I got called out for my sloppy forge welds at a meet in Boise

Another smith pulled me aside and said my scarf joints looked like 'two angry dogs fighting.' He was right, my welds were weak and full of cold shuts. I started using way more flux and hitting the metal way harder right at the start, not just tapping it. My welds hold now, but I still get a little slag pocket sometimes. What's your trick for a clean scarf?

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nina_taylor6mo ago

Yeah, the mirror clean thing is key... but honestly, what finally clicked for me was getting the heat way more even. I used to just shove it in the fire and hope, but now I really watch the colors and rotate it slow so the whole scarf soaks up the same orange. If one spot is cooler, that's where the slag hides. A good soak in even heat, then a solid hit right away, fixed most of my pockets.

3

wells.christopher6mo ago

Huh, I've had way more trouble with the heat than the prep.

7

violag806mo ago

My buddy fixed his slag pockets by grinding his scarf way cleaner before the fire, like mirror clean lol.

2