[Matt Walker]

I noticed something different happening in some damascus bars that I was working on last week. If I can describe it, I hope that some of you can explain it so that I might learn to control it. What I am seeing is the edge grain or layer profile migrate to the flats of the bar as it is worked. I'm guessing it's happening due to the fact that I am using the press more and the hammer less. Bowie told me a while back that the press moved metal from the center faster. This phenomenon can be a good or bad thing. On a bar to be twisted it's good (in my opnion ) because more of the more interesting edge layers are shown. But when I want to die press, something like a ladder pattern I would like to minimize it because pressing or cutting into edge grain has little effect. The only things that were different from the past are that I am using the press more and the fact that recently I redressed the dies back to flat. The dies had been getting a little sow-bellied from knocking the junk off with a flap disk. That brings up another question. How do y'all keep your press dies clean enough that the flux and scale deposits don't texture your work? Tried mig welder "tip dip". Didn't help, just made a mess where it ran off.

Thanks ....... Matt