Tips to help Ease Project Car Work - Color Carbon Steel

COLOR OF CARBON STEEL AT TEMPERATURE
Color	Temperature degrees F
Pale yellow	428
Straw	446
Gold yellow	469
Brown	491
Brown and purple	509
Purple	531
Dark blue	550
Bright blue	567
Pale blue	610
Faint red	900
Blood red	1,050
Dark cherry red	1,075
Medium cherry red	1,250
Cherry red	1,375
Bright red and scaling	1,550
Salmon and scaling	1,650
Orange	1,725
Lemon	1,825
Light yellow	1,975
White	2,200
Dazzling white	2,350

Stainless Steel alloys do not go through the same color-changing processes as carbon steels do.

MELTING AND BOILING POINTS
METAL	MELTING POINT DEG. F	BOILING POINT DEG. F
Tin	449	4,120
Lead	621	3,180
Magnesium	1,200	1,994
Aluminum	1,220	4,566
Silver	1,763	3,924
Gold	1,947	5,173
Copper	1,984	4,643
Mild (low-carbon) steel	2,462 to 2,786	5,450
4130 (chrome-moly) steel	2,550	5,500
Titanium	3,034	5,959
Tungsten	6,192	10,031

Hot Crayons
Curious about exactly how much heat you are putting into your work? Buy a few Tempilstik heat-indicating markers. Draw a line on your work, and that line will melt when it reaches the temperature rated on the side of the marker. They are guaranteed to be accurate within 1 percent of their indicated temperature rating.

More Info
Tempil Inc.; South Plainfield, NJ; 800/757-8301; tempil.com

Flame Adjustment
Neutral Flame
You've probably heard the terms neutral, carburizing, and oxidizing flame in reference to oxyacetylene welding, but do you know exactly what they mean? A neutral flame is one that uses the proper mixture of oxygen and acetylene. Look for a blue and white flame with a feathered end. It will have one inner cone that is a brighter, light blue color.
Flame Adjustment Neutral Flame You've probably heard the terms neutral, carburizing, and
Carburizing Flame
A carburizing flame can be likened to a car engine running rich. At air/fuel ratios less than 14.7:1, not all the gasoline is burned. A similar principle applies with oxy/gas welding. Acetylene's chemical makeup is C2H2, and incomplete combustion will produce an excess of carbon-thus the term carburizing. It is also a blue and white flame with a feathered end but may have orange highlights in the outer feather, depending on how much excess acetylene there is. However, it has two inner cones. Its inner cone is also light blue but is larger than a neutral flame. A larger, light green cone surrounds the inner cone.
Carburizing Flame A carburizing flame can be likened to a car engine running rich. At air
Oxidizing Flame
An oxidizing flame is the opposite of a carburizing flame. There is more oxygen than acetylene. It produces a short, bright white-blue flame that is often accompanied by a loud hissing sound. Similar to rich and lean combustion, an oxidizing flame is hotter than a carburizing flame.
Oxidizing Flame An oxidizing flame is the opposite of a carburizing flame. There is more