Building a hot box

[Skijunkie]

I want to build a hot box to bake my skis in to completely saturate the bases in waxy goodness.

It will probably be made of MDF be about 205cm in length and be wide enough to accommodate all skis with binders under that length. One side will be hinged to allow the skis to be placed inside. It will be sealed with some foam strips on the door and liquid nails everywhere else. I will also incorporate a temp gauge probably of the kitchen variety since we are baking and all.

My questions are
1) what temperature should they bake at?
2) what makes a good heating element?
3) would a heat gun blowing through the box and out the end do the job?
4) how long should they bake and can a heat gun handle this duty cycle?

[farmer]

I've read that a couple light bulbs work.

[Skijunkie]

hmm interesting I'm assuming heat lamps?

[Mathematics]

did someone say hotbox?

[kttate75]

I've never used a hotbox so I'm not sure what kind of temps you're looking for, but I'd be careful heating MDF. Lots of toxic chemicals in that shit, not to mention any kind of moisture will destroy it pretty quick.

[grskier]

search jong...

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ight=Hot*+Box*

[BSS]

Not to mention it'll weigh 500 lbs. A 1x1" frame with 1/4" cheap plywood skin is fine.

It needs to be big enough inside that the direct heat from the lamps won't burn your bases. 3x3x8' with 3 or 4 lamps is pretty standard. You want it to maintain 130-140F, so getting a digital thermometer for it isn't a bad idea either.

[El Chupacabra]

Or do it the cheap (free) way, assuming you live somewhere with low humidity:

(a) Store the skis over summer someplace really hot, with a thick coat of wax on the bases.. I leave mine in the rafters of my shed/workshop, which gets to 110-120 degrees on the hottest days. Not ideal hotbox temps, but over weeks of this, the wax absorbs in.

(b) Same as (a), but leave them in your car, in the sun, with the windows rolled up. Plenty hot in that automotive greenhouse.

[Skijunkie]

Ok thanks for the link and various tips guys.

hmm I kinda like the base board heaters, seems there is more adjustability and control over temps. Also the placement of a fan in the box is a good idea to even out the hot spots... hmmm

[jondrums]

anyone have a hotbox in the SF bay area? Beers for a wax soak?

[B-Squads in Deep Pow]

I have made a hot box in a gondola car. We used a clay pipe stuffed with bud for a heating element.

WTF are you guys talking about ???

[Krash]

My questions are
1) what temperature should they bake at?
2) what makes a good heating element?
3) would a heat gun blowing through the box and out the end do the job?
4) how long should they bake and can a heat gun handle this duty cycle?

All you need is a box with two household incandescent light bulbs, 60 to 100 watt, and wire them to a dimmer switch. That gives you your temp adjustment. I would not run above 120 deg, but you can bake over night 12+ hours. A heat gun would get over worked and probably run too hot. You could add some small computer style fans to circulate the air better. And getting an outdoor thermometer with a lead you can place inside the box is nice, then you can monitor the temp without opening the box.

Always a good idea to monitor your first few pair very closely, you can easily fuck up a pair of skis if they get too hot even for a little while

[Skijunkie]

Thanks Krash,

The dimmer switch is great idea. I won't be to worried about the first pair cause I'll be baking some shitty old garbage skis.

[Ira]

Toko and Swix reccomend the Thermo bags to be 155-165F, but they have a really accurate thermostat and heating element...

here is a good link on use... http://tokous.com/thermo_bag.htm

Lay a couple of old blankets over the thing when you close it up for insulation.

Ira