Jim,

The weld is a butt joint running the length of the blade.

I did some testing with rough ground hardened blanks. I dropped it on the floor a few times, I also tried to break it with my hands while hand sanding. I did not put it in a vise and destructively test it, I am confident in the strength of the joint.

I also made a few blanks with the high carbon steel sandwiched between the wrought iron but have not ground them yet.

Charlie