Hey all, I have been forge welding different steels together for the past few years after I learned how to do it. Mainly steel cable, bicycle chain, chainsaw blades, transmission timing chains, ect so forth. Recently I switched to using a Whitlox wood forge and started making my own charcoal. It's been working great, and I have been getting good welding heats , but I noticed that my scale buildup is getting crazy. Can anyone give me some advice on removing it? I've heard of vinegar bath but haven't really tried it yet.
Here's a pic of the knife in question for reference. The knife is cable (salvaged from junkyard), 1095 and 15n20 from jantz. The knife did harden up evenly .
Thanks - Denny
Vinegar will eventually do the job, but a sand blaster will do the job now.
yep, aluminum oxide works media works so much better than wasting belts or chemicals.
Unfortunately, the excess scale is a by-product of the type of forge, and the fuel you're using. Reducing scale begins with the environment in your forge.... the oxygen, the less scale.
Everything we do throughout the process of making a knife....from the forging through the finishing, is a cumulative process, meaning that the "better" each step is accomplished, the "easier" each of the successive step will be. In this case because the forge creates so much scale, it handicaps each of the successive steps.
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
Thank you all for the replies! I am going to do another knife similar to this one, with my propane forge and see if I get the same scale buildup.
I appreciate the help!!
Denny
