Subject: Re: Dry Welding Rods

From: Tom <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 1996 20:43:20 -0500

[email-masked] wrote:
> 
> How do you keep your welding rods dry?
> 
> Looking for inexpensive homebuilt unit that I can make.
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Ron Norris
they sell plastic 10lb containers with o rings for sealing

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From: [email-masked] (Preston D. Carter)
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 21:51:41 GMT

> they sell plastic 10lb containers with o rings for sealing
Another method, if you live in a humid place, is to find an old
refrigerator that doesn't work, we had a smaller dorm type,
disconnect the compresser and the switch that makes the light
go off when you close the door, install a low watt bulb and you
have yourself a hot box.
-- 
Preston Carter 
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Bruce Holder)
Date: 11 Dec 1996 00:06:17 GMT

[email-masked] wrote:
: How do you keep your welding rods dry?

: Looking for inexpensive homebuilt unit that I can make.

  I wish I had a dollar for every home, farm and commercial welding shop
I've been in with an old refrigerator to hold the rods. Another response
suggested fitting an ice chest or milk can with a light bulb. With the
refrigerator, it's already there. You just have to bypass the switch in
the door.

Bruce

PS - If you're anywhere near Boulder, CO, I'll give you my old refrigerator
if you'll drag it out of the basement.

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From: "Randy R. Cox" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 09 Dec 1996 21:04:21 -0600

> they sell plastic 10lb containers with o rings for sealing

How about an old used metal ice chest or water can wired with a light
socket inside to hold a small watt lamp to serve as heater?  You'll be
amazed how warm a very small lamp will make an enclosed space that is
insulated.

Randy

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 10 Dec 1996 01:27:14 GMT

Thanks

Ron Norris

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 11 Dec 1996 05:17:56 GMT

>they sell plastic 10lb containers with o rings for sealing

If you only have a few (10lbs or less) Northern sells the plastic sealed 
containers for under $10.	

For larger collection, I used an army surplus ammo can (the tall 50 caliber kind)
and put pvc tubes in it. This divides the rod types up and seals shut. This tall
ammo can is just long enough for welding rods. Check army/navy store.
Holds about 50lbs of rods.
Randy Ray
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Fitch R. Williams)
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 06:30:21 GMT

>Ron Norris

Depends on what rod you are talking about.  The "O" ring
container is usually OK except for low hydrogen rod.

7018 (low hydrogen) rod needs to be stored at around 300F to
stay dry.  It can exceed some welding moisture
specifications in as little as 2 hours after being unsealed
under some conditions.  The good news, you can dry it back
out with an hour at about 700F (by the book) - although I
have had reasonably good experience after a couple of hours
at 500F in the kitchen oven.  

Handle carefully when taking out of oven.  This rod is not
good to weld with if it is not dry - it handles poorly,
sputters, and can give weld cracking.  

Dry, it is one of my favorite rods, so I bought a small 10lb
capacity oven to keep 7018 in.  I bake out some and add it
to the oven from the 50lb container when the oven runs low
or at the end of a day when I used some non trivial portion
of it.  

If you want to build an oven for 7018, I'd use a heating
element from Grainger (for example) and a double walled
container with the heater between walls, and insulation
around the outside.

Look at a commercially made 10 or 50 lb oven - vertical (top
loading) model.  Shouldn't be to hard to duplicate.

Fitch

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From: [email-masked] (Bill Webster)
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 07:44:29 -0500

> >Looking for inexpensive homebuilt unit that I can make.

If you don't mind rods in the kitchen, you can simple put the rods on top
of the kitchen frig.  There's lots of hot air being convected off the back
of the frig.  Works for me!

regards.

-- 
Bill Webster   [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Steve Rayner)
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 11:27:43 GMT

I keep my rods in an old surplus 50Cal ammunition box.  They seal airtight.

-- 
Steve. 

******************Knowledge is wasted if it is not shared.*******************

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From: [email-masked] (Fitch R. Williams)
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 1996 05:55:36 GMT

>Holds about 50lbs of rods.

I've seen surplus ammo and other holders in the catalogs and
wondered if they were just bigenough or just to small.
Would you be able to post the outside dimensions of this
box?  I've seen some 20mm ones that looked about the right
size.  The catalogs all use outside dimensions I think.  But
I don't know for sure.  I have thought this would work
really well for most of the 60xx and some of the 70xx
serises, but not 7018, but didn't want to order one and find
out it was "just" to small.

Fitch

Fitch

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From: [email-masked] (Fitch R. Williams)
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 1996 02:34:07 GMT

[email-masked] wrote:

>These "cans" that I have are the same footprint as the old standard .50 cal. cans
>you see quite often, but taller. The dimensions are 5 1/4" across, 11 1/8" deep,
>and 16 1/4" tall. They held "8-60mm cartridges". I bought them from a army/navy
>store when I lived in NC (near Ft. Bragg). I have gotten them for as low as $5 and
>seen them as high as $20. Make a nice rod holder. Just set it up on the bench
>on it's side, drop the lid down, and you have a  multi-rod dispensor.

>IBM / ISSC
>Smart Home Architect
>Utilities Industry

That sounds like "Just The ticket".  I'll keep my eyes open.

Thanks
Fitch

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From: John L Ferrell <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 1996 10:42:35 -0800

> How do you keep your welding rods dry?

A welding shop I visit sometimes has an old refrigerator with the light wired on 
permanent that works great as a dry box. Since the dump here charges $15 to take 
refrigerators, the price was right!

John Ferrell in Julian NC

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 12 Dec 1996 15:48:48 GMT

Randy Ray
IBM / ISSC
Smart Home Architect
Utilities Industry
[email-masked]