Official Luthiers Forum!

what size (length and width) heating blankets do you guys use?  and what size bending slats do you use to go along with them?  would it matter if you had a 36 inch blanket and a 34 inch slat? 

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sweat the small stuff.

i use the 6 x 36 blanket from omega($69) and 6x36 spring steel slats. i buy a roll and cut my own.

if you are very careful and don't let the slat cut the blanket covering so that hings get hot in a electrical sense, you could use a 34" slat but it might be too short for cutaways on a bigger body.

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sweat the small stuff.

michael, you made excellent points by the way.

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sweat the small stuff.

Bought my stuff from John, with the sizes you say, and it has not been an issue in any way. None, nada...my personal opinion is that you're fine. The blanket is far longer than my typical side anyway, so you have more than enough room.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

My blanket is a couple of inches longer than my slats, its no problem.

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David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

excellent. thanks for dispelling my worries. i was about to order slats from mcmaster, so you saved me some money on shipping. well, that and john hall's are less expensive. so thanks everyone.

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sweat the small stuff.

I have the same setup from john hall ((36" blankel, 34" slats (stainless)), and have not had a problem

I got my slats from OnlineMetals.com. You can specify what type of steel,
stainless or otherwise, and what dimensions you want and they'll cut it to
size. Prices are pretty reasonable, especially considering the small quantities
and custom cuts.

[QUOTE=crazymanmichael]i use the 6 x 36 blanket from omega($69) and 6x36 spring steel slats. i buy a roll and cut my own.

if you are very careful and don't let the slat cut the blanket covering so that hings get hot in a electrical sense, you could use a 34" slat but it might be too short for cutaways on a bigger body.[/QUOTE] Where did you buy the omega blanket? I went to their website but couldn't find that size?

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Mistakes are mandatory-learning from them is optional. http://www.opensourceluthiersupply.com

 Greenman, here is the link. http://www.omega.com/pptst/SRFR_SRFG.html
The model number is SRFG-636
Regards Rich

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

[QUOTE=Ricardo] Greenman, here is the link. http://www.omega.com/pptst/SRFR_SRFG.html
The model number is SRFG-636
Regards Rich
[/QUOTE] Found it the only thing I don't know is that they have different watt densities 2, 5, or 10? Which one is the right one. By the way harbor freight has router speed contols on sale for 10.00 half price.

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Mistakes are mandatory-learning from them is optional. http://www.opensourceluthiersupply.com

i prefer the 5w/sq in version. the 2.5w version takes much longer to get things up to heat. but they they have the advantage that you can use a common household dimmer switch to control them.

i use a variac to control the blanket heat output. they are commonly available on ebay.