Welding Tips and Tricks

I've got lots of spare time at work and plenty of scrap heavy wall gauge electrical cabinets of every size....Been thinking some of them might make a great DIY rod oven....insulated and with thermostatic controlls, even.

So, who has done it or wants to do it, and how did you do it, or how would you if you wanted to?

Thanks

I had looked at this at one time.

If you already have an insulated, electrically rated cabinet, you're certainly a step ahead.

The materials I was looking at were simple; The heating element from a 110V hot-plate (preferably the solid cast type with the embedded element to eliminate hot-spots, as opposed to the spiral coil) and an oven control salvaged from an electric kitchen stove. The oven control won't care if you operate it at 110V, and the hot-plate element won't draw more current than a hair dryer, so should be good on a 15A circuit (by itself).

Most proper rod ovens I've seen are autoclaves capable of up to 400F, but realistically, 250F is more than enough to keep moisture out of welding rods. At 250F, It should be feasible to have a small induction fan inside the oven to keep the heat even, if you're looking at a box big enough for 50 lb or more.

Let me know what you come up with; I may yet build one and will be interested to know what you finally settled on, and the results you got.

Steve

I have used an old broke down refridgerator with a 100w light bulb installed to keep rods dry, but I guess it depends where you live and the climate. This might not work too well in Canada, but Florida would be okay.

I've always thought that an old 'Toaster Oven' would be a good place to start.

Kiwimike wrote:I have used an old broke down refridgerator with a 100w light bulb installed to keep rods dry, but I guess it depends where you live and the climate. This might not work too well in Canada, but Florida would be okay.

The humidity in Fla is killer. You need a rod oven with a seal to prevent the air from migrating in and out of the unit. An old fridge will work OK for most rod, but 7018 requires a little more controlled environment if your doing code welding. I always try to get 7018 MR (Moisture Resistant) when I can and keep it in the fridge box as soon as I open it and remove the first rod. I buy them in small quantities to avoid having a bunch of old wet rod laying around too. But thats just me, an I live smack in the middle of Fla so I got just a tad of experience with the humidity and conditons here.
Bob

WerkSpace wrote:I've always thought that an old 'Toaster Oven' would be a good place to start.

Would this be reasonable???

There are some nice heaters with built in controls. Designed and marketed to gun collectors who put them in there safes to keep humidity out.