Originally Posted By: moses
Originally Posted By: Steve Culver
I think the wrought iron used for damascus barrels was fairly high in silica content when it was first stacked into the billet. But after welding of the billet, drawing it out into small rods, twisting of the rods, welding the rods into a riband and welding of the barrel tube, a lot of the silica is removed and/or dispersed. I am certain that the high initial silica content was intentional, to aid all of the forge welding that was to ensue. But the barrel makers knew that the silica would be reduced and dispersed by the time the barrel forging was completed.

That just makes so much sense. Almost a self fluxing weld with the silica.
I use borax to forge weld & it is the first thing to splash out of the join & fly in all directions. Go hot enough & hard enough & there is definitely none left in the joint.
Those boys really knew their jobs.
O.M


This is fascinating. My thanks to Doc, Steve and all of you who have contributed expertise and insight to this issue.

Regarding the silica ......... I remember my Grandad telling me about a blacksmith shop that was here on our farm in the early 1900s. The river swamp was being logged and the huge virgin logs were brought out of the swamp and up on the hill by mules and what was called a log cart. It had a big axle under it, likely wrought iron. Grandaddy told of watching the 'smith weld those broken axles back together using white sand as flux. Isn't sand primarily silica?

SRH

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