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I am going to buy a bending blanket but LMII sells 220v international models but you can't get the temp control for the 220v model.....
my other option is to buy 110v blanket, 110v temp/timer and then get a step down/up transformer...this is starting to look expensive...

my question is does anyone use the blanket only without the temp control because i read that these blankets heat up to 500f and get to that pretty fast.....Is it a hassle without the temp control because i imagine it would be a lot of plugging /unplugging the power to try and regulate the temperature...

I have spoken to watlow (Australia)directly and they have a thermostat model that cuts off at 310 degrees fahrenheit which sounds good..but i can only get these in 110v...and they are twice the price of the LMII model and i still need the transformer....

If anyone has any other options they can suggest or any experience using one without the temp control/timer that might be the way I have to go with my budget

cheers grant

Give Omega engineering a try. I'm sure they'll have what you need.

IMO the temp. control is essential. The blankets warm up fast and without something to control the heat you will probably burn something. The other thing to consider...when you are in the process of bending the wood you probably will not have a free hand to mess with plugging/unplugging the blanket.

Good luck!

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Brad
Avon, OH

Oh, it works fine without temp control, but it's stressful (always switching on, off, on, off, on, off...). I decided to go with 110v models and get stepdown transformers. Check army surplus stores in your area; I buy a couple of transformers whenever I see them, currently have 4 of them, not one cost me more than 25 euros/dollars. Haven't used the new setup yet, but it should work...

Grant, I bought a 1000 watt dimmer switch the kind used for controlling indoor lighting. Check with a lighting dealer there must be something like that available in 220v.Keith M38958.327349537

I am with Keith - there must be light dimmers in your country with at least a 600 watt rating (I use the 2.5 watt blanket and a 6 buck dimmer from the Borg). I find that it works best for almost any wood at about 3/4 setting. Or, if there are electrical junk shops around, get a 220v variac, that will certainly work (I used to use one before I added the much smaller dimmer to the rig)

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

John Hall has blankets for both 110V and 220V, his prices are very good too. My "temperature controller" is water that I spray on top steel slat to see how it behaves. If evaporates too fast it is too hot, if it sizzles I am OK and so on, kind of like using a bending pipe. I have a timer that also has an on/off switch, but flipping that switch is not what I call stressful, it is what you get used to and part of the procedure. I still use the lights inside the bender too, so the wood gets heat from both sides.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

My temp controller is a router speed control. In the USA you can buy them at most woodworking establishments. I don't know if they have then in Australia or for 220V but that is a less expensive option if they do.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Grant,

You might also want to try eBay. I just typed in "temperature controller" (with the quotes) and got over 100 hits. Here's one that is 110-240, and displays in degrees F and C.

My blanket has a thermocouple. I bought a temp controller off eBay for mine (a different one than above), and it works great.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

I used to use a router speed controller, now I use a dimmer that I bought at a local electrical supply place. Both work equally well.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

another option is to use a variac. used versions for 240v are available on ebay around the us$50 mark. just make sure you get one which will handle the blankets amps.

one other thing: always use a timer. if you forget the thing is on a ruined side is in the offing, if not a fire which can... you know the rest.

use a timer!!!crazymanmichael38958.3841435185

Another version of the Variac is the Powerstat made by Superior Electric. They can be bound on Ebay also.
I use a PID controller in conjunction with the Powerstat which lets me crank the voltage up to about 130 VAC for quick heating. It's interesting to watch the PID home in on the preset temp.
Michael, you mention that your blanket has a thermocouple. Where does one find these? I use a leaf type sensor sandwiched in between the layers but have to be careful that it maintains good contact for accurate reporting. A built-in thermocouple sounds good.
Nelson

Issues over here:

1) 700-1000 watt dimmers that I've found (I phoned around. A lot) were all much, MUCH more expensive than a blanket. Heck, more expensive than two blankets.

2) Variacs can be found with a bit of luck, but are a bit pricey: the one I've seen that can handle the wattage was around 80 bucks.

3) There are no router speed controllers available anywhere in Europe. Not that I've found.

Grant, This looks like it will work.

http://www.electronicplus.com/content/ProductPage.asp?mainca t=e&subcat=edi

about the 15th item down under 220v $54.95

I have given my mandomaniac {Tom Durr} heatblanket with thermostat a few test runs - it works perfect!
It goes up to your pre-set temperature, then about 10degrees above then falls to about 10 degrees below, then 8 above 8 below 6 above/below until it finds the perfect temp! It was expensive at $325 USD but I got the quick connects and timer with it for that price.
so I can interchange blankets of any size quickly and easily.
I may have gotten one cheaper but for a newb like me being able to set the temp and timer is priceless - monitoring it would probably have been stressful for an inexperienced guy like me.
Good luck finding the right one for you.
cheers
Charliewood

Charlie--Does Tom have a website?
Nelson

you can also pick up a dimmer from Home Depot for about 50 bucks .it is used for large hall lighting it is rated for 600 hundred watts

Whoops...I just saw you are in Aussie,I don't think you have a Home Depot ...sorry mate.

Grant,

Having a Japanese wife there are a few 110 volt appliances in my house. I got hold of a 240/115 volt stepdown transformer from Dick Smith. They have units up to 8.1 amp capacity with largest unit priced at $Aus246. Check it out here: http://dseau.resultspage.com/search.php?p=UK&srid=S2%2d1&lbc =dseau&ts=p2&pw=transformer&pu=279&uid=752642502&&sessionid= 44f60b9c08e906742740c0a87f9c06ed&isort=score&w=240v%20110v%2 0transformer&rk=1

Cheers Martinkiwigeo38959.7657291667

[QUOTE=ken walton]   Whoops...I just saw you are in Aussie,I don't think you have a Home Depot ...sorry mate.[/QUOTE]

We have Bunnings (= "Blunderings") and Mitre 10.

that controller that was linked will also be needing the thermocouple. I am starting to get voltage converters. They are in the $30 range to convert 240 to 120.
   That makes the units very cost effective as compared to 240 Vac controllers
john hall
blue creek guitars

a heating blanket at full on puts out 1080 watts, 9 amps on 120v. make sure you can handle the current.

Thanks for all the feedback .....very interesting

one thing i am going to research before making a purchase is the possibility of making an outside mold out of box tube steel and fill it with oil and use the thermostat from one of those oil column heaters to heat the oil in the mold.....

this way the mold can be used for bending and assembly....but this is just a concept at the moment and i will have to research whether this may work...

thanks for all the help and i will post anything that looks promising

      That will not be all that good of an idea as you are going to need a good about of heat and bending the steel is not an east task. I does sound like you may have knowlege in that area.
       Wood temps for bending range from 275 to 350 for most woods. Also you need full contact for the wood to bend but you want to have some areas open to work with when building. The object is to set the sides up in the mold and keep them there till the top and back are on.
      You want to set the sides in the mold set the top square and radius the back. Then set the angle in the top, either a 1 to 1 1/2 degree or a radius disk of 25 to 28 feet. This sets the sides up for the top and back contoure and the top sets up for theneck angle. This eliminates the fretboard drop off or rise so the line of the fretboard is a straight transistion.
      john hall
blues creek guitars
Ebay has a nice selection of voltage converters

I would advise anyone NOT to buy the 5 watt per sq inch blanket - you just dont need that much power. I have the 2.5 watter and cant run it full on, its way too hot, dries out the wood and you WILL crack sides. The 2.5 gets up to temp at 3/4 on the dimmer in about a minute, then you can start down on the waist screw. SO with 2.5, the wattage is only 550, hence the cheap 6 buck dimmers work fine.

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"