[TheForge] Welding SS

Thu Sep 11 15:10:01 2003

Most SS can be forge welded but not folded.
Something contaminates the SS after the first weld. You are not the first
that had the weld come apart, look see if it is at the SS.

dan tull
georgia
abba, afc, S.C. psba, obg,sofa
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jerry Frost" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 2:11 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Welding SS

> Last weekend I tried forge welding some SS and mild steel for a damascus
> forge shovel. (Yes, I'm definately suffering shovel envy after George
posted
> the pics of his fire tool set. <sigh>) The SS is 5/16" thick, I sandwiched
> it between 1/4" mild steel. I cleaned the contact faces on the belt sander
> and migged the billet on the corners. I heated it till the flux just
melted
> then fluxed it. Then I brought it slowly to red and refluxed then brought
it
> to welding heat with plenty of soak time. Well, after three repeats to
> refine the "weld" I was able to work it on the edges and decided it was
time
> for the first fold.
>
> Anyway, it was a complete failure, total delamination on cutting for the
> first fold. I used a mixture of 4 pts borax to 1 pt. boric acid for the
> flux. I'm going to see if I can find sal amoniac when I run into Anchorage
> today. Still, I expected SOME weld and didn't get it.
>
> I'm wondering if the type of SS makes a difference. I used some 304 SS
from
> the shop scrap bin. Should I use something different? This is going to be
a
> shovel blade and so has no structural nor edge holding requirements. I'd
> just like to make something a little flashy while I experiment with SS.
>
> Frosty
> ------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
>
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
>
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