Because it isn't feasable to keep a decent temperature 24hrs a day with the little 5KW heater we have, I've been trying to think of ways to at least get the chance to glue small peices together. Some of the small electrical heaters still use 750 to 1500 KW and that's a lot of juice for what you get. So I got a couple of sheets of 1 1/2" styrofoam and cobbled together a "hot box" that is 36"w x 48"l x 30"h. The corners are pinned together with 1/8" x 18" rods which makes it easy to put together and pull apart. It is heated with two 100w bulbs in reflectors. I don't have a thermometer handy but it was nice and toasty in there this morning while the ambient air temp in the shop was near the mid thirties. (outside temp was 14)
I still have to come up with a way to heat the hull and cabin this winter if I want to lay down some epoxy. It may be just a different version of this as I don't want to invest in a bunch of heaters. I can heat up the outside of the hull by directing the gas heater toward it for a short while as we bring the shop up to temp before going to all electric heat. Then it may be up to some more reflectors and a means of clamping them in place for twelve hours. I've even thought about getting some electric blankets and draping them over the hull adjacent to where we're working to see if they could hold a constant temperature. Any ideas out there?
Reply With Quote