[TheForge] Welding Tool Steel

[xlch58 at swbell.net]

Bruce Freeman wrote:
> You've probably figured it out. Weldors often underestimate the strength of brazing.  I wouldn't be surprized if the guy TIG welds the surface just because the customer expects the part to be welded back together.  The braze alone might do the job.
> One reason brazing might work better than welding is related to what your die makers said about the big V.  If a good weld is backed up by a nonwelded crack, it's something like a cold shut - a point at which cracking can happen again.
> On the other hand, don't underestimate the skill needed to correctly braze a joint.  I'd suggest you get the guy to train you how to do what he's doing, and pay him appropriately for the knowledge.  That way he's compensated for the loss of business, and you don't have to worry about his passing away and leaving you in the lurch.
> Bruce
> NJ
A professional getting a good brazed joint doesn't surprise me at all, 
particularly if they have been doing it for many years. Engine blocks 
and such are furnace brazed all of the time.  What does amaze me is 
getting a good weld on top of a brazed joint ( if he in fact is).   How 
would he keep the braze from mucking up his weld?

Charles