulk tank ( 20 pound tank or bigger) do it now. The propane is cheaper that way and lasts longer between refills.
If you are using an inefficient forge (2BF or coffee can forge) make a better forge. The money spent on propane and better quality blades will be worth it.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
The best scenario is to find a nearby smith set up for forge welding and have him do it. A press or power hammer would be the best.

A good suggestion would be to cut it into 12" bars. Stack four bars with strips of thin 15N20 between them and make a low layer count damascus. Draw it out to around 3/8" to 1/4". That will give a billet that can be used for swords, knife blades, guards, and other neat things like bottle openers and BBQ tools. Make as many of these billets as you can in a day at the friends forge.

An alternative is to find someone who has the equipment and will weld the billets up for a reasonable fee. Ship him the 12" bars and he will ship back the billets.

As far as propane, if you are not using a bulk tank ( 20 pound tank or bigger) do it now. The propane is cheaper that way and lasts longer between refills.
If you are using an inefficient forge (2BF or coffee can forge) make a better forge. The money spent on propane and better quality blades will be worth it.
Click to expand...
If there were a nearby smith that I knew, I'd gladly do that, it's just I don't. Maybe there's one I can find here?

As for my forge and propane, I'm using a 100lb tank, and it lasts about 20 sittings, I can't afford to refill it terribly often or I'd forge weld away.

I can still use the stock just fine, it's just it'd be a lot more convenient if it were welded as I'm on a tight budget. If I honestly could afford better I wouldn't be looking for sketchy solutions like welding spring steels.
 
jdm61 said:
Propane and cheap in the same sentence. That's funny. :D
Click to expand...

Propane’s cheap around here... my 100lb tank cost somewhere around 50-ish bucks to fill... not to bad if you have an efficient forge.
 
A.McPherson said:
Propane’s cheap around here... my 100lb tank cost somewhere around 50-ish bucks to fill... not to bad if you have an efficient forge.
Click to expand...
Yeah, idk if there's something in the water, but mine costs nearly double that, but for some reason we have the cheapest gas prices.
 
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