JLebow
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 30, 2017
- Messages
- 106
- Reaction score
- 172
I've scratch build 6 fiberglass and carbon fiber rockets with parts that I've rolled and hand laid. My wife has banned the uncured epoxy from the house because of the (slight to me) smell. In the winter time, my unheated garage is cold and it takes a long time for the slow epoxy to cure. Now a few strategically placed heat lamps would probably solve my immediate problem. But, eventually I would like to get into some of the composites that stand up to the heat that Mach 2+ flight can produce. Those higher temp epoxies typically specify a one or two step curing profile between 120 and 250 degree F.
So this is what I built.
I started out wanting a metal liner. After looking at raw material prices, I found this locker for about $80. Mine was grey. It was the exact dimensions I had on my sketch pad: 6 feet x 18 in x 12 in.
The first job was to plug up all of the gaps: holes punched along the side walls for adjustable shelves, ventilation louvers, panel joints, and areas were the legs exit the locker body
100 pop rivets and a tube of high temperature RTV gasket maker later, I had the making of a fairly decent oven liner.
Industrial heating elements are expensive. Single burner hot plate stoves are not. I stripped out all of the plastic parts, the thermostat, and indicator lamp, and wired pigtails to the heater element with heat rated ring terminals and high temperature wire.
I don't want to burn down my house, so I also included a thermal cutout fuse that opens at 450 degrees F, wired in series with the heater element. It is mounted in a ceramic terminal block inside the oven.
So this is what I built.
I started out wanting a metal liner. After looking at raw material prices, I found this locker for about $80. Mine was grey. It was the exact dimensions I had on my sketch pad: 6 feet x 18 in x 12 in.
The first job was to plug up all of the gaps: holes punched along the side walls for adjustable shelves, ventilation louvers, panel joints, and areas were the legs exit the locker body
100 pop rivets and a tube of high temperature RTV gasket maker later, I had the making of a fairly decent oven liner.
Industrial heating elements are expensive. Single burner hot plate stoves are not. I stripped out all of the plastic parts, the thermostat, and indicator lamp, and wired pigtails to the heater element with heat rated ring terminals and high temperature wire.
I don't want to burn down my house, so I also included a thermal cutout fuse that opens at 450 degrees F, wired in series with the heater element. It is mounted in a ceramic terminal block inside the oven.