Home Made Heat Press

[NitroRustlerDriver 1]

I'm building a heat press and had one question. Those of you that have built one, what did you use for the pad on the bottom? I know commercial presses use silicone foam, but sadly, that stuff is pretty expensive. Are there any alternatives?

[tinaski 11]

just a few thoughts i havent done but ideas

denim - i would say about 5-9 layers of denim should do it stitch them together and try that

same thing with canvas but canvas is a little more dense

cotton - look for a cotton pad that temp has to be good for about 350+

here is a few links i found

http://www.tufftemp.com/Fabricated_Pads/fabricated_pads.html

http://www.rubbersheetroll.com/silicone-rubber-high-temperature.html

http://www.prestostore.com/catalog.php?ref=rsrstore&dt=59166&disp=price

http://www.stockwell.com/pages/products_hightemp.php

if it was me i would use denim for trial and if you like how everything turns out i would look into some of the sites and buy one or contact them and see if they recommend something else that would work

[bamafan2277 50]

The thing about denim that would worry me is the color fastnes of it. with the heat I would say some of the dye in it could bleed out.

The stuff that is on heat presses now is like a wet suit material that is high temp. Maybe look for a thick ironing board pad.

[tinaski 11]

im not sure it would after a few washes but i just found this this is what ya need

high temp fabric

http://www.hightemperaturefabric.com/high-temperature-heat-fire-resistant-thermal-insulation-silicone-coated-fiberglass-fabric-fireblanket.html

[Laceylp 1]

Hit your local dollar general or family dollar and buy a iron cover that is insulated and has a metallic type fabric radiates the heat.  Cost about $5.00 for a mini ironing board cover.  I am not employed by either companies and have no ties to them.  Any local discount type store may have them....cheap and should hold up to high temps.

Hope it helps.

Lacey

[NitroRustlerDriver 1]

Thought I would bump this with pictures of the finished press.

Works great for what I use it for. The base sits on 4 adjustable screws so I can adjust the height on all 4 corners. I use a piece of bungy cord and an S-hook to apply pressure and cut down an ironing board cover to fit the base. I've made ~ a dozen shirts so far. Took a little bit to get the temp just right and the time to press just right, but other then that, it works great. I use a touchless laser thermometer to check the temp of the plate and the temperature differnece between coldest to the hottest areas is only 15

[Conquestgraphics 4]

looks good!!

[jdog1473 1]

Looks awesome. Which griddle did you go with?

[NitroRustlerDriver 1]

Looks awesome. Which griddle did you go with?

I don't even remember anymore. Just one that was on sale at the time. Shouldn't matter which one you get if you plan on building one.

[prototype66 20]

that's a trip dude, great job! Never would have thought of that!

[Dakotagrafx 7,297]

that's a trip dude, great job! Never would have thought of that!

same thing as a monkey press but made out of metal! and cheaper

[vicr1972 0]

looks good... what did you use for the pad for this because i see that you have it as a non-floating heating element. is it very heavy to transport around the house? i see that you use light grade aluminum to frame it so was just curious.

NICE WORK!

[NitroRustlerDriver 1]

The bottom is a piece of 3/4" plywood covered in an ironing board cover. I mounted it on adjustable pedestals at each corner so I could evenly adjust the amount of pressure the hot plate put on it. The entire frame is made of steel actually, no aluminum other then the griddle itself. It is heavy enough to not move around while using it, but light enough to carry easily. I will say that the bungee strap idea didn't work out so well. It just doesn't provide enough pressure. The press still works fine however, I just lean on the handle a little bit when pressing. It seems you can't really apply too much pressure, but you can have not enough.