Flux won me over with a clean weld

I avoided flux for a long time because it seemed messy and extra work. Last week, I had trouble with a forge weld and added flux on a friend's advice. The weld came out smooth with no slag pockets. Now I keep a can of borax on my bench for tricky joins.

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3 Comments

jake_bell996mo ago

You avoided flux because it seemed messy? That's wild, since it's the thing that prevents slag pockets in the first place. Now you see why it's not extra work at all.

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jessicapatel6mo ago

Have you ever actually seen those gross slag pockets form when someone skips flux? I made that same mistake on my first few projects, trying to skip what looked like an extra step. The cleanup from those pockets took way longer than just using flux from the start. It's one of those things you have to learn the hard way, I guess. Once you use it right, you realize the mess is minimal compared to fixing the problems it prevents.

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mason_ward5mo ago

Honestly the worst part is how it ruins the look of the joint even after you chip it out.

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