[TheForge] Forge welding

[Jason Nass]

Anything that prevents the contact between the steel and oxygen works as a
flux. The fact is, forge welding is probably the simplest thing we do. Get
it hot enough, keep it clean of scale, and tap it together. The steel WANTS
to stick together if you can keep those 3 things. I really don't get why so
many guys out there want to portray forge welding as rocket science...

I've used sand, borax, boric acid, all manner of commercial fluxes, rice
straw ash, wood ash, TiG welded beads, and all manner of other things as
fluxes, and, they all work just fine. The important parts are clean, heat,
and tap, get that and you will have a weld every single time... except for
the times that no matter what you do, you can't get it to weld.

Jason Nass - MacTalis Ironworks
me at wargoth.com

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of James Binnion
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 8:49 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Forge welding

I have heard variations on this information floating around the
blacksmithing community for years and it is just not so. The MSDS
(http://www.rsu19.org/assets/files/safety/msds/20%20Mule%20Team%20Borax.pdf)
lists only Sodium Borate Decahydrate . Even if the anti caking ingredient
was a trade secret they would have to list it as such and a CAS # for it. 20
Mule Team Borax is just borax nothing else.



On Jul 26, 2011, at 3:30 PM, Chuck Robinson wrote:

> 20 Mule team borax has, in addition to water of crystallization, an anti 
> caking additive that melts at a higher temp than the borax, and can 
> slightly decrease the quality of the weld.
> Anhydrous borax is a better flux.
> Chuck

James Binnion
jbin at well.com



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