dave wrote:

looking to heat up a pretty big chunk of steel, preferably near (or
maybe even "at") red. my oxi-acet gas bottles are near empty. rather do
it electrically than get the bottles filled. I have an old miller
dialarc HF welder. what to use for the 'electrode' (heating rod,
really)? I'm hoping for "minimal if any metal transfer" in the process...

how about just a piece of quarter-inch diameter round cold-rolled? was
also thinking about maybe just a bare tig tunsten held in the stinger,
using AC "cranked up high" - anybody ever tried that?

sidenote: my old dialarc, recently aquired, is "known to function well"
(my tests, with rods) on all its' AC and DC settings, but I haven't yet
ever tried any of the TIG functions. it was an ebay buy

"offloading the dialarc singlehandedly" site:
http://machines.freehostia.com/diala...ng/index3.html

thanks for insights and brain flash ideas, guys,

toolie

I just got one really a lot like that. Hope you got the pedal, they're hard
to find and really expensive (like $300). I found that Rustoleum Deep Blue
paint (sold at Grainger, part no. 2FP62), color no. V2125, is a pretty good
match. Not that I'm saying your welder needs paint! Good job sliding that
500 pound beast out of the back and dismounting it onto a cart. Lot easier
if you have an engine hoist, cheap to rent for a day.

You might find this interesting:
http://www.tinyisland.com/DialArc%20HF%20Cart/index.htm

I would take a crack at answering your question but when you say "pretty big
chunk of steel" I'm thinking of something about the size of a big bathtub,
and I don't think that's what you mean. :-)

Grant
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