mia748•5d ago

The forge welding debate: flux or no flux for Damascus?

Honestly, I've been watching guys in my shop argue over this for years. Some say you gotta use borax flux or the layers won't stick, but I've been doing dry welds on my 15n20 and 1095 damascus billets for 2 years now. Last week I messed up a stack because I got lazy and used flux, ended up with inclusions I had to grind out. Am I the only one who thinks flux just traps scale and causes more problems? What's your method and why?

3 comments

3 Comments

terry_carter155d ago

Mate you're not wrong at all. I had the same thing happen with a 1084/15n20 billet last month, used a little flux and ended up with pits all through it. Dry welding just feels cleaner to me, less stuff to worry about getting trapped in there.

karen_west595d ago

Oh man, you hit it right on the head. I switched to dry welding about a year ago after fighting with flux issues nonstop. For me, the trick was getting the billet surface absolutely squeaky clean right before the first heat - I use a wire brush attachment on my angle grinder and wipe it down with acetone. Haven't seen a single pit since I made that change, and the welds feel just as solid when I forge them out. Have you had any trouble getting good initial stick on your first weld pass without any flux?

kaiharris5d ago

Has anyone actually tested whether dry welds hold up as well over time or is that just anecdotal?