Fire Welding on an Anvil

Fire welding is the traditional method of joining iron. The pieces to be welded are first heated in a forge. Timing is critical, when the work has just started sparking and is almost white hot, it is brought to an anvil. The pieces are then fused with light skillful hammering, heavy blows are not needed. The joint created is often more attractive than a raw electric weld which requires grinding and dressing to improve its appearance.

A major disadvantage of fire welding is that it is difficult to fit large and heavy work in a forge. With large projects, careful thought must be given to the order of construction. This necessary sequencing has contributed to the appearance of traditional wrought iron gates and railings. Electrical welding doesn't suffer from this limitation and has allowed the evolution of more contemporary metalwork.