The day I tried borax in a forge weld and it actually worked

I been trying to weld up a chisel for weeks and kept getting cold shuts that just fell apart. Old timer at the shop said to sprinkle a little borax on the steel before it hits welding heat, said it stops scale from forming. I thought he was pulling my leg but I tried it on my last attempt and the weld held solid. Has anyone else used household borax for flux or do you stick with the fancy stuff from the supply house?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_west7423d agoMost Upvoted

Borax works okay in a pinch but it burns off way too fast for anything serious. You're better off spending the few bucks on actual welding flux that stays put at higher temps.

cora_scott7719d ago

Got a cheap jar of borax from the grocery store years ago when I was desperate and it worked fine for tacking together some mild steel brackets on a farm gate. Wasn't doing anything heavy though, just small tack welds that needed a little help. Ended up with that glassy residue the_tara mentioned and spent forever chipping it off with a chisel. Switched to a proper flux after that and never looked back, the stuff stays put even when I'm welding thicker stuff outside in a breeze.

the_tara23d ago

Borax also leaves a glassy residue that's a pain to chip off later.