Vent: spent 6 hours last Saturday chasing a cold shut on a bottle opener and my neighbor's kid pointed out the real problem

Rowan King · 2026-09-23T07:10:03.774314+00:00

I was working on a batch of 10 bottle openers in my garage here in Akron and kept getting a cold shut right at the bend on number 7. I bumped the heat up twice on my little 2 burner forge, tried fluxing the lap like I always do, and still got that ugly line every time I folded the tab over. My neighbor's 11 year old watched me for a bit and asked why I was folding the metal when it had gone orange on one side and dark on the other. I checked with my magnet and sure enough the whole billet wasn't at temp, just the face, so my folds were basically icy on the inside. What's the trick you guys use to check heat on a small piece that goes dark fast, do you just watch color or do you have a set process every time?

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Vent: spent 6 hours last Saturday chasing a cold shut on a bottle opener and my neighbor's kid pointed out the real problem | Blacksmiths - Guest Forum