All I have to say :
- We have Miller 255s up at BIO, and I just leave them set to whatever they were set at.

is confusing, yo. Also, I produce software for my “real job”, and I fear getting distracted and annoyed by some obvious flaw in the screen interface that should not be there. Happens in cars and phone apps all the time. ****ing nerds.
I want away from that in what time I can liberate for me.
- I’m looking forward to getting that Miller 35 up and running. Knob (wire speed) and a set of plugs for amperage. Seems “tits” to me.
- you didn’t need to delete or modify your post. I didn’t ask, either.
- Make Stick Great Again. Every time I think about that tiny MIG wire I … have questions.
Then again, it’s not all tiny wire. Years after I left the drilling industry, dad moved away from the ole standby Lincoln 200s, and to a pair of Miller Big 10D wirefeed machines, running 1/4” wire.
Two machines so two welders could start at either side of large diameter casing and lay bead toward the other. No stopping to change the rod, which requires lifting the hood and thus getting a little cool air. The smokers always seemed to light one every time they lifted the hood, too. I can only imagine how much it sucked. Did save time though, and time is money, right?
- i was over at the shop earlier (gathering tools, because Pua’a 2 is new, and I like to be prepared), and found these “pocket pyrometers” that I knew I had. They’re an option if you don’t want to melt wax on your work, but they’re not as accurate as the crayons. TBH, IDK if they’re even made anymore.
- I’ve been thinking about your preference for an IR thermometer for a bit, (and discussing it with the kid, who has an actual physics degree)... so I “did my own research”, if you will…
I think the problem with IR thermometry is that it depends a lot on the surface emissivity of the material. I’ll omit what all the kid said about black body emissions, but stainless steel will read differently than aluminum at the same temperature, and the surface finish can affect the result as well (polished will read lower than rough).
IR temp measurement has to assume some emissivity in order to give a temperature, and if that assumption is wrong (and there are lots of ways to get it wrong), then the number you read on the screen is wrong.
And that’s before we get into the stability of a battery-powered device with a tiny ų processor (typically a PIC), with a low-resolution ADC, low sampling rates and a look up table to display the results.
****ing Chinesium circuit design, but “digital” so it must be right. Right?!? Don’t get me started on “digital” calipers from China, I’ll keep my Starrett, thanks.
The crayons, though low-tech, don't suffer from this.