pattern weld with spring steel?

[Amuadiv]

just wondering if its possible to pattern weld with 5160 spring steel? and normal mild steel? i also have some unknown tool steel but i wanted to practice with spring steel, i also have some Phosphor bronze

[Rich Hale]

Yes...........................

[Jose Gomez]

What are you planning on doing with the bronze?? Be aware that bronze melts at a temperature much much lower than the forge welding temps needed to bond steel, and if brass or bronze are over heated they produce toxic vapours.

[Amuadiv]

ok great ill give that a try today. would the bronze be any good for casting then?

[EdCaffreyMS]

5160 is notoriously difficult to forge weld. If your planning on mixing it with mild steel, you won't have a very useful product by the time your done (provided its not full of cold shuts)..... In 5160 your only dealing with only .60% carbon.....even in an "as hardened" state, your not going to get much hardness. My personal opinion is not to waste your time forge welding 5160...... its a 50/50 gamble most of the time.

Your best chances with forge welding come when you utilize two or more steels that are similar in expansion and contraction coefficients. Meaning that if the two (or more) steels you use in a billet expand and contract at different rates when heated or cooled, you are building in stresses, and in the worst case scenario, the steels will literally tear themselves apart during heating/cooling. Most often this occurs during heat treating in the form of severe warping or even delamination.

[Rich Hale]

More than the yes answer above. Not everyone can forge weld until they learn how. Not everyone can forge weld certain steel combinations. Until they learn how, Some combinations are not worth the effort. 5160 steel is not for the weak hearted, however not knowing this I have welded it to mild steel several times and I am sure lots of others have also. Old chevy truck leaf springs I am told are 5160 and I have used parts of them to weld in to the edge of mild steel axe heads. The old way of working,,it is what I had to do what I needed. Like the others have said above, there are better choices.But at times we do what we need to get done. Have fun