I was fixing a gate hinge at my uncle's farm in Iowa and it changed how I think about heat.

I was using my little portable forge to heat a new pin, and the wind kept blowing the flame out. I finally moved behind an old tractor tire for a windbreak, and the metal got to a perfect orange heat in half the time. I'd always just set up in the open before. Now I always look for a solid wind block, even in my own shop. Does anyone else have a simple setup trick that saved you a ton of time?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.barbara1mo ago

That windbreak trick is a game changer for sure. I used to fight the same thing trying to sweat copper pipes outside. Now I just prop up a scrap piece of plywood, and it makes all the difference. What other jobs have you tried it on?

johnson.jesse24d ago

Wait, you're out there sweating copper pipes outside without any protection? That's wild to me man. I mean I get it, sometimes you gotta work where the work is, but that sounds like a recipe for a cold joint or three. I've used the windbreak trick for a few things, mostly gluing PVC in the fall when the breeze kicks up and messes with your set time. Also tried it once when I was spraying on some outdoor sealant, just to keep the overspray from drifting all over the neighbor's fence. Wind is the enemy of a lot of outdoor jobs, that's for sure.

loganl221mo ago

Seriously, does it help at all when you're trying to glue something outside?