portable de-icing gear

Received this afternoon from Montblack,one of our members in a far
northern outpost:

One (1) portable, DC powered ice removal tool.

This interesting device consists of a metal heating coil and integral
scraping blade attached to a short handle, and a 15-foot cord with a
male DC plug. No STC paper work was included.

Careful study of the rather skimpy instruction sheet reveals no clues as
to how the device is to be employed in the event of an in-flight icing
encounter, therefore, I have a few questions:

o Is it safe to leave the autopilot in command while one goes outside to
remove ice?

o The cord is too short to reach the empennage; does the device emit
sufficient radiant heat to do the job from a distance?

o How about the prop? Should I stop the engine, de-ice, and then
restart?

o I think I have the windshield part figured out.

Any advice from experienced users appreciated.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM