That week I finally figured out forge welding

Last Tuesday I had three straight days of failed forge welds on some leaf spring steel... then on Thursday it just clicked and I got a perfect weld on the first try. Turns out I was way too shy with the flux, I had been barely dusting it on instead of laying it thick. Has anyone else had a random breakthrough like that after days of frustration?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorhunt18d ago

Man, your story hits way too close to home. My first few forge welding attempts looked like I was trying to glue metal together with fairy dust and bad vibes. Turns out you gotta be generous with the flux like you're seasoning a steak, not like you're sprinkling salt on a salad. My breakthrough came when I stopped being precious about it and just dunked the whole billet in the flux bucket until it looked like a powdered donut.

bettywilson18d ago

Nah, the real trick nobody talks about is how your flux choice can totally mess you up if the humidity in your shop is off. I switched from borax to a mix with some iron oxide in it and suddenly my welds stopped looking like Swiss cheese. People get so hung up on technique they forget the chemistry part is doing all the heavy lifting. That powdered donut look is spot on though, I aim for a good crust then let it sit for a minute before hammering.