Spent a whole weekend trying to get a clean weld on a simple hinge

I was putting together a small tool chest and figured I'd forge the hinges myself. The first one looked okay, but the weld at the knuckle kept cracking when I tested it. I must have cut, re-heated, and fluxed that same joint five times over Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, I realized my fire was too oxidizing and I was rushing the heat. Letting it soak longer in a more neutral flame fixed it in about twenty minutes. Has anyone else lost a day to something that simple just because you skipped a basic step?

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3 Comments

morgan4107mo ago

Forge your OWN HINGES? That's next-level dedication.

3

jade_miller627mo ago

Totally. Spent hours on a loose tenon that just needed more glue.

1

willow2446mo ago

Ever try mixing a little fine sawdust into your glue? It makes a thicker paste that fills gaps way better than runny glue alone. Saved a few wobbly tenons that way myself. Morgan410, that hinge forging talk is wild, but for mortise and tenon stuff, a good fit and the right glue mix is 90% of the battle. I keep a jar of maple dust just for this.

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