Yes , I used stainless rod with my arc welder , that s all i have in home . In my service i have Mig .....Tig , but ordinary welder do it well ........
When forge welding i use hammer on whole blank .I hold hammer close to head so that I have more control over the blow , not to make deep dents in steel .I m not sure it is necessary to flip over ..........
Clean steel , good weld all around , right temperature/ I used HT furnace for that / and light hammering is all it need to weld .Be sure to weld well, even slightest hole will be enough to make problem . Press parts hard when you weld them .Good luck ......with welding
With quenching luck don t help
