Finally got my forge welding temps dialed in after 4 months

I kept getting cold shuts and weak joints no matter what I tried. My buddy Mike at the shop in Akron kept saying I was pulling the billet too early. Turns out he was right. I was bringing it to a dull orange and hammering away. Now I wait until it hits that bright yellow sparkle and hold it there for maybe 10 seconds before hitting. First try with 15 layers of 1084 and 15N20 came out solid with no delams. Anyone else struggle with reading color in different lighting?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaronrobinson8d ago

You ever catch yourself hard-headedly sticking to what you learned from some old timer, even when the results are telling you otherwise? I was in the same boat with tool steel tempering colors for about two years, always going by that cherry red under fluorescents and wondering why my edges were chipping. Realized I had to totally re-learn what I was seeing under natural light. Your point about holding it at the yellow sparkle for a specific count is the exact kind of detail that makes the difference.

vera_sanchez8d ago

Sixty years of cherry red under fluorescent lights never chipped my dad's edges.