Finally got a clean weld on that tricky Damascus billet

I've been fighting with a specific pattern weld for a week, trying to get the layers to stick without any cold shuts. Yesterday, after preheating my anvil block and using a heavier hammer, the whole thing came together in one smooth heat. I got a solid 120-layer stack with no delamination at all. It's a small thing, but after three failed attempts, it felt like a real win. For those who work with high-layer counts, what's your go-to trick for keeping the heat just right during the initial welds?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_robin14d ago

Preheating the anvil block is such a good call... I always worry about the heat bleeding out too fast on that first weld. My weird trick is to keep a small piece of scrap steel in the forge, right next to the fire. When I pull the billet out to check the color, I touch it to that hot scrap piece first. If it sticks a little, I know I'm at the right temp. It's like a quick test without risking the actual work.

kai_chen214d ago

Wait you actually touch the hot scrap piece with your billet to test it? @the_robin that sounds wild, like you're playing forge chicken or something. I'd be so scared of messing up the piece if it stuck too much. Does it ever pull a chunk off the scrap and ruin the surface? That trick is way more bold than my usual squint-at-the-color method.

shane_scott14d ago

That's a solid trick, honestly. I've had welds fail from the anvil sucking out the heat too fast. Preheating saves so much headache.