forge welding tool steel?

[Everything Mac]

hi all

can some one please run me through forge welding tool steel.

i know the basics but i thought you couldnt take it above a red heat?

surely getting the steel that hot ruins it?

cheers
mac

[TOBY]

what steel is it that you are wanting to forge weld?

generally speaking as long as you dont burn the steel it should be ok (if it looks like a sparkerler it knackered)

not sure what your experience is with forge welding, but high carbon steel welds at a lower temp than mild to mild (which you have to get singing to stick, not difficult when you get the knack - but not easy until you do :D )

[Everything Mac]

ive only ever tried it with mild steel - and even then it still tough for me - wasnt getting the heat to begin with.

i would just like to understand why this kind of heat doesnt ruin tool steel as i always read that you shouldnt work it above red hot.

once i can understand it im going to start having a serious play about with it when i get home.

- i will be welding an old file to mild steel body.

cheers
mac

[Colin KC]

Use borax & plenty of it, don't try to weld until the borax is "running round like kids inna playground" Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. Don't try till you've got it all like that (doesn't matter if it's seemed to've run off parts of th' steel, it hasn't;))

Only hit the first 1 1/2" or so at first (both sides) then more borax & back in, keep at it, it's fun:D:D:D:D

If the borax doesn't melt cleanly, but seems to be looking like the missus' cellulite, then you've too much oxygen


& you can never have too much borax;)

[Everything Mac]

:lol: cheers colin.

so how come it doesnt bugger up the steel for heat treating then?

mac

[thomas]

You only ruin the steel if it gets sparking hot. Keep it under that. Up to, and just above non magnetic should do the job.
In theory at least for me:rolleyes:

[Everything Mac]

You only ruin the steel if it gets sparking hot. Keep it under that. Up to, and just above non magnetic should do the job.
In theory at least for me:rolleyes:

for heat treatment as aposed to welding i assume.

[Underhay]

The high temperatures do affect the grain structure of the steel adversely. If you heated the blade to welding temperature, then quenched it, the grain size would be huge and it would be brittle.

Fortunately, as the billet is worked down to a blade shape the repeated heating and cooling from much lower temperatures reduces grain size. Lower temperature forging is a lot like normalizing, and at the end of the process, the normalizing cycles get the grain structure just where you want it ready for hardening and tempering :)

[Everything Mac]

oh ok - cheers bud

much ablidged.

mac

[GHEzell]

- i will be welding an old file to mild steel body.

cheers
mac

That should be a pretty simple weld, files and mild steel get along very well in my experience.

Do a google search on normalizing and thermal cycling steel. Unless the steel is taken up to the point it begins to spark and melt, you can fix the grain growth problem fairly easily with a little thermal cycling.

[Colin KC]

Or come to Jack Jacks in May & we'll show you;)