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I have an Ibex bender and have only used it 5 times. When it is not in use I have it in it's box and take good care of it, but for some reason it gets hot and then immediately cools down a lot. What is wrong with this thing?

I know nothing about circuitry... Thanks for the help though.

might be time to send it back.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Sounds more like a thermostat problem. These things are simple heater/thermostat circuits. I'd be tempted to contact Ibex (or the retailer), even if the warranty period has lapsed. Seems to be extremely premature for things to be failing.
If that proves to be expensive, try and find someone who is familiar with fairly basic electrics/electronics. The Ibex is about as complex as a household clothes iron.

The thermostats in those are crap. Mine has to be set to High (which disengages the thermostat) in order to get hot and stay there. If I put it one number down (6 I think) it keeps turning on and off every 20 seconds or so, which is too annoying to listen to, and not hot enough. I've been meaning to open it up and mess around with it (usually these are strips of bimetal and can be bent around for "calibration"). But it heats so slowly with its underpowered element that leaving it on High has worked OK and I haven't bothered yet.

One other thing: it's a good idea to put these on a timer for the inevitable day when you leave it on. I've been meaning to do that, too.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I can't believe those things are so expensive, when all I've ever heard about them is that they burn up as soon as you use them.

I much prefer my charcoal lighter setup. $10 for the lighter, $10 for a dimmer switch, and a free scrap of exhaust pipe from Midas. Couple bucks for brackets and bolts to attach it to a wood scrap, and it works like a charm. Pipe is too large for tight cutaways or violins, but I may go out and look for a thinner walled large pipe that I can crunch into an oval shape, or just build another with a smaller pipe. I've also bent tight binding curves directly against the charcoal starter element But I might not have the guts to try that if it wasn't jammed into the pipe to regulate its temperature. Need to try it on violin ribs sometime.

Anyway, I agree with those who have said to send the ibex back for repairs or refund.

It works when I use it at high, but I'm just worried the thing will completely crap out.

I just took mine apart, and ordered a new heater cartridge and control from Grainger's. I doubled the wattage from 200 to 400. I see that LMI has the insulation gaskets--my old one fell apart, and the wood under it was charred. Probably sheetrock or cement board would do at least as well.

I'll report back on how successful my attempt at hotrodding the thing is.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I had this cast many years ago. Does anything from a Cello to a Violin and pretty much all in between. it was my intention to fit a timer/thermostat but in practice there is no real need. Being made of solid aluminium means it holds the heat long enough to bend a set of sides. I simply pull the plug when the temperature is reached.

Hmm, I am pretty much satisfied with mine. I set it at 5.5 for rosewood and 6 for ebony. Doesn't seem to go on and off too often.

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Build log

+1 for running it on high. Haven't had any problems with mine.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"