Hi, I found this in a box I got from a retiring smith along with a heap of other stuff. Can anyone tell me what it is exactly?

thanks!

From what I read -you know where- it is a flux sheet pressed onto a wire mesh for forge welding steel to iron.

The product is used up in the Process.

The text at the lower part of the first picture translates from Spanish to English as

temperatures

pale white iron  

yellow orange steel  

As KRS states it was a form of flux, a propriatory brand that was popular up until the late fifties early sixties,(when wrought iron was still available) especially useful when putting working faces on to tools eg hammer faces, lathe, milling and other tools. It could be cut to shape to suit the application,

It was the "magic compound" of the day for forge welding steel to wrought iron, it would be interesting to see a chemical analysis of what you have there.

I've often heard it mentioned by the old time mentors, (with some cheaper alternatives also) but that is the first time I have seen that particular package.

Does it mention country of origin?

A great little nugget of the smithing history, I wonder how many more examples survive.?

Great find, 

Sheets of flux compound would actually be pretty handy.  Everything I use straight borax, or see someone doing it, there's a ton of waste as it's spooned onto the steel.  Of course, as cheap as borax is, waste really isn't an issue.

Thanks for the info all. If you want to swing by you can have a sheet John. 

37 minutes ago, John B said:

As KRS states it was a form of flux, a propriatory brand that was popular up until the late fifties early sixties,(when wrought iron was still available) especially useful when putting working faces on to tools eg hammer faces, lathe, milling and other tools. It could be cut to shape to suit the application,

It was the "magic compound" of the day for forge welding steel to wrought iron, it would be interesting to see a chemical analysis of what you have there.

I've often heard it mentioned by the old time mentors, (with some cheaper alternatives also) but that is the first time I have seen that particular package.

Does it mention country of origin?

A great little nugget of the smithing history, I wonder how many more examples survive.?

Great find, 

 

If you can get the exact spelling on the package then It can be Googled. 

The label is printed in spanish

 

Could you do a closer picture, or better yet a scan of both sides of the package.  Great advertising images from back in the day.

Not Fluent but here's my take:  Welding of two pieces of iron or steel; A cut piece between the  pieces you're welding; 10 "plates/thin sheets"  Laffitte (brand name?) fast/easy; and on the sides:  welding plates and powders for welding (fluxes)

 

4 hours ago, blackleafforge said:

Thanks for the info all. If you want to swing by you can have a sheet John. 

 

Thanks for that, I appreciate the offer, and maybe drop down to see you sometime when I am not so busy doing nothing.

Well....one day soon the EPA CARB or a host of otherwise out of control government agencies will realize what we do with Borax and outlaw its use.

Since I'm a native Spanish speaker, I'll do my best here:

-Front (lower photo, with the blacksmith):

Welding iron and steels.

Made in Spain (in the little white box)

10 light sheets/plates "Laffitte" (the brand) (The same is repeated in the lower edge)

-Sides:

Gridded sheets. Registered brand and model.

-Back (the first photo, with the anvil):

Welding 2 pieces of Iron or Steel

A piece of sheet between the parts to be welded

Temperatures:

Pale white for Iron

Orange-yellow for steel

-Sides:

Society of welding powders and sheets, Tarragona (a city in Spain, also the name of this particular company)

 

(PS: Is it "gridded" when something is marked/divided in squares?)

That looks familiar.

Alan Knight, the blacksmith I trained with, used to have some of those "gridded" pre-scored sheets in a not dissimilar biscuit tin. The tin beside it contained silver sand. He used the sheets for specials like leaf and flower welding.

I wonder if the RIB / CoSiRA flower expert Zanni promoted its use when training smiths in the finer points? 

Alan

 

I worked witha smith from Portugal for a while. 

He described a simmilar product/process.

Apparently was either still available or they were working out of old stock.

A google search for Lafitte Welding Plate reveals an article on Anvilfire discussing the product and its use.

Alan

I did my master course with the late Freddy Haberman out in Italy and he had some of this Lafitte plate.  I was allowed a few pieces to play with. it was easy to cut off squares with a pair of shears. i used it for welding shut a flat ring. a piece was popped between the two overlapping scarfed ends and brought to a mild welding heat. worked a charm. dont remember what i did with the other bit but i had a good look at it. pinkish colour, hardish material (bent slightly) molded into flattened square impressed slab encapsulating the pure iron mesh. my feeling is indeed that the pure iron mesh is the key ingredient. I do wish someone could make it again.