[SEL] heating large castings for welding

[fero_ah at city-net.com]

Hi John,

Something else you can try when you need to heat large, ackwardly shaped chunks
of iron.  Get some black pipe and fittings and build a "fire frame" around the
piece.  Drill a bunch of holes in the pipe on the side toward the object. 
Connect the natural gas or propane, turn it on, and light.  This works best if
you have some way to retain the heat, but will work out in the open in a
pinch.

See ya,  Arnie

Arnie Fero
Pittsburgh, PA
fero_ah at city-net.com

Quoting John Hall <jthall at worldnet.att.net>:

> I got hold of one to big for either a couple of weeks ago. I had to weld up 
> a transmission housing that measuered roughly 1 x 2 x 3 feet. First off it 
> was very greasy so I sent it to an automotive machine shop to be cleaned. To
> initially preheat it I used one of those torpedo shaped kerosene heaters 
> like you see used on construction sites. I heated the part for about an hour
> until you couldn't touch it by hand. Then we used the rosebud to finish 
> preheating the area to be welded. After welding I put it back in front of 
> the heater for another hour to equalize the temp. Nothing went CRACK!!! so I
> assume all worked well.