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  #1  
Old 27th January 2013, 12:25 PM
MarkWalker MarkWalker is offline
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Default Plate warmer for dish warmer ?

My Photax dish warmer has finally given up and I was considering wether a cloth type plate warmer (around 4 ' long and running on @65 Watts) would be a suitable replacement. One of the advantageuos I can see is that larger trays are less precariously balanced than on the steel warmers, but on the other hand I guess the temperature may need more managing with a lack of variable thermostat, and there is the direct heat on the bench ?
Does anyone have any experience of using one ?

Regards, Mark Walker.
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  #2  
Old 27th January 2013, 01:46 PM
paulc paulc is offline
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Looked at plate/food warmers a while back - Some are available with thermostat, but they can get rather expensive. The one thing to watch for though is the temperature. Some of them can get way to hot for most photographic processes !
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Old 27th January 2013, 08:11 PM
John King John King is offline
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I have heard that heaters used by Physiotherapists for back injuries can be put to good use, although I don't have experience of using one I can see the point behind them. They do not as far as I know get hot enough to damage a work bench. They should have a thermostat built in too. (Health and Safety). They are usually made of rubber (plastic) and about 1/8th to 3/16" thick. You would have to check for proof against fluids though
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  #4  
Old 27th January 2013, 09:46 PM
robinb robinb is offline
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Hi Mark

I have not tried one but you can get heat mats for reptiles that may work
seems they also make them for dog baskets

have a look on the auction site

robin
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Old 28th January 2013, 09:34 AM
JKeys JKeys is offline
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I was toying with getting one of those fish tank heaters They go from 10 to 35c But not 40
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  #6  
Old 28th January 2013, 09:43 AM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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As John mentions peeps, DOUBLE CHECK that these various mats are okay / designed for liquid contact / spillage!!!

It's not worth trying to save some money if you're only going to frazzle yourselves!

Remember that PROPER photo heating bits do come up on THAT site quite regularly!

Terry S
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Old 28th January 2013, 11:08 AM
MarkWalker MarkWalker is offline
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Thanks, gentlemen for your replies, I just wanted to kick the idea around to see if it had been tried. I may well replace what I had - a 4' 'proper' heater - unless I can get to a shop that sells the cloth plate warmer to check it out.
To JKeys: you are mentioning the submersible type heater which I wouldn't use in chemicals. I have a fish tank heater that I have used for water baths upto 40C, so they do exist: good for maintaining temperature but not for raising it any considerable degree, which takes a long time as it is only @45 watts. Regards.
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  #8  
Old 28th January 2013, 11:56 AM
MikeHeller MikeHeller is offline
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Nova used to market a heating mat. I used to have one which I left on all the time. Anyway the mat itself managed to short out and burn my melamine work top (the burn mark is still there as a reminder). I was lucky it didn't do worse and I don't remember reading in the instructions that I should do otherwise. Thinking about it now, it would not have affected its use if I had only put it on when there but I can't remember the context at that time of my decision to leave it on.

Nova sold me a slot processor at a reduced price when I told them and I have never looked back. Good things can come out of bad! Anyway beware.
Mike
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  #9  
Old 29th January 2013, 10:54 AM
John King John King is offline
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At a push you could always make one! I did when I started out when I was 15 and could not afford a proper heater. I used a metal biscuit tin, a light fitting similar to those in ceiling lights and a light bulb (15w pygmy) properly earthed. If you can get a square one or preferably two, take one side out of each and join them together with metal strips and 2BA nuts and bolts to make an oblong then use 2 15w light bulbs.

I kid you not, these work and work very well and do not get over heated.

Last edited by John King; 29th January 2013 at 10:59 AM.
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  #10  
Old 29th January 2013, 11:30 AM
Terry S Terry S is offline
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Ah, the days of homemade bits... flower pot trays as chemical dishes; biscuit tin designs for enlargers and homemand wooden lighting stands with an ordinary 150 watt bulb in also spring to mind... aaahhhhh, as my mind takes me back to the 'good' old days of my youth and first interest in the photography and the darkroom... Thanks for the memory.

Terry S
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