Likes: 0
Needs Pictures: 0
Picture(s) thanks: 0
Results 1 to 7 of 7
Thread: Query about forge welding
-
20th January 2015, 08:44 AM #1Senior Member
- Join Date
- May 2009
- Location
- Somerset, UK
- Posts
- 445
Query about forge welding
I have been watching videos of forge welding, what is the 'stuff' the smiths sprinkle on to the metal prior to welding ?
Presumably a flux of some kind?
Plan to have a go at a chainsaw chain blade.
MarkWhat you say & what people hear are not always the same thing.
http://www.remark.me.uk/
-
20th January 2015 08:44 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
- Join Date
- Always
- Location
- Advertising world
- Posts
- Many
-
20th January 2015, 12:07 PM #2Senior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2006
- Location
- kansas mostly
- Posts
- 163
A flux of some sort. Depending on the smith and how he learned there are a number of possibilities. These include commercial preparations, borax, anhydrous borax, boric acid, straw ashes, sand, wood ashes etc. Some of these seem to work better for some people than others.
ron
-
21st January 2015, 12:11 AM #3Senior Member
- Join Date
- Apr 2013
- Location
- Canberra
- Posts
- 135
Most common is plain borax. Some swear by the anhydrous borax, which has no moisture in it, but that ends when you open it.
There are also some branded fluxes some people swear by but borax works so well I don't think it's worth it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
21st January 2015, 03:53 AM #4Senior Member
- Join Date
- May 2009
- Location
- Somerset, UK
- Posts
- 445
Thanks for the info.
I have Borax and plenty of wood ash so I will light up the forge and give it a go.
MarkWhat you say & what people hear are not always the same thing.
http://www.remark.me.uk/
-
22nd January 2015, 12:51 AM #5Novice
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Australia
- Posts
- 20
Normally for mild steel I use fine clean and dry sand.
For higher carbon or alloy steels I use borax and a as a general purpose version I mix one third borax and fine sand.
I have also melted borax in a crucible until it forms a greenish liquid (keep away from the fumes and provide good ventilation.
Let the liquid solidify ( often called borax glass)and then grind it into a powder, this makes a superior flux that flows very well on the surface and into joints.
I saw a knifemaker doing a demonstation and he dipped the damascus billet straight into a metal bucket with borax into it. The borax bubbled like it normally does and then formed the green I mentioned above. The amount of heat in the billet and the flux couldn't fall off and make mess like it normally does.
So his method achieved the same result that I achieved with melting and grinding but will a lot less effort or messing about.
-
28th January 2015, 09:55 AM #6
Interesting info Bruce.
I have tried melting borax as i had heard that it was better, but all it did was bubble up and it ended up light and fluffy, and not really any good as flux! I'm guessing i did not get it hot enough. I'm guessing i would have done it over the forge in a pot or something, it was many years ago and i don't remember.1915 17"x50" LeBlond heavy duty Lathe, 24" Queen city shaper, 1970's G Vernier FV.3.TO Universal Mill, 1958 Blohm HFS 6 surface grinder, 1942 Rivett 715 Lathe, 14"x40" Antrac Lathe, Startrite H225 Bandsaw, 1949 Hercus Camelback Drill press, 1947 Holbrook C10 Lathe.
-
29th January 2015, 01:48 PM #7Senior Member
- Join Date
- Nov 2006
- Location
- kansas mostly
- Posts
- 163
When borax is heated it loses water and foams/bubbles up. This is normal. After the bubbling it will look glassy from the borax, this is actually anhydrous borax. You can heat the borax separately and apply the anhydrous as flux or you can put the borax on the steel to be welded when it is a few hundred degrees and let it bubble then put it back in the fire where the borax will flux the weld.
Similar Threads
-
Gas Bottle Forge
By Dingo Dog in forum METALWORK FORUMReplies: 6Last Post: 26th August 2009, 04:39 PM -
Charcoal Forge
By RayG in forum METALWORK FORUMReplies: 29Last Post: 25th July 2009, 10:10 AM -
New old forge
By Andy Mac in forum THE SMITHYReplies: 8Last Post: 17th April 2009, 12:08 AM -
Forge
By JB in forum THE SMITHYReplies: 28Last Post: 21st May 2005, 07:55 PM -
Forge
By JB in forum METALWORK FORUMReplies: 28Last Post: 21st May 2005, 07:55 PM