forging/HT and pyrometers

R

radnur22

Joined
May 27, 2007
Messages
12
I started reading Kevin Cashen's posts on forging and heat treating...WOW. All along I thought forging and heat treating was pretty straight forward, forge to shape, normalize, anneal, grind to shape, harden (heat to non-magnetic, stick it in oil) and temper. From reading, it looks like temperatures and timing are critical to maximizing each type of steel. With that in mind, how many people use pyrometers when forging and heat treating? Or do you just go by color when forging and a magnet to test for austenitic condition? If you use a pyrometer, analog or digital?
 
I run a Auber digital PID with a Type K thermocouple in my forge at all times. I normalize, heat treat and forge in mine and like to control the temps accurately.
I think the whole set up of PID, thermocouple, wire, project box, heat sink etc cost under $100
 
I never saw the point of a pyrometer for forging. It's really easy with only a little experience to know how hot your forge is and the approximate temperature of your steel for the purposes of forging and pattern welding. Very easy. Once you know what things should look like when heated and saturated, what it looks like when your material is evenly heated and ready to weld, etc .... what's the point? It's like the workpiece itself if your pyrometer.

Whether or not you use a pyrometer for forging is ultimately a matter of personal preference. I don't see the point, but others really like it. I'm sure it won't hurt and may help you recognize what your forge/workpiece looks like at welding heat, I suppose. (of course once you learn that---like the first time you do it --- the digital confirmation might seem superfluous.)

HT is a different story.

Temps are lower (and much harder or impossible to judge by sight) and they need to be correct, so on salt pots and kilns (and forges, if that's what you're going to use for HT), a pyrometer/controller is pretty essential, IMO.
 
Last edited:
JCaswell said:
I never saw the point of a pyrometer for forging. It's really easy with only a little experience to know how hot your forge is and the approximate temperature of your steel for the purposes of forging and pattern welding. Very easy. Once you know what things should look like when heated and saturated, what it looks like when your material is evenly heated and ready to weld, etc .... what's the point? It's like the workpiece itself if your pyrometer.

Whether or not you use a pyrometer for forging is ultimately a matter of personal preference. I don't see the point, but others really like it. I'm sure it won't hurt and may help you recognize what your forge/workpiece looks like at welding heat, I suppose. (of course once you learn that---like the first time you do it --- the digital confirmation might seem superfluous.)

HT is a different story.

Temps are lower (and much harder or impossible to judge by sight) and they need to be correct, so on salt pots and kilns (and forges, if that's what you're going to use for HT), a pyrometer/controller is pretty essential, IMO.
Click to expand...

Ed Fowler said:
JCaswell: you said it all and very well!
Click to expand...

Ed, I thought you torch heat, edge quench and eyeball all your HT temps ?

did you change your system?
 
1234567890: I can see that my response could be misleading, thanks for the comment!

I forge by magnet and eye--the magnet on the first forging heat just as a reality check on my color perception on that day, then heat hotter to forge, 1625 f about the top forging temp.. I do still harden by torch and magnet.

Annealing and tempering are done in my Paragon, we have found long soak times (at least 2 hours) and slow ramps from room temp both up and down to be very significant variables for 52100 and 5160 and maybe others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top