Official Luthiers Forum!

Does anyone here have experience with this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 500wt_1156

It's a bit less expensive than others I've seen but am wondering about the quality.

Thanks.

I would be very suspicious. I can see how it could easily control how much power goes in but to have a temperature control circuit (feedback loop) built in is not so easy. Seems a little too good to be true but I have no actual experience with it.

Like everything, buyer beware.

BTW - Omega controls has heating blankets & temperature sensors for reasonable prices.

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I have used a blanket that looks like that (with the round connector for the cord) and it worked fine. It didn't have the temperature control so I can't speak for that. I don't remember the manufacturer for the one I used either but I know it was purchased off of ebay and looked like the one in your photo.

I realize that I don't actually have enough information to be certain I'm being helpful.

The only real problem I can see (assuming it works) is that you have to make sure your bending process\setup won't be impacted by the round section where the cord connects. This wan't a problem for me as I was doing a samller L-00. In this setup if the temperature controller\thermometer is glued to the blanket, that might get in the way as well.

The problem I see with this type of setup is that I would rather know the temperature of the wood rather than the blanket. Having said that, I realize that it is a good start to controlling the wood temperature.
Guess we need to grow some trees that have radio frequency cells in the tonewood to send out temperature indicators.

I'm the person selling these on E-bay. The cheapest blanket I could find was a Watlo with only two wires coming out of the end for $119.00. I got frustrated with trying to control the temperature. I tried using an infinite control switch which worked sorta but too much temperature fluctuation. Rheostats weren't adequate for the watts and I didn't want to lay out $160.00 dollars for the fancy set up at LMI. I decided to find a manufacturer to make these for me to my specs. It took me over a month of negotiations and searching but I finally found one that would make these for me for a reasonable price. I have tested each one and they reach a max temperature of 335-345 degrees F. Temperature fluctuation is about 10 degrees. You could get them hotter if you took the sensor out of the sleeve but I wouldn't recommend doing that. I never bend sides hotter than 300 degrees F anyway. Using a probe type digital thermometer and having the blanket sandwiched between two thin sheets of metal the same as you would do in a Fox bender, I tested the temperature along the length of the blankets. They were fairly consistent except for about 10 degrees hotter on the end furthest from the temperature control. I have one of these being tested in Charles Fox's shop right now. So far he is enthusiastic about them. If you have any questions about them feel free to contact me.

Carl, welcome to the OLF! I'm certainly not the person in charge here but glad to hear from the inventor!
Folks here will hopefully ask more questions and perhaps give you some feedback.
Nelson

I am considering adding a timer to the unit but it would add about 30 dollars to the price. What do you guys think? It would be a stand alone unit without a bunch of cords.

By the way guys I met up with Carl this afternoon and picked up a blanket from him. It will be a little bit before I do any bending (need to build a bender first!) but I would be more than willing to do a review of it after I've used it even though I've never used a side bender (starting my first build now) or another blanket to compare it to. Aesthetically it looks great; I'm excited to give it a whirl!

_________________
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill

I talked to Charles Fox today after he's had some time to test my blanket. He's bent some sides with it and said it worked very well. Charles was instrumental in developing the product by telling me what features he would like to see in them. future models may have more options such as timers built in and perhaps a thermometer.

The blanket I gave Charles is still going strong. My new shipment arrived today. I am more than pleased. They are 2 inches longer and get about 30 degrees hotter. The improvements cost me more so the price has gone up some. The buy it now price is $125.00 with bidding starting at $100.00 These have a full 36 inches above the sensor of unimpeded space. They reach a maximum temperature of 365 degrees F. With the dial set to where the high temp is 300 degrees F they have a temperature fluctuation of 5 degrees.

And the width....?
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I was in Charles' class a few weeks ago and got to see the Fox bender demo with the new blanket. It seemed sturdy with a good connection where the wires come out. I think that would be a likely area of failure. Charles was pretty vocal about the need for a timer as a safety back up. Can't argue safety concerns and yes, I would pay more for the timer, even if it were a separate unit. Thanks for putting in the hard work to get these made specifically for luthery.
Rob

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http://shastaguitar.com/
http://www.kalimbakit.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/comfyfootgr ... ature=mhee
http://www.facebook.com/robert.renick.7

Six inches

Carl: Thanks.
Tom

_________________
A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I bought one of these a few weeks ago.
So far so good.

I have never used a blanket before so I can't compare this to
other brands but it seems very well made and sturdy.

I've bent sides and bindings for 2 guitars so far and the only
anomaly I've noticed is that it's maximum temp. has gotten
higher more quickly the more I've used it.

The only very minor complaint I have is that the temp. dial is
C. instead of Fahrenheit.

hey, carl (if i may call you that), do you have any plans for international shipping? i might be tempted if the shipping costs are not to high...

cheers,
miguel.

_________________
member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I would be willing to ship internationally if you pay the difference in shipping. Keep in mind these are 120 volt units.

ah.... i forgot that. too much hassle than... someday, if all goes well, you´ll go international!
good luck with blanket!

cheers,
miguel.

_________________
member of the guild of professional dilettantes

If enough people in countries that use 230 volt are interested I can special order them on request.

Here is a supply option that a lot of us in Australia have used to address this same issue.

At MEI (USA based manufacturer of silicone heaters) you can order what ever you need in a heat blanket to include 240v or 110v, length, width, lead tab exit point, lead length, even an imbedded thermo couple if you want one and your choice of either J type of K type or what ever your PID is setup to read.... pretty much what ever you want, you just use the online order form and tick off what you need. They ship international at reasonable rates and the product is as good as any on the market because they supply the military and industry and therefore need to keep up specs 'and' they too are very reasonably priced.

Some members of the ANZLF forum have complained about the occasional lack of response to email enquires made to MEI. I think folks should try to understand that as a 'manufacturer', MEI are simply not geared up to address retail enquiries. Their normal course of business would see them dealing with engineers and procurement specialist who know exactly what they want. For MEI to take the time to respond to each enquiry coach people along through 'once off' sales advising in product selection, would be providing a service that a retail customer would normally pay a retailer and this would of course add to cost of their product.

Bottom line is you need read and get educated about exactly what you want and then use the online order form provided. Dealing with MEI in this way I have had no issues whatsoever and I do not know of anyone who has. As an indicator I went with a 240v, 5watt per inch, 6 x 36, with exit tab at one end, 1 metre of high temp conductors and an embedded "J" Type thermocouple so I could hook up to a PID with a digital timer in the loop....works a treat.

http://www.michaelsenterprises.com/DrawOnePage.aspx?PageID=14

Bottom line is you need take the time to read the design guide on their web site and get educated about exactly what you want and then use the online order form provided. It is simple enough and in dealing with MEI this way I have had no issues whatsoever and I do not know of anyone who has.



Cheers

Kim