Welding Tips and Tricks

To All,

Want to get your preheat right, try-out the new Ryobi Tek 4, RP4030 Professional Infrared Thermometer.
For about $100 you can measure temperature (in C or F) from -4 F to +590 F. This can come in handy when you must get the preheat right to prevent cracking. They are avaiable at The Home Depot.

> Continuous Real-Time Readout
> 10:1 Spot/Distance Ration - Accurately measures temperatures ranging from -4 to 590 F (-20 to 310 Celsius)
> Measurement Memory Function - Internal Memory stores up to 10 readings for easy comparison and convient data logging.
> Impact Resistant - Able to withstand the daily abuse of any tough job site environment.

Wob

This is a great idea ,what would be also helpfull for me would be a good rule of thumb for what temp the metal should be heated to /thickness / alu,steel,cast ,ect.

I was eyeing an infrared thermometer that I saw recently at harbor freight going for only about $25 (maybe it was even less) after a coupon.
http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contac ... 96451.html
I haven't tried it or have any idea how it would compare to a Ryobi or other brand. (Edit: actually, from the specs, the HF unit might be better in that it can read temps up to 968F.)

But I also heard that these don't work very well for measuring highly reflective or light colored surfaces. I remember a friend had one of the first ones that came out a long time ago (perhaps 10+ years ago...) and it wouldn't get a reading on an aluminum intake manifold located in an automotive engine compartment. It did work reliably on things that were nonreflective, and darker colored. Is that behavior still true with the new ones?

jakeru,

Since I have just purchased this item I cannot attest how it works on shiny surfaces, but I did try house heater vents, computer FPDs, florescent lights and a few other items. I plan to test more items as time permits and will report my findings back on this thread.

Wob

yes, they still do that. aluminum gives you nonsense results. the best way to check aluminum temp is still with temp sticks, unfortunately. or, I guess, paint a spot black.

If you buy one that has an adjustable emissivity setting, you can compensate for a wide variety of materials. Two ways to get around the shiny surface problem is to cover a spot with masking tape or black paint and wait for that to reach the same temp as the material then you can get an accurate reading. The model that I have can read temps up to 1610 deg.

Thanks for the info guys.