Chris Waldon Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Ok, so I feel like a complete incompetent to have to ask this, but How exactly do you get two pieces of metal to join together? I've tried just heating to yellow and hammering them together. (failed miserably) I've tried putting borax between the two layers after heating them and then hammering them together. (failed, but hot borax burned holes through my pants) What is the secret? Thanks in advance, -Chris (the novice who uses WAYYYY to many parenthesis) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnptc Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 lot of info on this topic but the basics are two pieces of clean metal i like to weld one end but others wire them face to face heat up and before they scale sprinkle with flux heat to welding heat ....flux should be bubbling remove and IMMEDIATELY hammer together lightly with overlapping blows you should feel the metal come together then hammer harder. ((((())))))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Try a simple weld first take a piece of 3/8 square heat to red. Wire brush clean nick and fold over so 2" of the end lays on top of the parent bar. Brush again reheat, fllux. heat until the flux is a shiny layer on the bar, flux again after a quick brush reheat to yellow white. Tap with your hammer like you were cracking paper shell pecans and didn't want to crush the nut meats. When it fell a little solid put back in the the fire, re-flux and hit a little harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Chris if you will search the site a bit you will find this has been covered really well by alot of folks, as well as those posting above. if you read half the information and study it reall well youi will get it. I have typed the information a lot of times..late night here You will find it and good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Just a fast note search using "welding" particularly "forge welding" "folding and fusing" won't get you where you want to be in a search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Waldon Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 I apologize for posting this, I didn't know about the search feature, and I wouldn't have known what to search for. Thank you for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Waldon Posted May 8, 2009 Author Share Posted May 8, 2009 Ok, I've searched.... ....and searched.... ....and searched... ...But I still don't know how to "flux." I know you apply borax or something similar, but when or how? While the metal is hot? While the metal is cool? Do you pour borax on? Do you immerse the metal in borax? I'm sorry if this is answered somewhere, but I've spent an hour looking, and everyone who talks about it seems to know what "fluxing" is already. Be patient with me please, I'm slow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 This was posted a few days ahead of yours and it is the recipe for forge welding. If this is not what you are looking for serch for a smith in your area or a state or local organization that has some workshops Or will allow you to visit their shop while they are working. If they are working you may only get to see wot they are doing. If all goes well they may show you how to forge weld. But their work comes first.http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f14/i-need-help-forge-welding-11840/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 I also checked the blueprints and found this.BP0093 Forge Welding | Blueprints 000-100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 8, 2009 Share Posted May 8, 2009 Chris; It's Friday and 9 minutes before the end of the work day here so I'll answer your questions with "Yes"! Some people add the flux before the steel glows, some will add it after it glows; some will do both! Some will pour/shake/spoon it on; some will poke it in a container of cold flux and some will melt the flux in a vessel and immerse the billet in the molten flux (much less common) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Gann Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 the first weld i ever completed was like this get some small rods i'm not sure what mine were maybe 1/4" get 4 equal length and stack them so two on top two on bottom. wire them together stick one end in the fire and raise till cherry red take it out and apply a generous amount (i doused mine though lol) with borax soap powder. put back in the fire and slowly raise the temperature periodically turn the metal to ensure even heating once you get it to welding heat it should be yellow (if its low carbon) possibly a few sparks and the surface should look like melted butter put on the anvil and tap firmly rotating the bundle two hits on each side you should be able to hear a "Chink" as it "fuses" do the other side the same way and you have the start of a nice basket weave handle, or you can just weld the whole thing and have a bigger piece of stock. this type is called a faggot weld Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 (edited) Using the soap was not a good idea, Only use the normal Straight borax. Since this has absolutely nothing to do with Blades, I will relocate this thread from the Knives subsection to elsewhere. Edited May 9, 2009 by steve sells Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid Neilsen Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 (edited) Pressure-welding 101: 1. Go to your local grocery store and get a box of plain old "20 Mule Team Borax" 2. Build your fire so that as little oxygen gets to it as possible - you know how when you build a forge fire and it sort of "hollows" out after a while(so it is rather like an oven). 3. Prepare your pieces to weld(so that they overlap correctly to fuse) This is often achieved by shaping the ends that will lap or connect such that they overlap from thick to thin(often at an angle). Look up "scarfing" or "preparing the weld" for common methods. Heat the ends to be welded up to a nice orange/yellow heat. At this point put a generous coating of powdered borax on all surfaces that will be welded and return them to the forge.(it will melt to a liquid) 4.Get those pieces just about as hot as they will get before they burn. Ie, when sparks are flying out of the metal, it is TOO hot, you are just destroying the metal - but try to get it ALMOST to that point in terms of heat - it will be almost white in color(bright bright yellow!) It is much harder to weld properly at temperatures lower than that. 5. Pull both pieces out - put them DIRECTLY on the anvil overlapping and strike them with 1-3 solid, but not too hard blows. 6. Finish forging the weld(it has stuck by this point, but you will want to finish forging it cleanly to make it "purdy"). 7. Do this 10,000 times and you will be a comptent forge welder. A good way to practice is making "chain"(or even just indivual links or closed rings) out of 3/8" roundstock. I did a couple hundred feet of chain before I was consistent enough to make a chain that I would trust my life with. Edited May 13, 2009 by Reid Neilsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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