Don Herbert was a god to me.
Loved that show and remember the episode.
Don Herbert was a god to me.
I may have mentioned this before up thread or in your thread but I have the tank & hose from an old wallpaper steamer fed into a length of PVC pipe for steaming & bending cedar strips to replace broken ribs & strips on canvas canoes. Screw off one of the end caps & load in the strips. Don't have a pic handy of the set up but this canoe will give you an idea of the cedar strips after being bent & finished.It's just a galvanized funnel that I bought at Rural King. I sewed a cloth sock to cover the mouth and prevent the hat from coming in contact with the hot metal.
I may have mentioned this before up thread or in your thread but I have the tank & hose from an old wallpaper steamer fed into a length of PVC pipe for steaming & bending cedar strips to replace broken ribs & strips on canvas canoes. Screw off one of the end caps & load in the strips. Don't have a pic handy of the set up but this canoe will give you an idea of the cedar strips after being bent & finished.
View attachment 272533
She's a real beauty Jack! I've been meaning to build a steam box for a few upcoming projects, but just haven't had the time. My semi-retirement has turned into chaos and overtime.I may have mentioned this before up thread or in your thread but I have the tank & hose from an old wallpaper steamer fed into a length of PVC pipe for steaming & bending cedar strips to replace broken ribs & strips on canvas canoes. Screw off one of the end caps & load in the strips. Don't have a pic handy of the set up but this canoe will give you an idea of the cedar strips after being bent & finished.
View attachment 272533
If I was building a box shaped setup from scratch I would probably build it on a propane burner assuming you have adequate ventilation. My wallpaper steamer is 110v, takes a bit to warm up & is probably not the most economical to run.She's a real beauty Jack! I've been meaning to build a steam box for a few upcoming projects, but just haven't had the time. My semi-retirement has turned into chaos and overtime.
I have found the only really effective way is to soak the hat, stretch it out over the block and then give it some shots of steam. It is the soaking that is the key. Many times the steam is just not enough you need to soak it first.So, in case anyone's interested, I poured out and saved most of the cleaning fluid, It removed some black flakes; I don't know what they were. I rinsed a couple of times with distilled water, and then filled the jug and turned it on. It steams great! The distilled water was cheap, 98¢ per gallon at Wal-Mart. So, that's what I'll use. The tap water where I live is very, very hard. I may soak it again, with the cleaning fluid, just to see how clean it can be, but it seems fine now.
Can't wait 'til I receive the aluminum hat block, and try to iron the creases out of that brown Dobbs Fedora. I tried again tonight without it and it seems a lost cause as it is.
So, in case anyone's interested, I poured out and saved most of the cleaning fluid, It removed some black flakes; I don't know what they were. I rinsed a couple of times with distilled water, and then filled the jug and turned it on. It steams great! The distilled water was cheap, 98¢ per gallon at Wal-Mart. So, that's what I'll use. The tap water where I live is very, very hard. I may soak it again, with the cleaning fluid, just to see how clean it can be, but it seems fine now.
Can't wait 'til I receive the aluminum hat block, and try to iron the creases out of that brown Dobbs Fedora. I tried again tonight without it and it seems a lost cause as it is.
Thanks, Eric. The crown block is "out for delivery," should have it by 2:30 p.m. or so, Eastern time. We'll see!Excellent posts about your progress with the Jiffy Steamer. Inspired I ordered some Jiffy cleaner for mine. I use only distilled water, but my Jiffy Cleaner has started sputtering. Since entropy is real, I suspect time has built up some residue from my frequent uses. The steamer works, just has an occasional sputter.
Black flakes - some mineral residue. ?? If they disappear with cleaning - all good.
Before my crown blocks arrived, I successfully used a stainless steel cooking pot on the inside, small diameter, and worked the felt sides with a metal spoon on the outside. It worked mostly, but was a lot of effort. The crown blocks work much better. But now I can see that I need crown blocks in different sizes and even different tapers. Never ends!
I will stay tuned as I am curious to see your block set-up at work.
Cheers. Best, Eric -
Thanks, Eric. The crown block is "out for delivery," should have it by 2:30 p.m. or so, Eastern time. We'll see!
My steamer sputters at start-up, but not after. I'm getting a full head of steam in 80 seconds from cold! (Just timed it. Yes, I'm an OCD engineer.)