Thread: Damp welding rods.

For several years I kept rods in a tall plastic spaghetti container I scavenged from SWMBO. In side I stuck several silica gel packets and the setup worked well as long as I kept the lid tightly shut. Then last year I dropped the container and it shattered but despite searching the plastics aisles of many a supermarket I haven't been able to find a container tall enough.

I wouldn't mind getting a taller container to hold 3 mm rods as well - anyone have any ideas for containers?

HI ROWLEY
I store my welding rods on top of my hot water system that keeps them warm and dry.
john

A lot of the older welders doing pressure welding and needing good starts with no flux inclusion used to make a tube which held the rods and make sit it over a light globe keeping them mildly warm and dry.

Rowley

If you dry them throughly with a paint stripping gun ( like a large hair dryer) before you use them they will work fine.

Regards Mike

Originally Posted by BobL

.I wouldn't mind getting a taller container to hold 3 mm rods as well - anyone have any ideas for containers?

pvc pipe from the plumber about 50mm block one end of and put a screw cap on the other end

Originally Posted by SIRCOL

pvc pipe from the plumber about 50mm block one end of and put a screw cap on the other end

DOH! It's so obvious now you mention it!

Actually how about a metal canister that also has a port in it that one could stick a hot air gun on LO into to dry out the rods?

Originally Posted by SIRCOL

pvc pipe from the plumber about 50mm block one end of and put a screw cap on the other end

I do the same except with 90mm PVC as it holds 5kg's of rod comfortably.
50mm is fine for 2.5kg boxes though.

Not an uncommon thing for those working with rods all the time, and for those working in humid conditions. If you're only an occasional user, empty the rods into a baking tray and put 'em into swmbo's oven for a while. They're going to be drier and more ready for use whether you use them all or not.

Thank you all,I am sure I will be able to make an improvment to what I have.
Rowley.

Your local builder supplies will sell you some 90mm PVC downpipe and some push on caps .

You should get 3 out of a metre.

Glue cap on one end and slightly file the other to get a push on fit.
One 2330 mm length will swallow a pack of 2.5 Kg 3.25diameter electrodes.
Throw in some drier satchel from some medication packets -blood pressure tabs in my case and call it done. Dropped mine lotsa times and nothing has busted.

Cheap as chips
Grahame

i just fired up some 7014's that got physically rained on for a full day, soaked through- put them in the oven at 180 for half an hour, and they ran great

HI,
I keep My Welding Rods in an old Fridge. I use to have a Small Oven Globe 25 watt I think going in it 24/7, but I found I don't really need to keep them that Warm where I live.

Originally Posted by Grahame Collins

Your local builder supplies will sell you some 90mm PVC downpipe and some push on caps .

You should get 3 out of a metre.

Glue cap on one end and slightly file the other to get a push on fit.
One 2330 mm length will swallow a pack of 2.5 Kg 3.25diameter electrodes.
Throw in some drier satchel from some medication packets -blood pressure tabs in my case and call it done. Dropped mine lotsa times and nothing has busted.

Cheap as chips
Grahame

Has worked well for me for years and I do very little welding. They are always ok when I do drag them out.

Originally Posted by dakotax3

If you're only an occasional user, empty the rods into a baking tray and put 'em into swmbo's oven for a while.

You are adventurous ,are'nt you?

As always, I will endorse the safety factor.

For your own personal health and safety, always perform this procedure in the ABSCENCE of the said swmbo .

While you will understand that there is nothing but water vapor driven off from the rods, this fact may not always be obvious to the average swmbo upon her unexpected return to HER kitchen and confronted with HER oven full of YOUR welding consumables.

How do I know???

Grahame