TIL most people mess up forge welding temps by at least 100 degrees

I was at a hammer-in near Denver last weekend and this guy kept trying to weld at a dull red heat (you know, like barely glowing) and wondering why his joints kept falling apart. He had the right flux, right hammer technique, but his steel was way too cold to fuse properly - about 200 degrees below where it needed to be. How do you folks check your welding heat without a temp gun, just by the color of the metal or something else?

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anna_carter533mo ago

I learned to read the color by spending a whole afternoon with a known good piece of 1080 and a magnet. When the magnet stops sticking and the steel is a bright orange, like a pumpkin, that's your sweet spot. Dull red is for forging, not welding, no matter what that guy in Denver thinks.

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lindaw123mo ago

Totally agree @anna_carter53, the pumpkin orange is the only way to go for welds.

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