Arc welding rods... rod heater?

[Caveman Tony]

For those of us dumb enough to use stone-age technology...

Arc-welding rods can absorb moisture, wreakin' havoc with your ability to run a decent weld bead...

Rod heaters keep them warm & dry...


Since I don't own a rod heater... is the toaster too hot?

How bout the kitchen oven?

[CaminoKid]

oven will work just fine,before I went for my structural steel certification I cooked the rod in the oven.You can also make a real simple rod holder out of pvc pipe with a screw on lid or a cap that will keep the rod from soaking up the moisture from the air.Low hydrogen rod will suck up much more moisture than old standard 6011 rod..If you have a dc welder you wont get a much better looking bead than with some 7018. Good luck.

[1931s/x]

ahhh... i have never used a rod heater in the field, and my welds are regularly ut inspected. ive used rods that the open can fell out of the back of the truck into a puddle of mud, rods that sat in the back of the truck in an open can until all used up. i worked for one guy that used to buy rods at a clearance price i ndamadged cans any time they were available. some jobs do require your rods to be in an oven, and you are only allowed a set amount out of the oven at a time. its not often though. ive seen guys make there own ovens in the home shop with a simple light bulb inside to do the job, an option of you really want an oven.

[Scott Liggett]

What about a cheap ,but big toaster oven.

[Caveman Tony]

I remembered that in a welding class I took a long time ago, the rods we kept in the heater just seemed to be easier to use.

It's been humid, hot, rainy, hurricaney, etc... and with all the temp & baro pressure changes, I'm certain the rods laying around in the barn are iffy... I've seen the coating crumble off them because of heat/humidity/age unknown....

How hot is too hot if I throw 'em in the toaster?

[CaminoKid]

four fifty or five hundred is fine.the flux is crumbling due to the moisture.throw them away if they are to bad.Unless you are a skilled welder they will be quite irritating to use.

[t russell]

old refrigarater 100w bulb works good

[Huskinhano]

Any welders looking for work? The gas pipe line welders by me are making $100K a year in PA I hear. Sorry for the high jack.

[Scott Liggett]

You can make more than that working for the oil companies.

[1931s/x]

you really dont need a lot of heat. huskinhano, where is "by me". im always looking for options.

[bull the rogue welder]

theres just certain rods you want to keep moisture free (any cellulose based flux rods the 5P's and 5P+++++ especially) and your expensive specialtay rods like the $30/lb. nickel rods and some of the 316 stainless. your common rods like the low/hy's (7018's) are pretty weather proof.
i snagged a really junked chest freezer and have a 60w droplight hangin in it . plus its a MUST to store ALL your mig wire in a heated/dry environment . i took a bunch of certs test when i was with the boilermakers and the rods were so hot i was burning my hand THROUGH MY GLOVE!! was a little over the top on the temp but it was in the WPS to have the rods stored at that setting.










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