Experimental Evaluation of Possible Historic Fluxes in Forge Welding

Patrick Bárta, Michal Hlavica

Archeologia technica, vol. 33 (2022)
Pages: 9–20
Language: Czech
Type of article: scientific article
DOI: n/a

Abstract:
The study presents an archaeological experiment which examines the use of some broadly accessible materials as a convenient flux for historical blacksmiths. A collection of metallographic sections of experimentally forge-welded samples was analyzed by means of a polarizing microscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX). The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the weld and detect potential relics of the flux components in inclusions along the individual weld lines. Despite quantitative restrictions, the experiment has shown the combination of flux with a reactive additive to be the most effective. The best results in the category of broadly available substances were attained with a combination of sand and kitchen salt (NaCl), however even the use of loess has proven to be effective. A valuable observation is that the use of salt leads to detectable traces of chlorine in the various inclusions within the forge weld. This fact enables to test the the potential use of salt in the scope of historic blacksmithing by means of an element analysis of archaeological material.