Yes, I did try welding some scraps with the iron. It was a frustrating experience requiring a long exposure to make it work. I wasn’t happy with the final weld. Possibly my technique, or the cold iron or a combination of both. If I didn’t have another use for the step up transformer, I would’ve purchased a 120V aircraft iron from Aircraft Spruce.
In any event, the leather iron seems to be working well and now actually cycles on and off.