Will borax damage my propane forge?

The simplest route is to put a floor in the forge that is flux resistant. Hard firebrick and kiln shelving are common.
Covering the floor with a layer of bubble alumina is very resistant.
Cast-o-lite and Mizzou are also used often as a floor material over the wool.
 
If you plan to use brake cleaner be sure you use NON-CHLORINATED brake cleaner... Or have your life insurance paid up.
 
we Use borax because it shealds the steel from oxygen and prevents scale. If you use one of the other things like kerosene then you have to be able to control the atmosphere in your forge. You adjust the burn mixture till it’s burning rich. This is called a reducing atmosphere and means there is more fuel in the forge then air to burn it. This keeps the oxygen away from the steel. I personally don’t know if any of the other liquids people use are actualy doing anything. My thought is we like to think we need a flux so using kerosene is more of a mental thing but in all reality it all burns off and you are dry welding. I have not seen any proof one way or the other. All I can say is I have tryied both kerosene and nothing and thy welded up the same. The kerosene soaked billet looked identical to the non kerosene billet. I have heard people say it makes a carbon shell around the steel but I have never seen it.
 
If you don't fully understand the welding process for hydrocarbon flux welding, don't try it. Besides having sufficient fire control to handle several gallons of burning kerosene if something goes wrong, you need to use some extra safety procedures. A hose and a 5 pound fire extinguisher won't cut it.

The soak in the hydrocarbon liquid (kerosene works fine) is to get it between the layers. You let it drain a bit, COVER the container with a tight lid, and put the billet in the forge. It will flame off the kerosene and leave carbon behind between the layers (this is good). You keep it in the forge until at welding heat, then pull out and set the weld. Put it back in the forge before it gets below cherry red heat. As long as it stays in the cherry red to yellow-orange range it will continue to weld and draw out. If you let it cool below cherry red, you will have to cool it to room temp and stick back in the flux bucket. DO NOT put a hot billet in the bucket!!!
After drawing out the billet, grind it clean and cut and restak.... repeat the process.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
If you don't fully understand the welding process for hydrocarbon flux welding, don't try it. Besides having sufficient fire control to handle several gallons of burning kerosene if something goes wrong, you need to use some extra safety procedures. A hose and a 5 pound fire extinguisher won't cut it.

The soak in the hydrocarbon liquid (kerosene works fine) is to get it between the layers. You let it drain a bit, COVER the container with a tight lid, and put the billet in the forge. It will flame off the kerosene and leave carbon behind between the layers (this is good). You keep it in the forge until at welding heat, then pull out and set the weld. Put it back in the forge before it gets below cherry red heat. As long as it stays in the cherry red to yellow-orange range it will continue to weld and draw out. If you let it cool below cherry red, you will have to cool it to room temp and stick back in the flux bucket. DO NOT put a hot billet in the bucket!!!
After drawing out the billet, grind it clean and cut and restak.... repeat the process.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Stacy. Forgot to put the caveats, because someone WILL try that and burn the shop down.
 
Benjamin,
You are 14 and we all understand the excitement of making knives. However, it is a skill you learn slowly. Start making basic knives and then develop more complex skills. Skills like welding damascus are way down the road for you right now. Even building a forge before you know much about knifemaking is getting a bit ahead of yourself.

I would suggest you start with stock removal from a bar of steel using files and sandpaper. The stickys has a great first knife tutorial.
There is also a ton of information in the stickys about many other things ... including building a forge.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Benjamin,
You are 14 and we all understand the excitement of making knives. However, it is a skill you learn slowly. Start making basic knives and then develop more complex skills. Skills like welding damascus are way down the road for you right now. Even building a forge before you know much about knifemaking is getting a bit ahead of yourself.

I would suggest you start with stock removal from a bar of steel using files and sandpaper. The stickys has a great first knife tutorial.
There is also a ton of information in the stickys about many other things ... including building a forge.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the feed back. I completely understand what you mean. I am not planning on welding damascus any time soon. I had a teacher that had a blacksmithing class after school. I started that two years ago. I have made many things in his class with his help. I have made a few knives with railroad spikes between his shop and at home. I also made a hatchet head and had to make a forge weld, but that was with my teacher's coal forge and materials. I no longer have access to those materials though. I have a customer right now who wants me to make a hatchet for them, so I have to use my materials and my propane forge to make a forge weld. That is why I am asking if borax will damage my forge.
 
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