Authentic Iron Works Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I have never been able to get my steel to white heat. I have built two different style propane forges that I have been able to weld in, but no white heat. I have also used my fair share of blacksmiths coal and the best I can do is weld at a bright yellow-sparkler type heat. How do you set up your coal fire to achieve white heat? What gas forges will take you to white heat? I NEED HELP, MY Didyium perscription lenses that I paid big money for ARE GOING TO WASTE! I think Id rather die with a hammer in my hand rather than rot in front of a computer sayng, Yes bOSS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Gold Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 This is sort of off-topic, but you know didys are made for sodium flare, right? They're only as appropriate as a pair of sunglasses for forge welding... If you really want white heat, you need more BTUs and a refractory that can take it -- a hot face of Mizzou will do fine. Get a nice big squirrel cage blower and as big of a propane supply as you can muster, and let fly. If you can weld at the heat you can already attain, though, why do you want a white heat? Your "sparkler" heat is just about what I would define as a white heat anyway, and I weld a bit below that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce wilcock Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 working wrought iron is the only time you will be forging at a true snowball white heat ,intentionaly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Zietman Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 try looking at the hottest your steel can get in the dark. oftentimes in the dark, steel which looks black under the lights starts glowing red when I shut the lights off. You may already have white heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Stegmeier Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 If you are sparking you are at a white heat. The dydidium lens might be fooling you, or you might have too much light in your shop, or you are working outside in full sunlight? Bruce is ablsolutely right of course, you don't want a white heat for anything but wrought iron. If you are sparking you are burning your steel, and you loose carbon and ruin the steel. In mild steel its not pretty but won't matter too much, (and it is easier to do, mild "burns" at a lower temp) but do it on 1095 or some of the tool steels and you will have ruined your steel and possibly have turned it into something resembling cottagecheese. 1095 has a lot of carbon, and can be burned and ruined very quickly if you are not careful. If you are trying to do patternwelding/damascus steel, burning the steel will effect your etch and the surface of the steel will pit, and your pattern will not be as sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bipolarandy Posted February 18, 2006 Share Posted February 18, 2006 AIW, bruce is right when he said you'll only see white heat with wrought iron. I just tried forge welding some scraps of WI to a plate of mild steel, and I literally had to burn the mild steel before the WI was at welding temp. And when it was ready to weld, it was definitely white, not yellow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Authentic Iron Works Posted February 19, 2006 Author Share Posted February 19, 2006 Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.