On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 05:25:52 GMT, Bradford Chaucer
wrote:

Interesting idea, I never thought of that approach. Have you done this and
did it work?? How well compared to a commercial unit like the American
Beauty??

You might try a soldering gun --without the tip. My (old) Weller
D-550 delivers 240 or 325 watts at 1.5 volts. That's 160 and 216 amps
-- if the load resistance is low enough to accept it. There's one
;ike it on EBay right now:

I haven't, and I don't have an American Beauty to compare it to -- but
I do have an old 500-watt Wassco. I use a little O/A torch for
silverbrazing small stuff, but I certainly do a resistance soldering
experiment if you'd care to define the experiment.

Gunner has soldered wires together by pressing a soldering gun (sans
tip) against a splice to be soldered.

My priority job right now is to fix the Reznor unit heater in my
shop that doesn't wanna light off until I smack it with a pipe.
I think it needs a new gas valve or gas valve controller after a mere
20 years of service. I thought it just needed a new thermocouple --
until I discovered that it doesn't even use a thermocouple. Uses
flame rectification for flame proving and that seems to be working
because the ignitor quits sparking once the pilot is lit.

Unnnnggghhh. Wanna fixit before it gets cold in MN. A cold shop
is not a happy shop.