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Just realized half the guys in our shop still think you can eyeball the pour temperature on a big bronze job.
We had a 400 pound casting come out with massive shrinkage cavities because the guy running the furnace swore he could tell it was ready by the color. A proper pyrometer reading would have shown it was a solid 200 degrees too hot. How many of you actually trust the tool over your gut feeling on a critical pour?
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david_palmer5mo ago
My buddy's "color method" once turned a perfect gear pattern into expensive modern art.
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david_palmer5mo ago
Saw a guy melt a whole set of aluminum heads for a classic car. He was so sure about the "straw color" he read about. That was a ten thousand dollar gut feeling. Tools exist for a reason. Your eyes lie, the numbers don't. That bronze story is just more proof. Stop guessing with expensive metal.
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the_robin5mo ago
Imagine trusting your eyes over a $500 temp gun, that's the kind of confidence I need when I'm picking what to eat for lunch. Dude turned a classic engine into a modern art installation titled "Regret in Straw Yellow." Next time he should just throw the cash directly into the crucible, save a step.
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zarag172mo ago
Had a buddy who tried the color trick on a set of bronze bushings for an old lathe. He held the torch, watched it turn that perfect shade he saw in a YouTube video, and let it cool. Thing was warped half an inch out of round when he dropped it in the bore. Cost him two weeks and a machine shop trip to get it sorted right.
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