Legg86 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 hey guys, I'm a new guy, though i have posted a few times before, namely with help finding a gas forge. Anyway, so far I've been making little j hooks (also courtesy of this forum), s hooks, really ugly tongs, etc, and i decided it was a good idea to try to expand my boundaries a bit, so i tried my hand at forge welding. I had some Harris 600 flux laying around in the barn so i decided "what the XXXXX, flux is flux" and gave it a shot. on the first try i actually got a successful weld. so far i can only make single piece welds (like chain links), I think I'm too slow with multiple pieces from the froge and the weld wont bond, but im working on it . anyway, now that i have a new skill learned, can anyone give me a few pointers on forge welding? (why is borax bad, for instance, what type of flux should i really be buying, how on earth am i supposed to get two pieces out of the fire and hammer the darn things with only two hands?) also, any simple project ideas would be really great, as much as i like making dinner bells and hooks, they get kinda boring after awhile. thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maillemaker Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Borax isn't necessarily bad, it is just the least aggressive flux. Quite a few smiths, myself included, use hydrous borax (20 Mule Team) with success. Others make or buy anhydrous borax, silica sand, or a multitude of different alchemic formulas. Look up the "drop the tongs" method of forging, and even if you can't get the hang of it, there are other ways to look at the job. For instance, if you rivet the two pieces together, you'll be sure that they stay aligned when you weld, or you might not even need to weld. When I'm making tomahawks, I'll rivet the blade together so I don't split the weld when drifting open the eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P. Bedard Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Borax is definitely not bad! It was used for centuries successfully. If you want a good commercial flux, I reccomend Anti-borax (I get it when it's on sale at Centaur forge, not that I buy much from them, they're fairly expensive) but you can make it too. Very fine Silica sand, pure iron filings and anhydrous borax in combination make a very good, cheap flux. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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