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Old 03-04-2018, 09:51 AM
G.T.Metz G.T.Metz is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 21
Cable welding problem?

Suddenly having trouble welding cable. 20+ yrs experience, 8-10 cable knives/yr. Same gas furnace, reducing atmosphere(4"flame out front). Prepare 6x25x1" dia. cable by burning out grease, heat to orange, twist tight, clean scale, heat to upper red & flux, heat to welding and light hammering. Anhydrous Borax melts and bubbles, let the 1st heat soak for couple more minutes. Surface of the steel is wet & sticky (test with iron coat hanger). Color is high-end bright orange, almost yellow. Usually get 3" weld between heats. Spent the past couple days welding 8 billets and only one is acceptable. Joint between welding heats is not weld, but next 1-3" is. Getting a spiral gap nearly all way through the billet at these heat welding seams. Ran out of old borax,(no label) ordered 2 more, one straight anhydrous, one with metal filings, neither make a difference. Is it possible to heat to much where borax is gone? Contamination of some sort? Hand hammering, getting FRUSTRATED! Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Greg
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