Quote from Ed Caffrey on October 26, 2023, 10:03 am

Thought I'd share where I am now getting my Anhydrous Borax, which I use for forge welding flux. For those who might not know, there is a HUGE difference between Anhydrous versus plain old Borax.  Anhydrous just means it's had all the moisture removed. And as such it melts quickly and flows well onto hot steel, sealing out Oxygen/atmosphere, and preventing oxidation for easier forge welds.

    You can shovel plain old borax (20 Mule Team) on hot steel, and all it does is steam, hiss, and fall off before it ever melts onto the steel.  I've had mixed success when using the Kerosene and/or Diesel soak instead of flux, and honestly think much of it is plain hype or one-upmanship.  

  The fact is that IF your welds on Damascus are not goed/hold together, its worthless.  Even a tiny amount of Anhydrous Borax can ensure solid welds that won't come apart.  

  Anyway, I've ordered products labeled as/called "Anhydrous Borax" from several companies, only to receive plain old Borax (the same stuff you can get in the grocery store under the label "20 Mule Team").  I finally found someplace that actually sent me real Anhydrous Borax... 40lb for $79 with free shipping!   https://www.soapgoods.com/borax-anhydrous-p-887.html