Vent: My forge weld on a simple knife took three days to finally stick

I was trying to do a basic three-layer billet for a camp knife, nothing fancy. I fluxed it, got it to a bright yellow heat in my homemade propane forge, and gave it a solid hit. It just crumbled apart. Tried again the next day, same thing. On the third day, I finally realized my firebrick was soaking up moisture from the air (it's been raining here in Portland for a week). I had to dry the whole forge out with a heat gun for an hour before the weld finally took. Anyone else run into weird environmental issues messing with your forge work?

3 comments

3 Comments

danieltaylor1mo agoTop Commenter

Moisture in the shop is the worst.

lee.jessica1mo ago

It turns every project into a fight against rust and swollen wood.

lilyo309d ago

Ugh, it's like that everywhere lately. My kitchen drawer swelled shut last week, and my books feel damp on the shelf. It's not just the shop, it's like the whole house is fighting it. Makes you feel like you're losing ground just trying to keep things normal.