Electrode ovens and electrode heating and drying methods

An electrode oven suitable for heating and drying welding electrodes, comprising:

• an oven housing deployable in open and closed oven configurations;
• and
• an electrode heating and drying system in the oven housing, the electrode heating and drying system comprising:
• a sealable electrode container comprising:
• a container base sized and configured to contain at least one welding electrode, the container base comprising a container base bottom uniformly flat and planar and having a uniform thickness along its length and width, whereby the flat and uniformly and consistently planar and uniform thickness contour of the container base bottom of the container base facilitate uniform heating and drying of each welding electrode along its length;
• a container base gasket on the container base;
• a container cover deployable in open and closed container configurations on the container base, the container cover comprising a container cover top uniformly flat and planar and having a uniform thickness along its length and width;
• a container cover gasket on the container cover, the container cover gasket configured to sealingly engage the container base gasket in the closed container configuration;
• and
• the container base and the container cover comprising a thermally conductive material;
• and
• at least one heating element in the oven housing, the at least one heating element disposed in heat-transferring relationship to the container base of the electrode container and operable to heat the electrode container.

An electrode oven suitable for heating and drying welding electrodes, comprising:

• an oven housing comprising:
• an elongated housing base comprising an upper base edge;
• an elongated housing lid openable on the housing base, the housing lid deployable in open and closed oven configurations and comprising a lid edge configured to mate with the upper base edge of the housing base when the housing lid is in the closed oven configuration;
• and
• at least one electrode container support in the housing base;
• and
• an electrode heating and drying system in the oven housing, the electrode heating and drying system comprising:
• a hermetically sealable electrode container comprising:
• a container base supported by the at least one electrode container support in the housing base of the oven housing, the container base sized and configured to contain at least one welding electrode, the container base comprising:
• a container base bottom;
• a pair of container base side walls, a container base front wall and a container base rear wall extending from the container base bottom, the container base bottom uniformly and consistently flat and planar and having a uniform thickness from the container base front wall to the container base rear wall and from one of the container base side walls to the other of the container base side walls, whereby the flat and uniformly and consistently planar and uniform thickness contour of the container base bottom of the container base facilitate uniform heating and drying of each welding electrode along its length;
• and
• a container base flange extending outwardly from the at least one container base wall;
• a container base gasket engaging the container base flange of the container base;
• an openable container cover deployable in open and closed container configurations on the container base, the container cover sealingly engaging the container base in the closed container configuration, the electrode container deployable from the closed container configuration to the open container configuration by lifting, raising, or pivoting the container cover from the container base and comprising:
• a container cover top;
• a pair of container cover side walls, a container cover front wall and a container cover rear wall extending from the container cover top, the container cover top uniformly and consistently flat and planar and having a uniform thickness from the container cover front wall to the container cover rear wall and from one of the container cover side walls to the other of the container cover side walls;
• and
• a container cover flange extending outwardly from the at least one container cover wall;
• a container cover gasket engaging the container flange of the container cover, the container cover gasket configured to sealingly engage the container base gasket of the container base in the closed container configuration;
• the container base and the container cover comprising a thermally conductive material;
• and
• wherein the electrode container is liftable from the housing base of the oven housing in the open oven configuration;
• at least one heating element in the housing base of the oven housing, the at least one heating element disposed in heat-transferring relationship to the container base of the electrode container and operable to heat the electrode container;
• and
• an oven control system operably interfacing with the at least one heating element of the electrode heating and drying system, the oven control system comprising at least one computer, device, system, or combination thereof.