I guess the government is mandating the discontinuation of manufacturing inefficient incandesent lamps. 150-200 watts last year, 75-100w this year, 46-60w next. I went to Lowe's for 150-200W, but none available. Only high wattage lamp was brooder red heat lamps. Has anyone tried these?
In Europe we have/had a similar situation- untill some guys started selling the bulbs as heatsource^^
Ive never tried those kind..Mine has six 100W bulbs and its almost too much. I don't have a thermostate hooked up to mine so I usually have to crack the lid to let some heat out. If you can still get 100's then I would just buy some up.
I don't think you need high wattage. 60W should work. You might need one or two more bulbs, but it'll still get hot. You can also use halogen bulbs. Those get plenty hot. Even xmas lights give off plenty of heat...
I've got an insulated box with 4 100w bulbs. Not quite enough to hit 180f. May have to add more bulbs. I'm still going to stock up on 100 watters as I find them.
I was wondering about haligen bulbs. I just bought a haligon utility light and was amazed by the heat it generates. You have to be careful that the heat sourse doesn't concentrate the heat in one or two areas but gives relatively even heat throughout the box.
My hot box has 4 ceramic light sockets and 1" thick foil backed foam board on the inside. I have an inline thermostat from Bingham and with 4 100w bulbs it will hit 186 deg. I made my box for building glass bows(only made one) but use it primarily for drying selfbow wood.
I use three 250 watt heat lamps in my hot box. They work great. My box is also insulated with one inch thick foil backed foam. On cold days, like today, regular bulbs would never get me up to temperature. The heat lamps do. Further, I never could understand using regular light bulbs because they are not designed for heat. Heat lamps are designed for heat and should last longer.
I bought 12 spare 100 watt bulbs last year just for my box..when they are gone I'll use some kind of heat coil with a thermostat and small fan for air circulation. I get arround 170 with my four 100 watt bulbs. I'm gonna insulate a little better and see if i can hit 180 degrees with 4-100's.. last winter my shop heater quit working..I had to throw a couple of blankets over the box to get temps over 160 degrees
I went though the same thing a few weeks ago when I finished my hotbox. I could only find 70 watt and couldn't get it hot enough. I finally found some 150s at Lowes and can get 180* with 3 of them and 1 70watt. I need to go back and get some more while they have them it sounds like.
I wonder why I`ve never heard of someone using parts of an kitchen oven???
I just built a new temporary oven for doing a one piece bow. I just used the 1/2" foil backed foam board. Taped the side walls together with metal duct tape. Top just lays on. Set it up on my concrete floor and I couldn't get it to temp. I layed another piece of 1/2" foam for a floor and bingo. I used three 200 watt bulbs from Lowes but believe I wouldn't have needed that much. I bought them when I didn't insulate the floor on my first go around and trying to get the temp up then.
foil-backed foam interior, foil-backed plywood exterior, 4 150watt bulbs. I picked up a 120V fan from american science & surplus and a bi-metal stat from McMaster-Carr. 176 degrees steady. I did buy replacements, just in case, but the heat lamp bulbs look like a very decent option
I used the foil backed bubble wrap insulation from Lowes and with the six 100W on the first test run it hit 200* pretty quick.
5 - 100W bulbs need a thermostat for me. I bought about 50 at Wally's in anticipation of the phase out. $10 or so total. I actually agree with the law in principle. They generate way too much heat to be an efficient light source. But when you want them for their heat and not their light.....
Guys found some 200w, 150w and 100w bulbs at Menards. They get $3 each for phased out 200w & 150w, $2 for 4pk of 100w. Bought enough to last a good while.
Qutoe "I actually agree with the law in principle"
Please don't take this wrong and I mean no hard feelings but it's all Bull Shmit. I've been a electrician for 35 years and I can tell you this is the biggest propaganda lie in history. Well probably not but dang near the top five. Don't get me started on this but I could go on and on about how worthless the new technology is and who it benefits but keeping it a traditional bow building forum I won't. Lets just say I'm hoarding incadescent light bulbs! lol But sadly even those are poorly made now!
We cant get the incandescent bulbs over here anymore but The 75 watt halogen are more than enough. I do run 10 bulbs but pull 5 when doing tips or overlays etc. Only use the full set when doing a lam glue up. With a deflex/reflex, with multiple glue lines I go down on the heat with each glue up so as not to loosen previous glue lines. Bit of a juggle but seems to work.I don't have a thermstat either due to trying to wire it myself [a no no] and frying it.
I'd have to jump on board with Dave on this one that incandescent bulbs are clearly less efficient than fluorescent. With that said its another question whether this really required legislation or the free market would have worked things out.
Anyway, 100 watts of incandescent bulbs and 100 watts of cfl bulbs will both produce the same amount of heat in a closed box. The cfl bulbs will make more light per watt but when that light hits the inside of the box it is all turned into heat. Energy is conserved so unless your lights are making a whole bunch of noise, it all ends up as heat one way or another.
In my opinion the main problem is most cfl bulbs aren't dimmable and those that are cost more money. You could put in like 6-10 42watt cfl bulbs each on its own switch and get decent temp control. I used to maintain an indoor garden and used cfl bulbs, tey kept it very warm, I had to use ventilation.
Quote " that incandescent bulbs are clearly less efficient than fluorescent" It all depends on what you qualify as efficent. If your talking bench testing using watt meters for a couple minutes or hours yes CF clearly is the choice. IF you consider the intitial cost, (which is suppose to be off set by the life but in reality doesn't),if you consider there is only ONE COUNTRY that makes ALL flourscent bulbs, (it ain't America), if you consider the mercury used in the making and the requirement of supposedly disposing of spent bulbs for hazarodous waste that never happens, etc etc. I recently have been "upgrading" to newer more efficient FL lighting in my work enviroment. We've been recording a 2% failure out of the box. Another 2% failure within 6 months. Another 4% within a year. Now think about the above savings keeping in mind the labor to replace. It sure creates jobs just not for America. Yes we as a BULK user are getting a refund form our utility company for labor and the foreign supplies, you know who pays for that or where that refund money comes from? Residential users!
In the mean time I have two R30 65w can light bulbs in my house that are above the kitchen bar. Undoubtly the most used, constantly on and off bulbs in my house. They came from a promotion of GE 35 years ago if you visited a electrical supply house they gave you one free bulb each visit. THEY BOTH ARE STILL BURNING. Now consider replacing them with todays standards of bulbs, The cost of manufacting, transportation and disposing etc! Who has used more energy? Just saying. Now I promise not to post anymore on this topic to keep it a traditional bow building forum! But 100w and 200w incadescent light bulbs are great for bow building! And I love incadscent light bulbs in my house! lol I'm going to Lowes to buy more now. Sadly they are junk now adays too!