Can stainless steel be forge welded to itself the same as carbon steel? I have 1/16 x 12 x 4 s/s and I was wondering, if I wanted thicker material, can I forge weld them together the same as carbon?
I will say yes, although I have never tried personally. San Mai is often carbon steel clad with stainless. Various sellers are offering all stainless Damascus, so it can be done. Techniques used is another matter. From what I understand, the temperature and oxidization prevention become more finicky with stainless steel.
Welding stainless San Mai requires all the pieces be flat (typically surface ground) cleaned in acetone stacked together squeezed together in a vice and welded all around the perimeter before being placed in the forge. If there is any oxidation on the surfaces the pieces WILL NOT weld together. I imagine you could do the same with stainless but it would be a lot of work for very little gain.
