A brief intermission between XPS test panels.
This is one of the "Other Tests" I did while working on the first XPS test panel.
Barry Snyder's (swaylocks.com) reptile heating pad method was the catalyst for the low budget resin warmer idea.
Upgraded low budget resin warmer:
In the winter I keep my house temperature in the mid to upper 60s F. I like to raise resin and hardener temperatures to between 75-85 F to insure thorough resin:hardener mixing. The warmer raised resin/hardener temperatures and kept them between 82-83 F. I think the ceramic tile placed over the heating pad created a surface with evenly disributed heat. I believe the EPS foam sheet significantly minimized heat loss through the bottom of the box.
Upgrades:
* 9" x 12" ceramic tile ($1.80 @ Lowes)
* Two pieces of EPS 1.0 pcf foam (scrap packing material), one under box & one on top
* 3, 1 lb dumbbells
* 6" x 11" aluminum tray salvaged from an old toaster oven
Previous equipment:
* Beer case box (24, 12-oz bottles) corrugated cardboard
* Heating pad (no automatic shut off)
* 9" x 13" cake pan
* 10" x 14" piece of cardboard under heating pad
* Aluminum foil
Low Budget Resin Warmer in Use
Heating pad covered by the 9" x 12" ceramic tile in the bottom of a beer-case corrugated cardboard box with some aluminum foil on the bottom and sides
6" x 11" toaster oven tray placed on top of the ceramic tile
Aluminum foil liner placed in the toaster oven tray
This is one of the "Other Tests" I did while working on the first XPS test panel.
Barry Snyder's (swaylocks.com) reptile heating pad method was the catalyst for the low budget resin warmer idea.
Upgraded low budget resin warmer:
In the winter I keep my house temperature in the mid to upper 60s F. I like to raise resin and hardener temperatures to between 75-85 F to insure thorough resin:hardener mixing. The warmer raised resin/hardener temperatures and kept them between 82-83 F. I think the ceramic tile placed over the heating pad created a surface with evenly disributed heat. I believe the EPS foam sheet significantly minimized heat loss through the bottom of the box.
Upgrades:
* 9" x 12" ceramic tile ($1.80 @ Lowes)
* Two pieces of EPS 1.0 pcf foam (scrap packing material), one under box & one on top
* 3, 1 lb dumbbells
* 6" x 11" aluminum tray salvaged from an old toaster oven
Previous equipment:
* Beer case box (24, 12-oz bottles) corrugated cardboard
* Heating pad (no automatic shut off)
* 9" x 13" cake pan
* 10" x 14" piece of cardboard under heating pad
* Aluminum foil
[My low budget unit is salvaged parts except for the ceramic tile and the aluminum foil. I do not know how much life is left in the (very old) muscle/joint heating pad -- the high setting is dead, only low and medium remain. I may have to break down and spend $15 at Walmart for a replacement heating pad in the not too distant future.
With this last upgrade (lol), I decided I need to upgrade my heating box next. I have been keeping an eye out for a cheap styrofoam cooler/ice chest. Winter is the wrong season for that...]
Low Budget Resin Warmer in Use
Warmed epoxy resin and hardener
Resin warmer parts assembly
Heating pad covered by the 9" x 12" ceramic tile in the bottom of a beer-case corrugated cardboard box with some aluminum foil on the bottom and sides
6" x 11" toaster oven tray placed on top of the ceramic tile
Aluminum foil liner placed in the toaster oven tray
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