Ok, I think I had fluxed extra heavy so maybe it was just SPitting out. I thought Maybe I had discovered something secret with deep blacksmithing meaning. SO far it doesn't sound like it. Maybe it means too much flux?

It happens even without flux, I just put it down to the sound of the weld taking.

This will depend entirely on your ability to hear. Drop of sweat from you nose on the anvil. Put a piece of 1/4 x 1 flat on it and strike it. May or may not sound like a rifle. Sometimes welds have sound and sometimes you can feel them too ( ok call me touched).

Holstrum said in his book that " good iron crumbles under the hammer ". Some of these things have to be experienced.

Check and make sure you that none of your fingers are broken!

Just kidding!

I have no Idea what it would be, I am functionally deaf
But not kidding about that! I have not experenced anything like that even when I could hear.

Sorry not to be of better assistance!
Ted Throckmorton

Since the welding temp is above the boiling temp of the flux I use I always assumed the "crack" sound was flux being trapped between hammer and piece boiling off and creating a pressure wave---like water does between a hot piece and the anvil or hammer

It's usually my elbow making a snapping noise.

I had it happen to me once I was forge welding some steel cable and there was a small air pocked the out side was welded and when I went to flatten it, it made a large pop. when forge welding light blows at first and build up to hard hits.

So trying to make meaning from all this...

Sounds like there must have been a pocket of something that was released quickly...
Air
Flux.
Water
Old elbow joints

I don't think that any of these are necessarily good for a forge weld... Though... I dunno
Don't worry, be happy.
:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucfZIjAdXwM&feature=plcp&context=C3ad78aeUDOEgsToPDskK7otBpGzrnsqhFJV06crXE


Here's a good vid on the subject.

I haven't done any welding myself yet (aside from a ring I made once) but the spit on the anvil / rifle pop makes me want to try it that much sooner.
Scares the crows away? I'm in! :D

We always called that the japanese water hammer technique: keep your anvil face brush in a can of water and use it to clean the face after every heat. Then hold the workpiece slightly above the face until the hammer blow forces it into contact. Some people will also keep the hammer wet; but I dislike the effect on the handle doing it that way.

It's supposed to help "blow away the scale" making a cleaner piece to work on. I think it's greatest utility is in impressing the Yokels!

its mentioned that 7000 alum. will work harden and break. Does anybody know what the alum. heat sink blocks from an old computer would be?
Also just to be shure, there are no worrys with the fumes off alum is there?

Thanks

I forged a few ton of 6061 bars when I worked in Florida.
We would heat with a torch till a paint stick (pine stick) would leave a mark....about 600-700F and then forge.
After a while..in the same dim shop light..there was a shimmer when you got close and then you would test with the stick. As I was making the same part from the same stock I got into a count timed event with the torch and could get it close more often than not by counting the time the flame was on the part. I did many leaves from 5/8 round bar.

For large simple bends we sent a bound pile of the bars to a commercial heat treater for annealing, textured it cold and cold bent the parts.

A black magic marker will work as well as a paint stick..or you could use those tempil sticks and get a range of temps 25F apart.

As with everything else...if you do a few it gets easier. Once in a while a bar would crumble from getting it to hot or split when forging because it was pushed too far.

For sheet we used 3003 alloy.

Ric

Once in a while a bar would crumble from getting it to hot or split when forging because it was pushed too far. Ric

I found that to be true. I got my hands on a 4'' cube once and was going to drive a ball into it with a 250 PH to make a bowl....Ready , set, took it out of the forge and smack! It went everywhere in maybe a 10' radius! I was putting out fires here and there for a minute or so....Glad I was wearing a leather apron....;-)

i am a complete novice when it comes to fire welding, but after seeing jeremy k's little stalk with leaves, so finely done, as his avatar, i would like to see some of the best welds you mob have done!
i seem to never get the edges to weld, and would love to see the work of professionals!!!!

Billy Merrit I think he can weld using just a hot day and a hickory switch!

Xxxx! I got all excited and clicked this thread! Then sadly I realized it was forge welding. Which I totally suck at..Oh well.

I've been told I'm a pretty ok Tig welder though...

You show me how to do that and I will show you how to forge weld.

I can forge weld pretty fair,,but to tig like that would take alot more time than I expect I have left,,,nicely done!

mediocre mig weld

so lets extend the welcome to any weld! Come one come all!

I tried to weld up a broken heart once...ONCE....
Much easier to pay the lawyer

Went from this:



To this:



To this:



This was a first for me and I've been mighty pleased with it so far.

well take your pick if you are ever in Tenn. the Chattanooga Aquaruim or the inside Diveing tower at UT . I helped build the structer and internals at the Chattanooga Aquaruim and Built the inside Diveing tower at University of Tennessee .

Sam

xxxx! I got all excited and clicked this thread! Then sadly I realized it was forge welding. Which I totally suck at..Oh well.

I've been told I'm a pretty ok Tig welder though...

now that is a thing of beauty