Asian Blacksmithing

[mite5255]

I found this YouTube very interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd3ZiiZ277c

[cae2100]

yea, it is an interesting video, but doesnt show too much of what's going on really. Ive seen and done a bit of bloom steel in the past, which is what that is, and it is really interesting once you understand what's going on and how to do it. It really is alot of work to turn the bloom into a piece of bar to make something out of tho. I cant imagine what the blacksmiths had to go through before steel was commercialized and the power hammers/steam hammers came around trying to make the bloom and work it into long bars for the wrought iron parts, just working it by hand. Doing it in person tho does give a much better appreciation for how much work it really does take to do that.

The interesting part is that he is using no flux on the parts before putting them together when he's stacking the pieces to forge weld them together, I just cant believe that they're actually forge welding together and not just delaminating from the scale forming and no flux. Most people use borax, but Im kinda curious if there's something in the mud that he's using, but it isnt really doing anything but chilling certain parts to make it move differently than fluxing the bar in all honesty.

[mite5255]

The lack of flux and using what looked like mud had me intrigued

[Jammer]

The really good Blacksmith doesn't use flux. Not me, I use lots of flux and still get crappy welds.

[mite5255]

The really good Blacksmith doesn't use flux. Not me, I use lots of flux and still get crappy welds.

I feel your pain mate