If you have enough of the wire left, I think you can re-join the two ends and it should work.
It has to be welded
Not really - twist the wires together and crimp the ends. Works fine.
I question the long term reliability of doing it this way. It's the junction of the two dissimilar metals is what creates the voltage.
...and that potential will shift over time due to oxidation and other chemical changes. This rate of this shift will increase if the junction is not stable.
To have
reliable temperature measurement with any electronic thermometer / thermocouple combination, the device (
specific thermocouple and electronic thermometer combination) needs to be calibrated at
two or more temperature points that encompass the range of use. For a K-type thermocouple, you really can go up to 1350°C, but for
our purposes (roasting) we usually calibrate at 25°C (room temperature) and 300°C (about 570°F). You cannot just plug any thermocouple into any electronic thermometer and get a valid measurement.