The heat should be applied to bring the point of welding to the highest
temperature desired and, except in the smallest work, the heat should
gradually shade off from this point to the other parts of the piece. In the
case of cast iron and steel the temperature at the point to be welded
should be great enough to produce a dull red heat. This will make the whole
operation much easier, because there will be no surrounding cool metal to
reduce the temperature of the molten material from the welding rod below
the point at which it will join the work. From this red heat the mass of
metal should grow cooler as the distance from the weld becomes greater, so
that no great strain is placed upon any one part. With work of a very
irregular shape it is always best to heat the entire piece so that the
strains will be so evenly distributed that they can cause no distortion or
breakage under any conditions.

The melting point of the work which is being preheated should be kept in
mind and care exercised not to approach it too closely. Special care is
necessary with aluminum in this respect, because of its low melting
temperature and the sudden weakening and flowing without warning. Workmen
have carelessly overheated aluminum castings and, upon uncovering the piece
to make the weld, have been astonished to find that it had disappeared.
Six hundred degrees is about the safe limit for this metal. It is possible
to gauge the exact temperature of the work with a pyrometer, but when this
instrument cannot be procured, it might be well to secure a number of
"temperature cones" from a chemical or laboratory supply house. These cones
are made from material that will soften at a certain heat and in form they
are long and pointed. Placed in position on the part being heated, the
point may be watched, and when it bends over it is sure that the metal
itself has reached a temperature considerably in excess of the temperature
at which that particular cone was designed to soften.