Just had a forge weld fail on a custom gate hinge at the worst time

I was in my shop last Thursday trying to finish a set of heavy hinges for a client's garden gate. The fire was perfect, the steel was clean, but when I pulled the pieces from the forge and set the weld, it just didn't take. I heard that dull thud instead of a good stick. The whole billet split right at the joint. I had to cut the ruined section out, re-prep the ends, and start the heat cycle over from scratch, which added about two hours to the job. Has anyone else had a weld fail when you were sure everything was set up right? What do you check first?

3 comments

3 Comments

keithwalker2mo ago

Check your heat color right before you pull it. Sometimes the core isn't as hot as the outside looks. A cold heart will kill a weld every time.

wade7672mo ago

My buddy had that happen on a railing bracket last month. He swears his flux was old and clumpy, so maybe check that first lol.

umaprice29d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on that one. I had a similar thing happen last year with a set of gate hooks I was making for a guy up in the mountains. The steel looked perfect, flux was flowing nice, but I heard that same dull thud and it split just like yours. I sat there staring at the fire for a good five minutes before I realized my blower was running a little low and the fire wasn't as hot as I thought in the middle. It's always the small stuff that gets you, like checking your hammer face for a little oil or scale too.