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i can only agree with those who have opined that the allied machine is overkill. perhaps worth it in a school or a production shop but for the hobbyist or the small scale custom builder it is over the top.

use your money for something you need...

Hey Mike , just to reply to my follow up question, the sides bent perfect as a matter a fact i took a measurement from the top of the bulbs to the top of my form (at lower .... height 4-7/8) (the upper 3-3/8) the temp rose farely fast. as soon as it reached bending temp .......it was on like a pot of neck bones. . . the sides came out looking good



the side in mold



thanks Mike for the comment.

Really nice bender Matt, didn't have the courage to build me that upper part when i built mine, didn't have enough info and realize now that i should have asked!

Or you can go this route:



I use a mold that I made from MDF with a blanket that has a thermocouple, which is tied into a temp controller (mounted in that artsy looking box). The darkroom timer is used to time the heat cycles. I ordered the plans and the blanket from Tom (aka mandomaniac over at the other forum) and assembled the setup myself. Total cost, including the plans, blanket, controller, timer, and a solid-state relay with heat sink, was about $200. Works amazingly well. More recently I added spring steel slats and a reverse mold (which fits over the slatted sides) in order to reduce the chance of the sides developing "ripples" when bending.

Best,

MichaelMichael McBroom38872.0747569444

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