At what temperature should I heat old welding rod to before using it?

Question

Arc Welding.....70 amps.. 115 volts

Answer 1

heat to 130 F in a coventional oven for 45 minutes to an hour to remove moisture if the rod is a 6011, 6010, 6013 something like that this should work fine but if it is a low hydrogen rod if it has been out for too long i would just throw it away. no sense in compromising the integrity of the weld over the cost of a new rod.

Answer 2

Idon't understand. The welder burns the rods as you weld. There is no need to "heat" them beforehand. It is however recommended to keep them above freezing to keep the rod in good shape. Actually, the temperature isn't the problem. We used to keep all our rods (at a plant I worked at), in warmed box. It wasn't so much the temp though as it was to keep freezing humidity off of them. Humidity and constant temperature changes can cause the rods to corrode, and as an end result, cause a weak weld.