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Hand Forging by Thomas F. Googerty
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CHAPTER IV
WELDING
IF two pieces of iron are brought to a white heat, or to a heat just before the iron burns in a fire, and are then placed on an anvil and hammered, the two will unite and form one piece. This is called welding. Good welding requires a great deal of practical experience. Some never become proficient at welding, and the best smiths fail at times, while others weld with the greatest ease, apparently without effort.
The secret in getting the right heat and making a good weld is: First, the fire must be clean and built to suit the pieces being welded. Second, the scarfs must be prepared in the proper manner, just the right length. When lapped they must not cover one another too much nor too little, and when being welded they must be hammered in the right place at the right time.
The suggestions offered here are simply to give an idea how the work is done. Only by practical experience can welding be learned, just as practice alone will enable one to see the right heat in the fire. It is the purpose of this chapter to explain and illustrate welding as it occurs to the
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Hand Forging by Thomas F. Googerty