Checking preheat temperature
BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 649 Central West Virginia Pics |
2004-01-27 75166
CTBers,
Are Tempil Stiks or the like the only way to check preheat temperature? This is for hobby use, so expensive industrial type measurement is out of the question. Thinking of aluminum preheat (250d F) and cast iron (400-600d F, I think)
Thanks,
Bill
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Checking preheat temperature
blizzard
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 282 Central Maine Pics |
2004-01-27 75176
There are some infrared 'temp guns' but they are expensive and less accurate than a Tempilstik. In my opinion, Tempilstiks are THE way to go.
How precise do you have to be? Water boils at 212F, etc.
....
Link: Temp_Indicators
 
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Checking preheat temperature
TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley |
2004-01-28 75270
Don't know about costs but a cheap thermocouple maybe--if there is such a thing such a thing. Expensive ones can be precise and go up to where things are glowing. Maybe a junkyard kitchen oven thermometer could be rigged up for something not very precise. Old technology used pyrometers beyond thermocouple range. My wife has a case for one that she came up with from somewhere. She likes the oak wood in it.
I guess ceramics kilns use a version of Tempil Stiks. I only known about Tempil Stiks in general for their use in quenching alloy steel where critical temps are definitely critical for some alloys. I imagine that the temps of interest are much lower so maybe the ceramics kiln stuff would work at not too great a cost. ....
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Checking preheat temperature
blizzard
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 282 Central Maine Pics |
2004-01-28 75281
MSC has the TempilStik crayons for $10.60 each. They last a LONG time and are EASY to use. I don't know if you'll do enough work to justify the $30.00 or so, but its nice to know when you are at the pre-selected temp.
You can usually find them at your local welding supply.
bliz
Do a search for tempil on this link if you want MSC info. ....
Link: A_TEMPIL_SOURCE
 
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Checking preheat temperature
psimonson
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 57 Northeastern Tennessee Pics |
2004-01-28 75300
We used to blacken aluminum to pre-heat larger parts for TIG welding with an acetylene-only flame. Then open oxygen to get a normal flame and heat to the point that the acetylene started to burn off. This not only gave us an idea of temperature but also helped it heat quicker because the dark surface absorbed more heat. ....
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Checking preheat temperature
gauthier
Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 148 |
2004-01-28 75308
Temp. sticks are the way to go,as far as the alumn. goes,probably just real hand warm is all you need,if stick welding,we never even preheatif ambient is 50 or around there when miging around 3/8 thick.
Cast iron,at least 400,depends on how thick it is.
There are other reasons to preheat Blizzard, then to just dry water off surface,so your water boil reference may have meaning but there is more to it then that. Richard ....
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