That $400 forge welding flux was a total scam

I dropped $400 on that fancy anhydrous borax blend from some online outfit last spring. Touted it as the secret to perfect forge welds with zero scale. First billet I tried it on, the weld failed halfway through the twist. Second attempt same thing. I went back to my plain old 20 Mule Team borax from the grocery store, $4 a box, and got perfect welds on the next try. The expensive stuff just burned off faster and left this weird crust I had to grind. I contacted the company and they just said I was applying it wrong. Has anyone else fallen for the hype on these boutique fluxes, or am I the only sucker here?

3 comments

3 Comments

hall.nina11d ago

That $400 borax thing sounds like a lot of the so called premium grill cleaners I see at the hardware store. They charge $20 for a spray that's basically baking soda and water, but folks buy it because the bottle looks fancy. Same with those expensive cast iron skillet seasonings that are just flaxseed oil in a pretty jar. I've learned that for most simple jobs, the basic stuff that's been around forever works just fine because it's been tested by millions of people over decades, not by some guy in a lab coat trying to sell you something.

the_sandra11d ago

My buddy bought that fancy grill spray, tried it once, then just went back to soap and water.

kelly38511d ago

Oh man, that's exactly how it goes with half the "specialty" stuff out there. It's like when people buy those expensive leather cleaners for their car seats and then realize a damp rag and some mild soap does the same thing for way less. It's the same pattern with kitchen gadgets too, like those $50 avocado slicers when a knife and a spoon work just fine. I swear, half the battle in life is just not falling for the packaging and hype.

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