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Carbon burns off at about 260°C. This can be used to assess the background heat. Use a match to make a sooty mark on the work piece. When the soot has been burned off by the temperature of the metal there is a good amount of background heat in the piece. Do not use the flame directly on the carbon mark, as the heat of the flame will burn it off rather than the heat in the metal.

Ÿ	HTS-2000 melts at 392°C, but the work piece needs to be hotter than this to keep the molten braze properly fluid.

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In a dull light steel shows red at about 470°C. A small nail or nut etc. placed at the site of the repair can be used to gauge this temperature. It is unnecessary to heat the work piece beyond this. However, when subjected to the raw flame the steel will go red before the aluminium is up to temperature because it retains heat better. You should heat the aluminium adjacent to the steel indicator and rely on the aluminium to heat the steel. I like to use a small washer on the top of the work piece and heat the work from below.