Heating Metal - How Hot?

[Beltzington]

This concerns a repair but seems to be a question for you gas torch types.

The rear-wheel mount on my 6-foot rotary cutter has been bent since I bought it two years ago. From vertical the two 3/4" x 11/2" iron bars supporting the wheel axle are both bent about 2" to the right \0\ .

I have a large Oxy-Acet torch but was wondering if heating and whacking would further weaken the wheel mount. My plan was to clean off the paint mount vertically in a large vise and heat and beat one leg at a time until they looked like this |0|.

If this is a good plan then how hot should I get the metal and what is the best method for determining that temp? TIA

 

[Jeff Lary]

Heat the part to bend to a solid yellow creeping toward red keep a little presssure on the part.When the heat is right it will start to move. Heat only one section to be bent at a time 10 min and your done ,good luck

 

[George2615]

I loaned my tractor and rotary cutter to a friend once. It came back with the tail wheel bent. I think he backed into a tree. I straightened mine with a 3' pipe wrench with a 3' cheater pipe slid over the handle without heating it.

 

[rjmack]

I straightened mine with a 3' pipe wrench with a 3' cheater pipe slid over the handle without heating it.

it's an interesting experiment to take a bent piece of round stock and put a snipe on it and then apply heat to the bent area... surprising how little it takes to make an easy and accurate job of it. cherry red is usual enough:thumbsup:

you don't want to boil the steel, that's about the worst thing that can happen.

 

[Chilly807]

Heat the part to bend to a solid yellow creeping toward red keep a little presssure on the part.When the heat is right it will start to move. Heat only one section to be bent at a time 10 min and your done ,good luck

Jeff's right about keeping pressure on the bend as you heat, it takes almost no force to bend steel if it's hot enough. You'll have to shift the heated area along the bend as you go to get it really straight.

Sean