I haven't had much luck in searching on how sheet metal can made. In particular I want to make small sample sheets with a few layers of metals or alloys. I know this can be done, because for example some coins are made from 3 metal layers described as 'fused' or bonded together.
Anyone have any idea or know any books on this subject of metals fusing (not being alloyed, but just physically bonded together) together?
-Joe
You may care to try a search on ** mokume-gane ** which seems to be the name of the process you mention.
Just, if I read it right, a combination of heat (until it glows red and sweats (?)) and pressure (bolted between a couple of heavy steel plates) according to Tim McCreight's The Complete Metalsmith. Sounds too simple but worth a try. Offhand, I suspect that bright shiny clean and unoxidized metal may have the best chance of fusing o diffusing.
IIRC, US coin stock is laminated explosively. The layers of (clean) metal are sandwiched between layers of explosive. When detonated, the effect is to pressure-weld the metals.
(this seems to me not to be a process well suited to continuous mass-production?!)
I don't remember if platens are used between the target and the explosive composition.
LLoyd
Ian Ferguson's book Mokume Gane gives good practical details. e.g. brass / iron (steel) 750-850°C under pressure for 60 minutes in an argon atmosphere. Some combinations are easy others are difficult or will not work. For difficult or impossible combinations, explosive cladding or possibly some friction welding processes are better options.
Thanks for the respones guys, never bothered to learn about explosion welding before, amazing stuff. I guess the biggest hurdle is having it atmoshere controlled. Anyone have links, particular advise on this or have tried a atmosphere controlled setup in your workshop? Thanks for the suggestion on the book, I will try to pick it up!
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