Heard an old timer at the scrap yard in Springfield say 'the fire tells you everything'

Honestly, I was just picking up some mild steel drops last week and this guy was talking to his buddy about heat colors. He said if you watch the steel in the forge, the shade of orange or yellow tells you exactly when to pull it, way better than just counting seconds. Tbh, I tried focusing on that instead of the clock on my next few projects, and my hammer work felt way smoother. Anyone else rely more on watching the metal than timing it?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex_johnson2mo agoMost Upvoted

Okay but "the fire tells you everything"? Isn't that getting a little deep for just heating up some metal? I get that watching the color is useful, but it's not some ancient secret. People used to do it because they didn't have timers. It's just a different way to get the same result, right?

nancy4752mo ago

My grandpa taught me that in his garage.

max4152mo ago

Yeah I used to think it was just about color too but idk, maybe there's more to it.