Thread: Weld problem
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Old 02-28-2018, 07:05 PM
jmccustomknives jmccustomknives is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Alabama
Posts: 554
How big is your rod? In my experience a small rod is more likely to come loose. Also, once the billet is hot the weld zone sees wild grain growth weakening it. For best results, use a larger rod (at least 1/2"). Bevel your rod somewhat and make sure your weld zone is cleaned up. Build up a good bead by weaving, but don't do it all at once, let the weld zone cool back down to mitigate the grain growth. Even then you can't expect the welds to always hold, but if you play it right they will hold pretty well. When doing Damascus I expect to have to reweld the handle several times due to the weld zone thinning. On a ball bearing it's a good day when I can forge the entire billet without it coming off.
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