Question about heating even a 2 inch round bar in a single-brick forge

I tried forge welding a stack of three 1/4 inch strips last Tuesday and only the outer two fused, the middle one stayed black where the fire couldn't reach it, has anyone else had this trouble with small stock in a propane forge?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily51115d ago

Had the same problem with a stack of 1/4 inch mild steel last winter. What fixed it for me was letting the forge soak at welding heat for a good five minutes before putting the billet in. Also started cranking the regulator up a bit more than usual, like 8-10 psi instead of the usual 5. The middle piece needs that extra time to catch up to the outer ones. A long preheat on the firebrick helps too.

eric_price15d ago

Preheating the forge longer made a huge difference for me too.