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Finally got a clean weld on my first Damascus billet
Been trying on and off for about two years, but last weekend in my garage I finally got the forge weld to stick all the way through without any delams. The key was way more flux than I thought I needed. Anyone else have a Damascus 'aha' moment they remember?
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hayes.wade5mo ago
Yeah I was the same way, always tried to go light on the flux to keep things clean. Turns out I was just starving the weld. My moment was when an old timer told me to just dump it on like I was trying to bury the steel, and suddenly everything stuck. Felt like I'd been making it way harder than it needed to be for no reason.
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nora_webb515mo ago
Right? It's like we all got the same bad memo. My first year I was treating flux like it was some kind of rare spice, just a tiny pinch for flavor. The bead looked so sad and skinny. Then I saw a guy basically using his rod like a shovel, and the weld was perfect. We really do overcomplicate the messy jobs.
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davidshah5mo ago
So you were basically just sprinkling a little fairy dust on there and hoping for the best? Classic. It's funny how the right advice is always the exact opposite of what your brain tells you to do. I spent way too long trying to be neat and tidy like I was frosting a cake, not joining metal. Turns out welding is more like making a mud pie, you really gotta glop it on there.
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sanchez.ivan3mo ago
@davidshah you were frosting a cake not joining metal, that's perfect. Drowning it in flux is the only way.
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