On Jan 30, 8:30*pm, Red wrote:
They sell heating cables of various lengths to attach to a metal pipe
to prevent freezing. *If a heat cable is 6ft long and rated at 40
watts, how hot does the cable feel to the hand if the cable was not
attached to a pipe? *IOW, could they be used to keep other things warm
than just a pipe?

Yes.
There are lots of different technologies though.
Some have a simple resistance wire.
Some have two wires and the heater is between them and continuous.
They can be cut to the required length.

Some need a thermostat and some don't.

You need to get read up on the manufacturers info.