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[Helios]

Good point.

But wait --why not just plug the pan heater into the outlet on the welder?

J/K ...

[Helios]

Not sure about this (check your manual), but I suspect your machine is gonna want close to 150A of 240VAC to give the full 460A of welding current.

[Helios]

If DC is 60% at 300A then DC at 460 would be

(300/460)^2 x 60 = 25.5

meaning your duty cycle at 460A should be 25.5% or 2.5 minutes at 460A followed by 7.5 minutes of cool-down with the fan running (for a total of 10 minutes).

I suspect they rated that machine...

[Helios]

I'm always leery of ether with diesels.

Here's what I use (stick it to the oilpan and plug it in):
Kat's 1155 200 Watt Magnetic Heater
https://www.amazon.com/Kats-1155-Wat...dp/B000I8TPFU/

[Helios]

If you find that your puddle seems to be favoring one side over the other, chances are, the side it favors is the "short" side where heat builds up faster. Try focussing more of your heat on the other (usually longer) piece. For example, in a "T" joint, usually the weld will "favor"...

[Helios]

Minimize total heat input by welding fast and hot, and not overwelding or adding excessive filler. Trying to go slow usually increases overall heat input and HAZ.

You might want to also read up on fixing distortion through flame bending.