Took a gamble on a fire-welding trick an old-timer told me about

I kept getting cold shuts in my welding when joining steel for gate hinges, so I tried heating the pieces to a bright orange and hammering faster than I ever have before. It actually worked on the first try, no more weak spots where the metal didn't fuse right. Has anyone else tried changing their hammer speed or timing to fix a recurring weld problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

young.emma2d ago

...and that reminds me of the time I tried to speed up my hammering on a gate latch and ended up bending the whole piece sideways. Took me forever to get it straight again. But your trick makes sense, heat helps the metal flow better so you don't get those cold spots. I've had more luck with slower rhythm on thicker steel, like counting beats in my head. Fast and hot sounds like a good combo though, might give that a try on my next project.

foster.ruby2d ago

Fast and hot works for some things but I've never had luck rushing the process like that. When I push the heat too fast on thicker material it always ends up with those little cracks along the edges. Counting beats is exactly what I do too, keeps you from overworking the metal and losing control of the shape. Different strokes for different projects I guess, but hot and fast has burned me more times than it helped.