Since this is the place... A buddy stopped by and we were talking... He said he had a job a long time ago welding at a power plant. He is a steel worker and has done some stick welding. He told me they could not start a weld and then dial it in, so they gave them these blocks. He was guessing they were about 3x5 and about 1" thick. You got a couple good welds on them and then you could start the real weld. He said after you were done you could whack the blocks on the side and welds would fall off so you could use the blocks again. He said he has never seen them since. Ever hear of such a thing???