Two for Two welding

[GVR-4579]

Well my last two attempts have been sucessful welds in the forge. they are just a couple chain links, but man is it nice for it to work finally. I think I was not heating enough of the metal so it was trying to spring back some, and also i might have been hitting it too hard trying to smash it together in one heat and make it stick instead of letting it stick on its own over a few heats.

Anyways just wanted to share the sucess so far, hopefully it keeps going in that direction!

[welder19]

Congrats, still don't have it down myself, I've had a couple that were so so but none that would be considered good welds.

welder19

[rusty_iron]

Gday Guys,

Congrats on the success, its a nice feeling ain't it?
I've just got my first birds mouth weld to work, so I understand your joy.

Just keep trying, it gets easier the more you practice, now that you know what your looking for.

A hint, I've noticed that the flame colour changes in the fire when your using borax and you have reached a welding heat. It gets a bit of a greenish hue to it - atleast with the glasses I use.

Regards
Rusty_iron
Brisbane, Oz.

[GVR-4579]

Hmm havent been looking for a color change in the flame. I just watch for the good yellow color and that i can see the flux nice and liquidized on the surface. Ill have to try observing that as well. The flux i am using is something a friend of my dads brought us back from some blacksmithing school. I dont know exactly what is in it.

[Glenn]

With mild steel and coal, soak the heat into and through the entire piece of stock, at high orange, wire brush, then bring it up to high yellow and soak again. Get everything ready, practice the way your going to move from the fire to the anvil while it is being brought up to welding temp. Watch for it to throw only a couple of sparks and go for the weld. All you need to do is bump the two pieces of metal to achieve the weld. If you hit it hard enough to throw those beautiful sparks like you see in all the photos, those sparks are your weld being scattered all across the shop. Just bump the jiont to achieve the weld, then hammer to dress things up.

[easilyconfused]

A little trick I've found I've had to use for smaller pieces when the temp's get below 0 C here, is to use a pre-heated piece of steel on my anvil and move the anvil closer to retain heat during the weld. Other-wise, my welds on smaller pieces don't work.

[GVR-4579]

I was even thinking about using a piece of steel right on the forge for an anvil if i was loosing too much heat between the forge and the anvil. That would take some small stuff tho.

[David E.]

A little trick I've found I've had to use for smaller pieces when the temp's get below 0 C here, is to use a pre-heated piece of steel on my anvil and move the anvil closer to retain heat during the weld. Other-wise, my welds on smaller pieces don't work.

Never weld before 11 0'clock in the morning, the anvil should be warm by then:D