Junksmith Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Morning folks, Last year I managed to get ahold of a rod oven for keeping my welding rods dry. It definitely helps in terms of spatter etc. The problem is that the thermostat has burned up. I managed to locate a replacement for this 2 inch in diameter item and they want $90 for it! New heating elements aren't even available. My question is, does anybody have experience with this kind of problem and is there a substitute part that might work for less expense? The oven is an AWS 50B Model 1 from Phoenix International. 350 watts and maintains an average of 300 degrees F. At this point I'm thinking it might just be more economical to put a 100 Watt light bulb inside the box (it's very well insulated) It would mean giving up some storage spece but the capacity is 50 lbs. so... Any advice would be apprecialted. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 The light bulb will work, I have seen old refrigerators with a light bulb used for rod ovens. It was not to code for rod storage but it was better than nothing. What kind of rod are you using? The ones that need to be dry are the Low Hydrogen rods (7018) and AWS D1.1 (structural welding code) does have requirements for storing and drying low hydrogen rods. Depending on how wet an environment you are in may be a factor in how well it works. If you can find a little toaster oven at a yard sale you can bake them in there to dry them out, 450 for 2 hrs should get them dry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Looking at that model it may pose an issue getting a bulb in there if you have it mobil as it would breake the bulb from vibration if it is a shop thing you might mod the case and it will work. another thing to use is a water heater thermostat 110 size / a sm one they will turn up to 200*+ place it against the metal side and screw it to it conect the wires and your good to go . in the field most inspectors care more about the quality of a weld and its integrity than how the rod were dried ! I have welded and Certed in many states from the 4 points of the US as well in the Middle of the ocean and they tested the weld not my rods . but like you nothing beats a good dry rod for welding . I have an old fridge with 2 X 100 watt bulbs in it 1 at the top 1 at the bottom and full of all types of rods . Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 if its just a thermostat you can use a digital one ive seen um on ebay for around 40.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 http://www.rodovens.com/welding_articles/storage_chart.htm The 7018 rods that come in cardboard boxes wrapped in plastic are no good for structural or inspected work. If you want good rod make sure to buy it in a HSC (hermeticaly sealed container) available in 10 lb cans. These are dry rods good for 9 hrs from opening can if I remember right. Then store as in the chart unless doing farm welding with the left over. smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share Posted April 25, 2012 Good ideas all. I use a lot of 7018 and while I'm not a welder by trade I've been doing some wrought iron gates/rails/etc. that require welds that look good as well as being strong - and yes, I buy in HSCs. It's a portable unit, but since I don't travel with it much I think I'll go with a light bulb until I can find a better thermostat option. For now I can just tie the 120V input wires to a light socket and drop it in one of the sections. Then I don't have to worry about modding the case for when I do find a thermostat. Great thinking everybody! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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