After 6 months of screwing up forge welds it finally clicked today

I've been trying to weld a simple stack of 3 rebar rods together since January and every time it would just flake apart at the anvil. Today I got the heat just right, hit it twice, and it stuck solid like butter. Did you guys have a specific trick that made forge welding finally work for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanbarnes1d ago

Nod your head and pretend like it was all skill and not pure dumb luck, right? I had the exact same problem with a mild steel billet - kept getting those cold shuts that looked fine until you hit them. Turns out I was being too careful with the heat, not letting it get to that almost-melting point where the flux actually does its job (who knew, right?). Now I just crank it until the sparks start flying and pray the neighbors don't call the fire department.

gavin_allen481d ago

I read this article in an old blacksmithing magazine about how the Japanese swordsmiths would judge their steel's readiness by the color of the sparks and the sound it made when they tapped it. They spent years learning to read those tiny differences. Sounds like you figured out that same trick on your own, just with more sparks and worried neighbors. There's something to be said for that old knowledge, even if we stumble into it by accident.