FORGE WELDING by Russell Colvin, CJF

Volume 11: Issue 1 FORGE WELDING By Russell Colvin, CJF Forge welding is a combination of heat, timing and of forge welding is to forge while you have a welding surface preparation. The heat sources we will discuss heat, that is, strike while the iron is hot. I may seem to in this article are gas (propane or natural gas) and be stating the obvious but insufficient heat, a cold anvil coal/coke. Welding is a little more difficult in gas fires and disorgani zation of the smith are the leading causes because of temperature limitations and the fact that gas for missed welds. To be sure you can recognize a fires tend to be oxidizing welding heat take two (excess oxygen). long pieces of steel, ‘apply flux’ and hold one When welding in a gas end of each piece in the fire I preheat the material fire. When the two to a bright red heat and pieces will stick together brush. Flux is then firmly, they are at a applied (if flux does not welding heat. melt then heat is insuffi - ci ent) and the piece is Our anvils are a heat returned to the fire. I sink. They will effectively allow the piece to remain pull the heat from the in the fire until a full materiel being welded. welding heat with The size of the anvil and lemon/yellow color is the ambient temperature reached. The piece is both affect the length of removed and immediately time an anvil must be welded on the anvil with preheated in order to quick light blows. As achieve consistent forge the material cools force welds. of the bl ows is increased. A second finishing heat By using proper techniques you can be assured Disorganization of the may be necessary to of a high quality forge weld almost every time smith is the hardest blend weld seams and obstacl e to overcome. reduce materi al to This will take time and desired dimensions. practice. While your m aterial is in the fire, locate your hammer and organize your thoughts on what y ou wish Welding in a coal forge is similar, although easier because to accomplish in this heat. A moment’s hesitatio n of the high, fast heat and the fact that a reducing fire (no between forge and anvil can be enough to rob you of oxygen) is obtainable and sustainable. The timing aspect your welding heat. Continued on page 2 The Natural Angle Continued from cover Surface preparation consists of scarf - together so that the joint before Flux is like snuff; a pinch is all it in g, cleaning and fluxing. The scarf welding is one and a half times takes and drips are a waste. is the preparation of forging the thicker than the parent material. material so that it fits tightly together Regardless of the type of scarf used Forge welding has long been and allows for stock reduction while the ends of the material should fit thought to be a mysterious and fickle forge welding. There are a number together tightly enough that scale technique with a high rate of failure. of different scarfs and variations of does not form in the joint. Forge welding however is simply a each. The chain link scarf has the co mbination of heat, timing and ends of the material forged to fit The final surface preparation is to surfac e preparation. When all three together with overlapping tapers. apply flux. The job of the flux is to of these elements are present you The step scarf has a set down slightly keep the material clean while it can be assured of a high quality less than half the thickness of the reaches a welding heat. Apply forge weld almost every time. n material. These steps are fit tightly enough flux to cover the entire joint. Above: Chain link scarf Below: Step scarf 2 1 3 4 1. Prepare scarf of your choice. 2. Sprinkle enough compound on scarf to seal joint. 3. With light hammer blows, finish the weld. 4. Use a second heat and weld if you want to dress up the weld. 2 The Natural Angle general production processes for horseshoe nails By Bill Kleist A book could be written about the Stamping Process: history of horseshoe nails, but the In the stamping process the nails intent here is to clarify some aspects are made from sheet metal in and characteristics about today’s large stamping presses with a horseshoe nails and the way they are progr essive stamping die. In this produced. process a strip of sheet metal advances in timed steps through a Short Background complex die that gradually forms Iron nails for holding horseshoes are the entire nail. In the ending step found as early as 500 B.C. by the the nail is cut out of the sheet of Celts in Britain. In the 1700’s horse - metal. This process also requires sho e nails were hand-made by the finished product to be heat Journeyman Nailers. From the mid treated so that the end product 1700’s to early 1800’s nails were has the necessary metallurgical produced in a variety of machinery. properties to perform correctly and Typically all these machines used to homogenize the material and heated iron or steel in their produc - release the inherent stress of this tio n process. The development of eight consecutive sets of roller dies that process. One can notice the shear better steel wire in the late 1800’s eventu - form the shank of the nail from that blank marks left on the sides of these nails by ally allowed the developm ent of cold piece of wire. The process is very gradual the cutting dies. forging processes w here the horseshoe nail in forming the shank of the nail. could be produce d without having to heat Subsequent steps in the same machine will Conclusions: the base material before forming the nail. form the bevel and the point of the nail. The final product produced by these three The head of the nail is the last step before different methods produce a product that Current Processes & Nail Brands exiting the machine. is very similar in appearance, but field Today, horseshoe nails sold in the North results and lab results show that the American market are produced by three Forging Process: products are very distinct in their physical distinct methods: In the forging process the nail blank is properties. formed in a machine called a swedging Rolling Process : Capewell, Cooper, machine. In this machine, wire of a specific From the metallurgical point of view the Vector, Izumi, Delta (yellow box), cross section is fed through one set of rolling process produces the strongest nail Save-Edge swedging hammers that work simultaneously of these three processes. The reason for on all four sides of the wire while the wire this is the shank of the nail is gradually Forging Process: Mustad, Equiclavo, is advanced through the striking point. drawn resulting in a much more uniform Naula, Mondial, Delta (gray box) March Three or two distinct simultaneous die granular microstructure. This gradual & Max (same manufacturer) blows, depending on the machine design, drawing of the shank increases the tensile strength of the final product. This can Stamping Process: Australian Nails form the shank of the nail. The process in this machine to form the shank and also also be attested by the practical fact that rolled nails can be produced in very narrow Rolling Process : the displacement of the material is much shank sections and the resulting nail is still Rolling machines were first developed in faster than rolling. The blanks out of this capable of holding the shoe to the horse’s the late 1800’s. The process to form the machine are then fed into a differen t feet. nails consists of a wire of a specific cross machine to finish the heads and to make n section being fed to a machine that has points of the nail. 3 TRIM HERE The Natural Angle Nail Comparison by Process ROLLED FORGED STAMPED Capewell & Cooper Mustad Australian Nails S Vector March, Max (same mfg) D Izumi Delta (gray box) N A Delta (yellow box) Equiclavo R Save-Edge Naula B Mondial Good mechanical properties. Very good dimensional properties, Very good dimensional characteristics and product has typically no slivers or nails are very consistent if tools are well Allows the production of very slim nail flash. maintained. design, with the highest tensile strength. S Tools are relatively inexpensive. Product has similar mechanical properties as O a good forged nail. R Machinery is less expensive. P Good Productivity of equipment . Productivity is higher. Production costs are the lowest of the three processes. No slivers. Flash and slivers are more common. Thinner nails do not have the same Very expensive tooling and equipment. strength as rolled nails. Dimensional variance can be higher. Process requires good heat treatment to Process requires more production produce good nails. Expensive tooling and machinery. space and more machinery. S Raw material is more expensive. N Low machine productivity. Productivity depends on good O management. Production of scrap is high. C Production requires very well trained operator. Process control is intense in order to produce quality product. Attention to Detail Makes the Difference Introducing Triumph Steel Kerckhaert has introduced a steel version of their popular The Bloom knives, tongs and various Triumph series. This shoe forging and shoeing tools are designed for continues Kerckhaert's quality and innovation in shoe design functionality and durability - from the and production.

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