[TheForge] welding heat

[Jerry Frost]

>
> It really surprised me the first time I did this, but....
> After watching Fiorini's demo and playing around with this, I've found
that
> I can often weld at a bright orange. The probe sticks, and as long as it's
> soaked and clean, it welds.
> Yeah, I know, totally contrary to THE WAY IT IS DONE, but it works for me.
> Andy. G.
>

Judging the heat in bright light can be difficult but it only takes
practice. I've been working outdoors so long (my tarp tent is not much
better) I have more trouble judging temps in dim light. I'm afraid the
couple people I've shown smithing will have the same problem, for a while
anyway. <grin> This isn't a bad thing as I and my students judge temp by
sound and feel as well as color. Sound and feel do not change in varying
light conditions. A quick withdrawl from the forge for a light tap in the
anvil is enough to tell me if it's ready to weld.

I've found that in my rich running prop. forge, I can easily weld at
med-high orange and up.

When I showed Lindsey how to weld I hedged the bet and had her clean the
scarfs with emery cloth and close it up cold. Being only 3/8" stock it
didn't take much soaking. I like to flux as soon as the steel shows color to
minimize oxidation even though my propane forge runs pretty rich and you can
weld without flux if the scarfs are clean enough.

Judging welding heat in my prop forge is basically a matter of setting the
regulator. To "help" students judge temp I sometimes end up cranking up the
prop. to around 8-9 psi. At this psi. my little forge will have steel
dripping off a 3/8" bar in about 3 minutes. It really helps instruct a new
student to keep an eye on the fire AND listen to me. <evil grin>

Working in a "real" fire I look for both the wet and watery / flickery
/swirly / etc. surface effect. The "wet sheen" look tells me the surface is
to temp but it's different from the flickery/watery look. This effect only
really happens when the stock is soaked to depth, maybe not through and
through but plenty deep enough to weld. Flickery and watery are only
descriptive words, Ralph mentioned colors and swirls this is as good a
description as any. Basically there are subtle color differences flickering
in the steel like watching colored flames dancing across a log.

There's another temp I look for the flickering colors and that's critical
temp for heat treating. Though it's a different temp the steel gives a
similar cue.

I love steel, once you learn to speak it's language it tells you all you
need to know in plain steelish.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.