I just scored a big buy from a guy who was getting out of smithing, along with an anvil, a buffalo forge (big one) his tongs and 2 barrels of coal, he had some old flux in a box, called climax welding flux. I was working on a plant leaf Jack Brubaker demoed at quad state, and was able to weld 2- 26" leaves to a stem of 5/8" rod with no problem. This is a type of wrap weld I had never done, and fully expected to have, at the very least, some trouble, sheesh, it was like no problemo. Is this stuff that good??

I've never heard of that brand of flux but in the forge welding class I took recently we used "EZ Weld" that help the scarfed pieces to stick together and weld very easily. It's LIKE GLUE!

Awesome score on the other equipment though. Did you get it at a good (cheap) price?

Are you going to post some pics or just tease us?

Frosty

Climax welding flux is listed in my 1932 Schaw-Batcher Company wholesale hardware catalog for 30 cents a pound - in 5 and 10-lb. boxes.

They also list pure borax - refined. In sacks averaging 90 lbs. Per 100 lbs. $17.00 (17 cents a pound)

Judging by price alone, Climax about twice as good a plain old borax.;)

Yup, will do as soon as I get a chance, I do most of my viewing of this site at work, and it takes a steady hand to get a clear pic, and so far have not taken the time. But the one Brubaker made was exquisite, mine.... not so much!! But I have learned a bunch! Thanks for the encouragement.

That Climax flux is great stuff! At our recent NWBA conference we were forging chain with it and had nary a link weld not take. The smith who brought it said he also bought up an old stash. I don't remember what's in it except the iron filings. When welding chain at home with regular borax I have to bring it to heat, bring it out give it a couple of light taps and put it back in the fire and then finish. At the conference we did it all in one heat.

If it yields results like the first one every time, it is aptly named, after all the frustration in learning I went through, this is enough to make you.... well you get the idea.

Frosty,

the flower is up on the recent projects, flowers site, it kinda resembles what Brubaker did, pic is a bit blurry, but the weld was at the bottom, holding the 2 leaves to the stem, thx.

A quick google shows that this product is still on the market. It claims to allow welds to be made at a lower temperature.

Centaur Forge carries Climax, EZ Weld and Cherry Heat fluxes. All manufactured by Superior Flux & MFG. Co.

Welding Compounds

My forge weld teacher did say that these products are ones not normally talked about by blacksmiths but are widely used by them......

He would have us use regular borax on the scarfed ends then put some of the EZ Weld on the piece that would be laid on the anvil. When you lay the top piece on it, it feels tacky, like glue and just some light taps with set the weld. Great stuff, haven't bought any yet but it's on the list!

Is a welding flux a real necessity at any point? I mean, don't you just heat to color and pound the snot out of it to weld it?

Jeff, you can forge without a flux by getting two pieces of low carbon steel up to a very light sparkling heat and then very lightly and rapidly hammering the pieces together. Fluxes make it easier by giving you a wider temperature range at which it will weld. Other people can tell you better what fluxes can do.

I wonder if they had any types of flux back in the day, like waaaaaay back, or if it was all just hammering?

Sand has been shown to be used as flux in microscopic examinations of some Viking age tools. The line between the hardened steel and the wrought body includes silicon. Or melted sand in plain language. Wrought also contains silacious slag, but the area of deposition shown in the tested tools is not the same as in teh wrought.
Finnr