Ecart Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Today after church, I went out to clear my head and do some thinking. I felt like beating on some hot steel would help me work out frustration. A few days ago I welded together the end of two pieces of a plowshare and wanted to work them into a small axe. I decided that I needed to weld some more of the piece. So I heated it to a cherry red and fluxed with Borax. There was some water on the anvil. I heated the piece to welding heat and took it to the anvil. I struck it the first time and it gave a loud "POP" like a lightbulb exploding. Slag flew everywhere. The weld didn't take but I nearly took to flying when it popped! So, with the info I have given, what did I do wrong? All I know is that it scared the daylights out of me for a moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknition Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 The water on the anvil caused a small steam explosion. When you hit the hot steel against the water laying on the anvil, steam was created and momentarily trapped under the pressure of your hammer and the steel you were hitting. Since steam expands exponentially compared to the water, the result is a loud pop of steam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 :) That actually makes sense. I have worked with nickel babbit at work and I know that water will do the same thing if it falls into it. Except then you could be wearing the babbit. Not my favorite piece of attire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Some guys used to advocate working blades on a wet anvil face to keep the scale blown loose. My nerves can't take it. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 this technique is used in Japan with a ricestraw brush to keep water on the anvil. Can be used to draw a crowd at demo's too. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremiah Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I must try this:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian C. Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 When kids arent looking quickly spit or drip water on the anvil, then hit your work piece. It amazes kids (it did mine anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 When someone asks what was that pop? Just tell them the anvil backfires sometimes. --> grin Do be careful as the steam explosion will propel slag, dirt, rest or whatever much like the spray from a forge weld. And they can be somewhat loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Yeah, I found out about the noise factor. And the slag etc. . . It can be quite hot when it hits you too. Of course I don't think the pieces that I am welding are as clean as they should be either. I mean after all, it spent its entire former life being dragged through the dirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pault17 Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 (maybe I'm dense, but) dirt makes good flux?:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Maybe, and it's not the dirt that worries me, it's the thick slabs of rust that it was covering. I think it is causing me some problems. I may take another plowshare (I have a few) and grind it down to remove rust before I work with it this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Pault17, it is that spray of steam, hot water, slag or whatever is present that it propelled out. You need to use caution that someone does not get hit. Dirt as flux, they have used sand and mud dobbers nests as flux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 There are 2 common kinds of plow steel, what the old timers called crucible steel which is a solid mass of high carbon plow steel, and soft center plow steel, which has a soft center sandwiched between two pieces regular plow steel. The reason for this was making the plow lay or share (shear) harder so that it would scour, self clean in gumbo which is a very sticky soil. With the soft center lay or share it could be hardened more and not crack or break because of the soft center in the middle. Lays or shares were marked on the back with an S or no mark for the solid share and SC for soft center share. Some old smiths even used a form of superquench to get the soft center share harder so it would scour or clean in difficult soil. ON a SAFETY NOTE, one must be very careful with the water or spit form of amusement. I have done it when no one was around to get injured, the proper way is to put a drop of water or spit on the Anvil and hold a piece at a near welding heat just above it till it starts to boil of fizz, then still holding this height to hit it hard with a heavy hammer. I will sound almost like a gunshot, and flying metal and scale will shoot in all directions, if you turn it over afterwards you will notice a fragmented crater where it actually eroded metal and spewed it in all directions. CAUTION, to me anyone who does this at public demonstration is either a FOOL or must have good liability insurance to cover their FOOLISHNESS. REMEMBER Children's faces are at a much lower level than ours and at a little distance. Would you want to go thru the rest of your life knowing that you blinded or partially blinded or disfigured some innocent childs face just to prove how much of a FOOL you are. This is why I don't forge weld when a crowd is around me. I have been blind in my right eye since I was 20 in 1964, due to an accident with a firearm, and believe me it is no picnic, you learn to cope somewhat over time, but you can never play baseball again and its very hard to catch something that is tossed or thrown at you. Ok, the rant is over lets act like responsible blacksmiths and leave the childish prank's to the devil. Respectfully Jr. Strasil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentin Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 Seems like a nice trick ... feel like tring it 2morow 10x for the ideea...i'll be carfeull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted April 24, 2007 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 Thanks for the tip on plow steel. I'll check the ones that I have to see what I've got my hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Now if I have to do a forge weld at a demo and do not have a safety screen for the crowd I'll go around the anvil and weld with my back to the crowd and my apron catching the gradeau. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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