Hi All,  attached is a pic of a twist billet of mokume I made. It was 11 layers of copper and nickel silver, it is shown after resawing it open.  I am wondering if I was careful and got the edges flat and clean, how I would go about fusing them.  I was thinking of a little jig that would basically be a clamp to hold the edges together at temperature, while keeping everything nice and flat.  Is there another way to do this? Thanks for any comments

You need to do the same as the original layering but with slightly different shapes (thickneses and widths)

Those look pretty.

rewelding can be touchy, typically your first welds are based on a nice flat stock. When you go for a second weld you have to make sure  it is all flat and contact is even. This is very hard by hand. Most people doing it are using a rolling mill or machining them flat. Not to say you cannot do it with a file but it is hard work. I have managed it with a sander but I spent to much time.

just like the first time you will need a clamp to accommodate it all as well.

Edited April 26, 201511 yr by teenylittlemetalguy
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TY Jeremy and Teeny.  With pieces this thin (~ 3/16) it is going to be tricky.  Thinking about it I will probably just use these to make some jewelry as is, and make some bigger billets to play with

 

I didn't realize they were that thin or I would have advised the same. 

 

I'm getting here a little late, but 3/16 inch is not too thin to refuse back together, I have done the same with smaller thicknesses and the same materials as well as different ones. How I did it: Take two steel plates (about 1/8 inch or thicker) that are a little longer and wider than the mokume pieces, two pieces of stainless steel foil (commonly called heat treat foil or tool wrap) of equal size and some steel scrap pieces that are at least as long in one dimension as the two plates and mokume are stacked up. Sand the back sides of the mokume (the faces to be fused to each other) until you have two flat and clean surfaces. heat the foil with a small torch to oxidize the surfaces. Stack the steel, then the foil, then the two mokume pieces, another foil and the last steel. You now have a sandwich. The small scraps are for welding along the sides of the sandwich to hold it together. Put the sandwich in a vice and tighten it up. weld the scraps to the sandwich and keep it tight in the vice. Take the whole sandwich and bring it up to heat in the forge and squish it in your press. The two pieces of mokume should be bonded tight. I have a photo of a knife on this thread somewhere with mokume fittings, and the guard is exactly what you are trying to do. Here is the pic: http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/40661-mokume-knife-fittings/

Cliffrat, pleas update the other post with some pictures, we can't see them. Thanks

Cliffrat, pleas update the other post with some pictures, we can't see them. Thanks

​I just posted another pic in the knife fittings thread. It's a close up of the guard and spacer package. The guard is the split twist turned inside out and welded together again. End result is 1/8 inch thick.