Welding Rod Oven

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Yesterday I picked up a 16 cubic foot freezer off craigslist for $40 to make into a welding rod oven.  I fit all my rods in it, along with my clamps, gloves, etc.  Anyway, this morning I put a 100 watt light in it and tonight I opened it to get a couple rods out.  It was pretty warm in their, but the air felt very humid (more than outside air).  The top corner of the seal leaks, so I was thinking this would help expel the moisture?  Laser thermometer shows the temperature in the freeze to be 120-126 degrees.  Will this humidity work its way out, or do I need to do something to help it?
Reply:All the moisture that is in the rods is coming out of them. Just open the lid and wipe the moisture off. Get your gloves out of there though.
Reply:Storage temp, if you're trying to follow any sort of rod specification, is like 225F+.
Reply:You might need two light bulbs and a temperature controller.Amen on taking the gloves out of the oven, you will bake them to a crisp.I offer three choices: Good, Fast, & Cheap. You may pick two.Hobart AC/DC StikMate LXHarbor Freight AD HoodHarbor Freight Industrial Chop SawDeVilbis 20 Gallon, 5 HP Compressor
Reply:That's really not a rod "oven" as it simply can't reach the maintenance temperatures that rods actually require as has already been pointed out.Last edited by duaneb55; 07-20-2015 at 01:05 AM.MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:last winter, i noticed a leak in my rod box on the truck. moisture would evaporate, condense on the lid, and drip down into the 100+ lbs of 7018 i have on the truck in open cans.for s's and g's, i put all the rod on the bbq, heated to 400 deg, then put it back in the cans and left over my furnace for a few weeks. dried out real nice, but it is rusty junk now that any inspector would freak out over. runs fine for practice, even with the bbq grease stained flux.i ran them wet too, without any real issue. dripping wet.so, the moral of the story is, if your doing anything that is to be inspected, or can have an impact on life or property, have new rod and an oven ready. otherwise, dont spend too much time or money trying to keep them warm. and to all the rest, i agree that an open flame is a TERRIBLE way to dry something like on a bbq, but if you can get them to a high temperature, the flame's exhaust cannot condense on them and if they are transferred from there to a place where there is little moisture, they should stay relatively dry, at least in my mind. and i do not use this junk for anything other than keeping the oil moving in the 200 or teaching on the weekendsbosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:you need to drill a one inch hole in the top center of your fridge, that what i did to mine.  one bulb is fine.  i put a 100 watt in in the winter, a 40 watt does me fine in the summer.   he's right, it's not a rod oven.    most rod oven sit at 300 degrees, and i've seen some at 160 fLast edited by 123weld; 07-20-2015 at 01:36 AM.
Reply:I realize this isn't a true "rod oven", but is better than having the rods sitting out in the open in the garage.  This is an upright freezer as well.
Reply:My XX18 series electrodes are kept at 300 degrees which is the regulated temperature of the oven. I never unplug the unit so there is no worries about them being ready.SlobPurveyor of intimate unparalleled knowledge of nothing about everything.Oh yeah, also an unabashed internet "Troll" too.....
Reply:Opened low hy electrodes are by code to be stored at temps of 250f above atmospheric temp. Your freezer with a lite bulb in it will not come close to reaching those temps.It would more economical for you to just store your rods in those sealed plastic storage tubes with a little desiccant in it to absorb any moisture.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:My rod oven died a few months ago and I couldn't find one on CL. I didn't want to spend over a $1000.00 for a new one so I made one that cost me $25.00 that works really well. I dry all my rods and put them in air tight rod holders to keep the moisture out, when I have a job to weld I take out what I need and seal up the rest in the tube. If you store rods in non air tight containers moisture will enter when atmospheric pressure changes and will force moist air into the rod container.I made one oven that stays at my work shop and I made a oven that I can take with me to the job site. They must work well, after a half hour in the oven I can visually see moisture rising from the oven. I also noticed keeping the rods dry and hot make them weld much better. I had a #20 box of Hobart rods I used for a job and they welded perfectly, after sitting in the plastic box for a few months they wouldn't weld worth crap on another job. two hours in my oven and they ran perfectly again. Private message me your E-mail and I'll show you how I made the ovens, very simple and low cost.Last edited by kctgb; 07-20-2015 at 08:46 PM.