A client told me my forge welding was too cold, changed everything

I was at a show in Portland last month when a retired farrier looked at a bottle opener I made and said 'that weld line is way too thick, you're not getting the heat all the way through.' He showed me his trick of soaking the billet in the forge for an extra 30 seconds after it hits welding temp, and now my welds are way cleaner. Has anyone else gotten a tip from an old-timer that totally changed their technique?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_johnson1mo ago

My first Damascus billet warped so bad it looked like a potato chip.

oscarwright1mo ago

Nah, potato chips are at least crispy.