Official Luthiers Forum!

Can anyone suggest sources for a bending blanket? Preferably one that doesn't break the bank...but I suppose quality is a higher priority than low price.

Thanks.

-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

John Hall at BluesCreek guitars has them. Omega engineering has them but you will most likely have a long wait.
I'd contact John, his like in in the sponsor list.

The best value with not having to do your own wiring I found is Blues Creek Guitars AKA John Hall

I ordered 3 of the sfrg 636/2 form omega.ca, the canadian arm, and had them in about 3 weeks. The 512/2 was a different story - about 2.5 months.

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

I ordered mine from Omega. Took about a month as I recall.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I got mine from Omega, it was a few weeks I think, maybe a month. They offer the 2.5 W/sq.in. and 5 W/sq.in. With the 2.5, you can use a regular cheap household dimmer rated at 600W, and it gets plenty hot. (6"x36" blanket = 540W).

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

I have one 2.5w and a couple of 5w Omega blankets. The 2.5w does get plenty hot but it seems to take it a lot longer. I ordered the 2-5w blankets to help get up to bending temp faster and avoid drying out my wood before reaching temp.

I also purchased a commercial type dimmer and a timer at my local electrical supply place. Now I can use either one or two 5w blankets and get up to speed really fast. And the timer shuts them off automatically. Learned that one after cooking a set of bindings foe 2 or 3 days one time. Wonder I didn't burn the shop down.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

So you can plug the wires of those blankets directly into 120v? Is it possible
to use 2 blankets (to bend sides) and control both of them at the same time
with one dimmer/timer? Or to have say 3 or 4 different sized blankets (say
to remove bridges and neck extensions) and be able to plug them into the
same dimmer/timer setup? What's a good source for a dimmer/timer and
what specs to look for? I wouldn't want to burn the shop down…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Here's a vote for John Hall. It came with a temp controller included and I had it in just a few days. Just plugged in and bent wood, simple as that.

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

Another vote for John Hall here!

Serge

Laurent, any electrical supply house will have what you want. Just match up your ratings Watts or Voltamps, need to match. You can use a larger rating device for your blanket, but not the other way around.

If you want a timer, stick it in ahead of the dimmer to turn things. I don't use a timer, just a 1000 watt dimmer. I like to run full power until I reach waist temp, then haul back to about 80 percent, until done.

And even simpler, you could use a standard switch, kick it in and out until you reach the temp you want. It's such a hands on event anyway, you won't be leaving a set cooking to go pee.

J.,
The ones at the school are from John Hall at Blues Creek. They work fine, but it seems they take a little longer to hit hot than the ones from LMI. But they do work fine. Also the good thing about his is that they come with the timer and plug.
Tracy

Thanks for the tip Bruce, a 1000 watt dimmer should work then, same kind
you'd use for kitchen lights, right?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Another vote for John at Blues Creek Guitars! He'll get it to you pretty quick too!

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Add me to the John Hall fan club. It, together with some spring steel slats, arrived to me within 10 days including going through customs over here in the UK. Came complete with controller and John even threw in a thermometer. Oh and he sent me a Blues Creek ball pen, and do you know it's the smoothest writing ball pen I've got!

ColinColin S38737.5535185185

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

John Hall for me...but hold out for the free pen!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

John Hall as well...took the time to get a blanket to work with the different voltage we have over in Israel, sent it over here and...well my mom took over that pen...

[QUOTE=laurent] Thanks for the tip Bruce, a 1000 watt dimmer should work then, same kind
you'd use for kitchen lights, right?[/QUOTE]

Jes' 'member to match the ratings, standard household dimmers are a bit light at 600 watts, so you need the commercial dimmer at 1000 watts, sometimes not available at homestores. Electrical suppliers always have 'em.

And timers aren't a real saftey valve if they don't work. I bought two recently about $25 apiece, neither would turn the power off. They did tick like little clocks, but couldn't get over the hump to turn off the switch. They were defective. Nothing like paying attention to what you are doing.

Mario, after boiling his gluepot dry, recommended them to everyone. I bought those to fill that bill, right after mine boiled dry. Unfortunately, the Quality Control was lacking on my timers, so they went back.

One Monday I went in my shop to realize that my electric bender was still on from Friday. Dear Lord, maybe we just need to throw the main breaker each day before we leave. As Charlie Brown said, "Good Grief!"

A few minutes ago in my shop, I looked around for my fire extinguisher. There wasn't one. I do have a big nice one in my garage where I currently spray. Okay, I'm headed to town to get some more timers and a fire extinguisher.

Laurent - Maybe its just me, but being an electrical engineer I wouldnt advise wiring two 550 w blankets to a single 1000 watt dimmer - its going to burn out sooner than later, maybe real soon if the tolerance is tight.

And a word of caution - yes keeping an eye out is good, but get a working timer on there - you dont want to get called to the phone, or by your wife and forget the bender for very long - scorched wood may be the least of your worries. It can happen to the best of us.

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

Tony and Bruce thanks for the good advice! So 2 dimmers it will be, I don't
think I need a timer. I always turn the main breaker off when I leave my
primitive shop, but it's just because it serves as a main lights switch…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I bought some from Minco. They were around $60 something and work fine.

Here is the info on Minco. They have a website too. www.minco.com

Minco Products, Inc.
7300 Commerce Lane
Minneapolis, MN 55432.3177
Telephone Number (763)571-3121


Minco# 8-HR6686R16.5L12A(D)
Description: Standard Wirewound Heater

The cost was $61.90
Shipping for 2 of them was $6.27. I live in Mass.

I just called up and they took my Mastercard Number and I had them
within a couple of days.

Laurent, if you go to an electrical supply place you can get dimmers with higher ratings. I think the one I wound up with is 1500w, and it will handle 2 blankets at the same time. Just make sure to measure the blanket and multiply time watts per square inch to see what total wattage you need. Seems like they told me they had a couple of dimmers that were rated even hidger.

Cost is around $50.00 if I remember right.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

A question for John Hall : We here from "Down Under " are on 240 V. Can you supply blankets for us ?
What costs ?

KiwiCraig

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CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
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Craig: most of the suppliers listed do have 220/240V versions of the blankets. However, controls for them are a different matter entirely. I found it was easier to just get 110V versions and run them on stepdown transformers.