PSA: I saw a huge jump in people asking about forge welding on the local Facebook group

Last week, three separate posts in the Albuquerque Metalsmiths group were about trouble with forge welds. A month ago, it was maybe one. Three years back when I joined, it was all basic knife shapes and tool handles. It feels like a lot of newer folks are trying to jump straight into pattern welding without getting the fire control down first. Anyone have a go-to method for teaching a clean, solid weld to someone just starting out?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah_flores991mo ago

Thought it was just heat until my first good weld.

-1

barnes.shane1mo agoTop Commenter

Oh man, that first clean bead is a total game changer. It goes from feeling like a messy chore to something you actually want to do. That's when you get hooked for real.

walker.robert5d ago

It's actually the first good bead that hooks you. Clean is nice, but a clean weld can still be ugly or weak.