Tell me about your "Hot Box"

[chiefjason]

I just put the shoe rack in my dryer and run if for 40-50 minutes.  I have a solar one I use for small stuff in the summer time if I don't want to use the dryer or don't need it fast.  Mag holders and such mostly.  Clear Plastic box with foil in the bottom, a small metal rack, and some holes in the top.  

[BHPshooter]

On 8/5/2016 at 1:34 AM, malabar said:

I use an actual oven.  I have a convection oven that I use for all of my leather work. I put the pieces on wooden racks inside of it. Set it to 170 (the lowest temp) and set it to run for 24 minutes.  At the end of the cycle, I check the pieces, put them back in the another 20 minutes or so, and voila, they're done.

tk

Completely dry in an hour? That would be something else. I generally hang things up to dry overnight, wherever it happens to be warmest (which varies greatly, depending on the season).

I really like what you guys are doing here... I think I need to stop thinking about it, and just do it.

Dwight, can you tell me more about your "clicker"? I searched ebay, but all I found were garage door openers... I'm assuming there is a more technical name for that component that I don't know. At any rate, that temp range sounds just about perfect for me.

[Dwight]

28 minutes ago, BHPshooter said:

I really like what you guys are doing here... I think I need to stop thinking about it, and just do it.

Dwight, can you tell me more about your "clicker"? I searched ebay, but all I found were garage door openers... I'm assuming there is a more technical name for that component that I don't know. At any rate, that temp range sounds just about perfect for me.

Here you go BHP, . . . http://www.ebay.com/itm/161879098455?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I'm thinking it probably needs a 8 or 10 inch piece of metal up in the top to heat up and make it "click", . . . but I haven't done anything on that once I saw that my 4 100 watt bulbs just went a tad shy of the 140 mark and never went over.  

I'll still do it, . . . but right now it is not one of those things that "NEED" to get done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[msdeluca]

About ready to cut wood... did some drawings and an electrical schematic.

I blame Dwight...

Click to go to full size images for printing.

 

 

[Dwight]

I thought about using a fan or two, . . . like the CPU fan, . . . but when I got done, I found out in my "hurry" I offset the hinges so there is a crack all around three sides of the door, . . . funny thing was, . . . pretty good air circulation, . . . without the fan.

I purposely put the bulbs in the bottom, . . . heat rises, . . . making the chamber hottest at the top, . . . and I'll have to do some temp readings down further to see what temp is where.

"Never mess with a good thing, . . . even if it was from dumb luck", . . . has always worked for me.

May God bless,

Dwight

[msdeluca]

I thought about placing the lamps at the bottom and finally decided against it.  Didn't want anything dripping on the lamps and didn't want hot spots coming off the lamps from below.  Since heat rises, it will accumulate at the top (the reason for the boxed area at the top) and it is the fans that will circulate the hot air, more evenly, downward around the objects to be dried...

I think the gap around the door introduces fresh air and allows some hot air to escape... possibly allowing for more even heating overall... maybe...

Hell, Dwight, its all just a guess until you actually build something and see what the hell it does.

Once I get mine built, we'll compare notes...

I'm also hoping my design will allow from some jerky makin' (another reason for placing lamps above)... took some tips from some dehydrators...

What could be better than jerky smellin' holsters...

Edited August 10, 2016 by msdeluca

[electrathon]

I have made a few of these years ago (we were heating batteries, electric car racing) and I used a cooler (insulated box) a thermostat (about $5 each) and a hair drier.  You drill a hole in the bottom and feed air in from the drier, a hole in the top to let out the warm, moist air.  The thermostat will cycle the drier so it only runs when heat is needed.

If you do not move fresh air in you are building a terrarium and you may end up with lots of mold in the drier. 

[Toney]

Most of the year I just use my truck.

During the winter I use a small box with a hole big enough to poke my desk lamp through

[KY PI]

Dwight, My sister's dish washer went out this summer and she asked me to haul her old one off after getting the new one installed. I loaded it up and got to thinking...... it has a built in heater, fan and racks........... How could this be modified for our use?  Could even cut a couple of holes for a vent and heat lamp if necessary....... I didn't haul it to the landfill but it is instead sitting outside my workshop........  How would this work?

[Dwight]

Sounds like a winner to me, . . . take out the guts, . . . build a rack in the middle, . . . or at least some kind of bars to hang the holster on.

Should be pretty easy to rig up a thermostat inside, . . . to turn the heater and a fan on and off, . . . 

I would not think you would need a heat lamp, . . . heater should be quite enough, . . . and it's already insulated, . . . looks like a winner to me.

First thing to do though, . . . gut it, . . . get a meat thermometer, . . . drill a little hole in the side of it, . . . put the thermometer in there, . . . turn it on, . . . find out what kind of heat we are talking about, . . . from all I've ever heard, . . . 140 F is the MAX,

I do know (and you don't need to ask how) that dampening a Kirkpatrick holster for a 1911, . . . putting it in the microwave for a minute, . . . is too hot.

May God bless,

Dwight