Took me 8 months to figure out why my forge welding kept failing with modern steel

I kept hearing from guys online that modern mild steel is junk and that's why my welds were falling apart. But last month I switched to an old rivet forge from the 1940s I found at an auction in Ohio. Same steel, same flux, same technique. Night and day difference. The fire just burns cleaner, more consistent heat. Makes me wonder if it's the forge design not the steel that changed. Anyone else notice a difference between old and new forges?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenixb343d ago

I mean, I spent like six months blaming my bad welding on the steel being "too modern" or whatever, and it turns out my forge was basically a glorified campfire with a lid. I tried using a 1950s forge once and my welds actually stuck together, so maybe it's not just me.

beth_reed3d ago

Wait wait wait - are you telling me a 1950s forge actually fixed your welds that fast? That's wild, like the old guys really knew what they were doing huh. Kinda makes you wonder how many modern forges are just... not doing their job right.

pat_fisher242d ago

Ha! Yeah, that old forge probably had thicker firebrick and better heat retention than half the stuff sold today. The real trick nobody talks about is the airflow. Those old forges were designed simple but they moved air in a way that kept the heat steady, not just hot. Modern forges often cheap out on the blower or the burner design. You ever wonder if the real problem is how we're setting them up, not the forge itself?

-1