[TheForge] Borax (Was: A36 vs 1018)

[A Vida]

Ah, I see.  I never had too many problems with cold shuts and the sort, 
though I have had some.  I learned early on to retort the billet to keep 
the O2 out.  This seems to solve a lot of the problems.  Electrically 
welding the billet shut seems another popular method, though I have 
never used it.

Perhaps the worst problem I ever had was shearing the welds by hammering 
them too vigorously before sticking them completely.  Took a while to 
figure out that they had to be kissed before you started beating the 
hell out of them.  I was completely alone in the shop with no help, so I 
had to learn it all by myself with a few articles in various metal 
journals like Metalsmith (SNAG).

I would also point out that I have always made small billets, which I am 
sure are easier to manage than 5 pounders.   Maybe 2# for me, +/-.  All 
smallish blades, most working knives like a cabinetmaker's marking knife.

Chuck Robinson wrote:
> I was wondering if you had observed any problems in welding your Damascus 
> billets.
>  About  30 years ago a friend of mine did an informal  study on welding 
> quality in Damascus billets.
>  He viewed the weld zones in several sections of each billet, with a 
> scanning electron microscope at Mississippi State.
> All though I had made about 35 Damascus blades by that time, and the welds 
> looked fine to the naked eye, weld quality varied in my samples from 50 to 
> 90%.
> Samples from some famous knife smiths, at the time, averaged about 75 to 
> 85%. Needless to say, they were less than pleased with the findings.
> Since then I have been exploring many different options for improving the 
> weld quality of my blades. Improving the fluxing process is one of them.
> Chuck
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Andrew Vida" <osan at netlabs.net>
> To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 8:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Borax (Was: A36 vs 1018)
> 
> 
>> Several.  How is this relevant?
>>
>> Chuck Robinson wrote:
>>> How many damascus blades in those 30 years?
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