My forge weld failed 3 times on a damascus billet Tuesday

I was trying to stack a 15 layer billet and kept getting cold shuts from not getting the flux hot enough before hammering. Finally figured out I needed to soak it at welding temp for a good 2 minutes longer. Anyone else have a trick for getting flux to flow right on thicker stacks?

3 comments

3 Comments

king.wyatt2mo ago

Dang, three fails on one billet? That's some serious patience you got there.

lauras832mo ago

Jeez, that's wild. @king.wyatt I can't believe you went through three fails on the same billet. Most people would have given up after the first one, honestly. That takes a special kind of stubbornness or maybe just really good self control. I would have probably chucked the whole thing across the room by fail number two. Props to you for sticking it out, but I don't think I could ever handle that level of frustration.

paige861mo ago

Hey, did you try cranking the heat a bit higher on your preheat before adding flux? I had the same issue with thicker stacks until I started taking the billet up to a bright orange, almost yellow, then sprinkling the flux on so it melts instantly into a liquid. That extra minute or two at temp made all the difference for getting the flux to flow and seal up those layers right.