Zero Budget Rod Oven

I wanted a welding rod oven, but couldn't really justify spending money on one. Some types of welding rods need to be stored at specific conditions, hence the need for a rod oven. Fundamentally, all that is required is a container with a heat source inside. So I decided to build one.

For a heat source, I decided to use light bulbs. I needed light bulb sockets to make this work. In someone's scrap pile on the curb I found some stage lighting that looked like it had gotten knocked over. The plastic portion of the stage lamps were broken, but the ceramic bulb sockets were in perfect condition. I was able to disassemble them and get just the sockets. The stage lamp included a switch that allows either of the bulbs to be selected, or both. This should eventually give me multiple selectable heat ranges.

The next obstacle was finding a suitable container. A refrigerator could work, but is far larger than needed. I could make a container from sheet metal scrap, but that would be very time consuming. I found a microwave oven on the curb and removed all the components except for the door and latch mechanisms. I was able to put all the wiring in the space that was previously occupied by the microwave oven components. Since the microwave oven is a metal chassis, I used a 3 prong cord and connected the chassis to the ground wire. The switch is hanging out the back, which is convenient enough. Afterwards I reinstalled the metal shell that makes up the microwave oven's exterior.

At this point, it basically looks like a microwave oven again. I installed two bulbs I had laying around and it works. I need to get a 75 watt bulb and a 150 watt bulb. That way I will have 3 settings: 75 watts, 150 watts, and 225 watts.