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...  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. |  Carburizing Flame A carburizing...  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. |  Oxidizing Flame An oxidizing...  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. |