Just got called out for my sloppy forge welding prep at a demo in Cincinnati

An old timer pointed at my scarf and said, 'Kid, you're leaving a cold shut in there every time,' so now I grind my scarf to a sharp, clean feather edge and my welds stick on the first heat.

3 comments

3 Comments

burns.jenny2d ago

My buddy Steve had the same thing happen at a meetup in Toledo last year. Some guy just watched him struggle for two heats, then walked over and quietly said his scarf was too thick. Steve started grinding it way thinner, almost like a knife edge, and it totally changed his game. He went from blowing welds half the time to getting solid sticks almost every single try. It's wild how one small piece of advice can fix a huge problem.

the_emery2d agoMost Upvoted

Used to believe scarf thickness didn't matter much, just kept blaming my rod angle. Saw a guy at our shop struggling, told him to try a sharper edge. His next bead was perfect, no kidding. Totally changed how I prep pipe now.

barbarah192d ago

I get the logic, but I've seen guys run into other issues with a knife edge. It can burn through too fast on the root pass if your heat isn't dialed in perfect. A slightly blunt edge gives you more room for error.