Excellent Thread,
Need to build a hot box myself.
Is there any potential in using LED light bulbs?
Thank You.
-gus
LED's generate the smallest amount of heat. It seems we are looking for the least efficient bulbs here. Or other sources. I used to make LED and neon signs as well as was once a helper for interior lighting on our "top1% " types of homes. One house had these little lights like halogens, in a strip. Just the bulbs, tucked behind the framework of the ceiling. They were HOT like hell and I think ran on a low voltage transformer but I can't remember what they were or the details. I also remember MR16's as getting pretty hot. The ones we dealt with were also run from a central LV transformer. But singing your fingers and getting paid to change bulbs for a Wall Street broker and heating us a hot box for my project are not the same.
Hobow~ Mmmmm, I don't think it will go through if it is a concerted effort. But Bring it on if it does. I'm looking for a heat source to achieve my goal. I'm not married to a specific bulb. I did my environmental economics paper on a similar topic. Fascinating stuff in there if you can get past the media versions of the stuff. Be careful who/what you listen to. My guess is that, possibly with subsidies, those new bulbs carry higher margins, and save consumers money (mine have been a gamble on life span though) so it will become a natural choice for most applications. Just a fun fact. Cap and Trade type of policies have historical precedence of working IN THIS COUNTRY. Look up the history of leaded gasoline. The societal costs of using leaded gas were pretty big. The only thing I admire about Bush were executive orders requiring cost benefit analysis before implementing environmental policy. Fascinating field I could yammer on for hours. I'll spare you. I tried to get those two orders numbers but the book is buried under 90lbs of econometrics and intermediate macroeconomics texts.
Just saw Scott D's post. There you have it. The "top down~product X is banned" is rare, inneficient for govt. to regulate and enforce, and wildly unpopular for a few good reasons. This is a market based incentive structure aimed at the end result. They don't tell you how to get there but what needs to be achieved. This creates opportunity, allows competition, and encourages innovation.
Back to topic~I'm using my hot box to dry glue resin, Urac and "Bow Grip 100". I read an article that says you can get 160* with 3 100 watt bulbs. But I've been told by others that you need at least 2 500 watt halogens. My material is a super insulator that is stable to a tad past 200*. I'm aiming for 160*-180*. The box is made. I need to heat it now. I can get 4- regular ceramic fixtures for $1.50 ea plus up to 125 watt regular bulbs. Halogen bulbs or even heat lamps. Or I can get two low profile halogen fixtures that I'll need to hardwire for $9.00 each with bulb. I'm leaning towards the latter but already purchased for former.
I'm newer to the bow building in terms of getting action from wood fibers but I've been working "rough" and "green" wood for some time as a sculptor and poor wood worker. Infact 90% of my wood is reclaimed or self cut in some capacity. I dry most of my own wood as well EXCEPT for limb woods. I'd say that using a light based hot box to dry wood is kinda inefficient. Small pieces that you gotta have "now" can be microwaved. Otherwise I'd say set it on your heater or in your boiler room. Simple solar lumber ovens can be made also. That would be ideal for a small load of starves if you had the space in your yard. It would only take a month or so I think to dry them out.
