On Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:15:27 -0400, 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

DO NOT use the welder!

You will let out the magic smoke and then that nice old welder will be
a big heavy doorstop.

Gunner