old fridge

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neighbours fridge as blown up,is it worth saving to keep my arc rods/ mig wire in as workshop isnt driest place.would put it in shed then i can get stuff from under stairs.cheers
Reply:Can't hurt.Lincoln PrecisionTig 275Miller 251Miller DialArc 250Bridgeport millHossfeld bender & diesLogan shaperJet 14 X 40 latheSouth Bend 9" 'C'Hypertherm 900Ellis 3000 band saw21"Royersford ExcelsiorTwo shops, still too many tools.
Reply:Lots of old timers (farmers) around here use an old fridge with a 40 watt light bulb burning all the time. Even one of the LWS's did this for their shop supply! Of course I don't know what you would do now that incandescent light bulbs are outlawed!
Reply:Originally Posted by rexcormackOf course I don't know what you would do now that incandescent light bulbs are outlawed!
Reply:That's true. I didn't notice the OP's location.
Reply:Originally Posted by WyoRoyOnly in the U.S.
Reply:Hi, be very carefull with an incandescent in the fridge.....it's a heat source as well as light.A fridge is designed to insulate the inside from the warm outside, and as a fridge has a thermostat control to keep it cool by switching the compressor on and off as required to maintain the temp as set.If you have a light bulb on inside you run the risk of an exponential heat build up, IE the heat is continuous and uncontrolled by a thermostat.My ex employer had an old fridge that he used to store all his welding rods etc in, and one morning when he opened the shop there was a haze of blue smoke, not much, but definately a haze and a smell of hot plastic.......hmmmmm, that's a worry.Long story short, the whole inside of the fridge, which was a plastic moulding,  was distorted and warped, and the heat was amazing.A 40 watt bulb gives off quite a bit of heat, and it can go nowhere.If this had been over a weekend, a fire would have resulted.Without going to the expense of installing a thermostat, you could just attach a timer switch to the electrical cord feeding the light bulb, everything else having been disconnected or removed etc, and have the timer with as many on off cycles as possible to switch the light on and off as needed......this will crudely maintain a temperature if you monitor the temp inside and adjust the timer accordingly.I think a smaller rated light bulb if obtainable would work on a continuous basis, but a timer is one way to ensure a longer safety zone.It has always been a worry that, if the light in the fridge didn't go out when the door closed, you'd defrost everything continuously, or prematurely wear the compressor out from cycling on and off too frequently.A thermo stat can be bought quite easily as they are used to monitor many types of equipment.An old wall mounted thermostat, used for a central heating system that has a dial and readout of the ambient temperature, is quite cheap on Ebay etc, and could be mounted inside the fridge to switch the light on and off.In place of a light bulb, you could also use a soldering iron, as they come in varous wattages, 25 to 40 Watts are quite cheap.BTW, it's no good just heating the rods if you also don't remove the water vapour that will stay in the fridge.......a container of a dessicant is required to absorb the moisture too.You could have a tray of kitty litter, which is Bentomite clay in granule form, placed in the bottom of the fridge, and removed once a week and baked in an oven for an hour at low temperature to dry it out.The fridge door seal is a must to keep the moisture out or you'll be trying to dryout  the whole countryside around you....LOL.You'll be fooling yourself if you just bung a light bulb in a fridge and hope it'll keep the rods dry......they may be warm, but they'll could still be wet (damp).....water vapour can go nowhere, and every time you open the door you get a fresh load of water laden air.A better system for those that really want to have dry rods at minimal cost would be to have the fridge with a good door seal, and an air circulatory drying system.The drying system could be a closed box filled with Kitty litter, and a 4" fan at one end drawing air into the box and through the litter to dry it with an outlet at the other end.The box would need to be replenished with litter at least once a week, and the old litter baked in a low temp oven to dry it out..Thje whole point is to remove the water vapour not just warm the rods.When you buy the rods in a sealed container or packet they probably are already dry, but not warm.If you open the sealed container and put the rods into a wrm environment that has water vapour present they will absorb that moisture too.  Ian.Last edited by puddytat; 11-13-2012 at 07:48 PM.
Reply:I use a fridge to store and keep welding rodds in, except for the 7018 types. They are stored in a heated rod oven, as they require a much higher temp to stay very dry, than do the 6010, 6011, 6013, etc. My fridge has a spiral flouresent bulb. I have vents at the bottom and the top of the fridge to aid in air circualtion to keep the rods dry.ChrisAuction Addict
Reply:While an incandescent light bulb can put out quite a bit of heat, it is really inexpensive to buy a small thermostat to keep the temperature set to a constant level.     I made a small incubator for a friend, and used a 25 watt bulb in an old styrofoam cooler.   I set the temperature at 100-102 degrees and it worked great - up to the point.   The friend, a 12 year old, didn't think that 102 degrees was warm enough, because he thought chickens were warmer.    He cranked it up to 115 degrees, and ended up making hard boiled eggs.     Don't trust a kid to understand what is needed.  There are several models you can get - only about $10 to 15.   Of course, a fridge is fairly large, so the temperature will be where the thermostat is sitting.
Reply:Originally Posted by naughtyboyneighbours fridge as blown up,is it worth saving to keep my arc rods/ mig wire in as workshop isnt driest place.would put it in shed then i can get stuff from under stairs.cheers
Reply:Originally Posted by milomiloI use a fridge to store and keep welding rodds in, except for the 7018 types. They are stored in a heated rod oven, as they require a much higher temp to stay very dry, than do the 6010, 6011, 6013, etc. My fridge has a spiral flouresent bulb. I have vents at the bottom and the top of the fridge to aid in air circualtion to keep the rods dry.
Reply:I use an old fridge with a light bulb for paint storage.  I use the lowest wattage bulbs I can find.  15 or 20 watt I think.  I have to unscrew the bulb if ambient temp stays much over 50 degrees F or the fridge can hit 100+.   I don't recall seeing the fridge drop below 50.  Even when I was gone for a week and the garage got close to 0 F.  A line voltage thermostat is only $15, but I haven't got one yet.My name's not Jim....
Reply:That's a useful idea Boost. I keep my paint in a small store room and use a small electric space heater to keep it above freezing as well as the overhead lights. I use the overhead lights right now because it isn't all that cold yet and the thermometer I keep in the room usually shows 55 deg roughly. A thermostat on the lighting circuit might be a good idea since I have a 2nd set of lights in there I can use for illumination..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I just let all my paint freeze. I have paint (PPG) that has sat on the shelf for around 10 years that I just sprayed some of a few days ago. Layed down just like new paint would. I honestly haven't ever had a problem with paint that has sat in freezing conditions.