Wrought Iron Techniques | Forge Welding
Wrought Iron Techniques | Forge Welding
Wrought Iron Techniques : Forge Welding
Many wrought iron items are fabricated by forge welding. Forge welding is a process which is defined by the heating of iron in a forge or other furnace in which a weld is made by and by applying pressure or blows.
Wrought Iron Roll Welds
Wrought Iron Roll Welds are created by heating iron in a forge and rolls are used to apply pressure.
Wrought Iron Die Welds
Wrought Iron Die Welds are created by heating iron in a forge and dies are used to apply pressure.
Wrought Iron Hammer Welds
Wrought Iron Hammer Welds are created by heating iron in a forge and hammer blows are used to apply pressure.
Wrought Iron Forge welding
Forge welding wrought iron, as performed by the blacksmith, is by far the oldest process for joining pieces of metal, but hand forge welding is no longer used extensively because of the development of oxyacetylene and electric arc welding. It is, however, an effective process, which enables the creation of some very unique wrought iron pieces.
Wrought Iron Forge Welding Application
In wrought iron forge welding, pieces of iron are heated in a forge with fuel such as coal, coke, or charcoal. The wrought iron pieces to be joined are heated until the surface of the iron changes color and becomes plastic like. When this condition is reached, the wrought iron pieces are quickly superimposed and the weld is made by pressure or hammering. The hammering may be done by either hand or machine. The force of the hammering or pressure depends on the size and mass of the pieces being joined. In this process, the surfaces to be joined must be free from foreign matter. In some cases, a flux is used (usually sand or borax sprinkled on the surfaces to be joined) just before the metal reaches the welding temperature in order to remove the oxide and dirt. The flux spreads over the metal, prevents further oxidation by keeping out the air, lowers the melting point of the scale, and makes it fluid so that it can be squeezed out of the weld when the metal is hammered. Various types of forge welds are shown in
figure 12-48.
Because of the development of machine forge welding, the speed of welding and the size of the wrought iron pieces to be welded have increased greatly. Long seams in lap or butt welded pipe can be made. The quality of the weld is such that it's location is almost impossible to detect. This process requires the use of a gas flame or other suitable heating method to bring the edges of the metal up to the welding temperature. Pressure is applied by rolls which press the edges of the molten wrought iron pieces together until another set of rolls roves to the parts being welded along the line of welding.
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