Forge Welding Question

opaul

opaul

KNIFE MAKER
I don’t have a welder yet. I am wanting to forge weld 1084 and 15n20 to make a San mai blade.
For those with forging experience- what would be the best method to accomplish this. I would have to hand hammer the steel since I don’t have a power hammer or press.
Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Before I bought my cheap welder I used the wire wrap method. Back then, metal clothes hanger wire was used but I don't know if that is still viable with the content in current hangers. At best, that was hit and miss anyway.

Would it be feasible to make your stack then find someone nearby to do the very quick weld needed?
Maybe someone will have a better solution for you, OP.
 
I tried doing the wire wrap method once........:mad: It isn't easy. I got so frustrated. I jump right in my truck went to HF and bought the cheap flux core welder for less then 100 with a coupon. If u try it with the wire wrap I wish u luck.
 
opaul said:
I don’t have a welder yet. I am wanting to forge weld 1084 and 15n20 to make a San mai blade.
For those with forging experience- what would be the best method to accomplish this. I would have to hand hammer the steel since I don’t have a power hammer or press.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I welded 4 pieces of 1/4" thick 1084 together once to make a solid block for some tooling. No welder or wire.

I took one long 4' bar of it and placed 3 more 3" pieces on top of it, positioned on the very end and neatly stacked. I heated it to welding temp and then pulled it out carefully and hand tapped to set the welds.

I suppose you could do the same thing if you had a long piece of 15n20.
 
You can have my leftover wire. There's a lot!! lol,,,, If you get a wire feed go larger then 125. I'll sell ya mine. There's a few posts here about me not being able to keep a billet on the rebar. I got a old stick from one of the guys at work. Life is good. Best of luck!
 

Attachments

  • 20181105_191332.jpg
    20181105_191332.jpg
    911.3 KB · Views: 4
J. Doyle said:
I welded 4 pieces of 1/4" thick 1084 together once to make a solid block for some tooling. No welder or wire.

I took one long 4' bar of it and placed 3 more 3" pieces on top of it, positioned on the very end and neatly stacked. I heated it to welding temp and then pulled it out carefully and hand tapped to set the welds.

I suppose you could do the same thing if you had a long piece of 15n20.
Click to expand...

That’s a great idea!
 
By the way I'm not saying that HF welder is any good, Its a piece of garbage. But it worked ok till I found a stick welder on craigslist. John's comment will deff work if you have decent length bar
 
For YEARS I operated with one of the Lincoln welders mentioned a by Gliden...... I stumbled across it at an auction, and got it for $50 (that's been a couple of decades ago). Then I got lucky and got a great deal on an older Lincoln IdealArc MIG machine, that will do anything I'll ever likely need. I've heard a lot of discussion lately about how much better the latest generation of Harbor Freight welders have become. Can't attest to it, but a few folks I know, who make their living welding, have purchased the smaller MIG units from HF, and say they are surprised at how well the units are holding up.
Knifemaking is not only a fun and challenging endeavor, it also sometimes presents an excuse to buy new tools! :)
 
If you watch some of the old Japanese (and maybe not so old) videos of the masters making laminated steel, they do exactly what John said. When we make bloomery into "good" steel, we do the same.

+ 1 on what Ed said about buying tools.
 
opaul said:
Thanks guys! I know a welder is in my future but more likely later than sooner.
Click to expand...
Do you have a torch? If you do, you can weld with it just fine. It's sort of a pain in the arse but I would rather do that than a wire wrap. Especially hand hammering, that is going to get irritating quickly.

On a side note: The cheapest, simplest, oldest welder will stick those pieces of steel together perfectly. A lot of times a quick search on craigslist will result a used welder for a couple hundred bucks. Hell I have a 120v Hobart I would GIVE you, needs a 70.00 drive contactor. Point is, it's a tool you need. Might as well go ahead and get it.
 
Vombrown said:
Do you have a torch? If you do, you can weld with it just fine. It's sort of a pain in the arse but I would rather do that than a wire wrap. Especially hand hammering, that is going to get irritating quickly.

On a side note: The cheapest, simplest, oldest welder will stick those pieces of steel together perfectly. A lot of times a quick search on craigslist will result a used welder for a couple hundred bucks. Hell I have a 120v Hobart I would GIVE you, needs a 70.00 drive contactor. Point is, it's a tool you need. Might as well go ahead and get it.
Click to expand...
Thank you and thanks for the offer. I’ve started looking on Craig’s list for the right candidate.
 
Bah, we've gotten lazy! LOL
I remember when Jim Hrisoulas's book THE COMPLETE BLADESMITH, FORGING YOUR WAY TO PERFECTION was the go-to book and he was a proponant of wire tying.

Come to think of it, lazy is gooder! I'm too lazy to even read now, I go straight for a DVD.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top