A simple acrylic heat bender from an old laser printer, some reclaimed marble tiles, a lamp dimmer, and some other scrap parts.
A laser printer uses a radiant heat lamp to heat the paper and set the toner. They are easily found and harvested, had one laying around for months until I saw another acrylic bender that used one for the heat source. Its not very big/wide, but suitable for many projects.
The marble tiles offer a flat smooth, heat safe surface. And the idea was they would dissipate the heat away from the bending area, allowing a sharper bend. Its recommended to use a water cooled base, but that would be more effort than is needed to do the occasional acrylic bending.
Setup the table saw and used scrap lumber to setup the depth. The depth was chosen so the U channel that holds the heat lamp will be just a tad shorter than the tiles, so the aluminum U channel won't touch the material that is being bent.
As pictured, a vice was used to squeeze a metal bar(taken from a printer) into the U channel, flaring it wider.
Mounted the U channel on center, and screwed it down with v neck screws(that fit into the countersink)
Mount Marble Tiles: Used the marble tiles as they were free, flat, smooth, and sink heat decently. Ideally acrylic benders use water cooling near the bend line to create crisper bends. But as long as this bender isn't used to many times in a row, it does a very good job at producing sharp bends.
Used some heavy beads of a good construction adhesive(flexible kind) to mount the marble tiles to the plywood base.
Heat Lamp Power Input: Simple brackets with adjustment screws are used to clamp the bulb and give it AC power. This relies on the electrical insulation of the wood. So it may be wise to add additional insulation.
Wiring: The radiant heat lamp is not polarized so doesn't matter which side is live or neutral, but the halogen lamp dimmer is. Mind the polarization.
Hooked up the A.C. live through the lamp dimmer(as per instructions), and the neutral to one side of the heat lamp through the bracket.
Used the adjustment screws on the brackets to carefully mount the heat lamp. Don't over tighten the screws or it will break the heat lamp.
High impact styrene was cut to size, 2 pieces to cover the brackets, 1 piece to cover the dimmer, and one larger piece that will cover the lamp when the bender is being stored.
An optional addition but very helpful, used a product from www.NLEDshop.com. The External 3 Digit LED Display was selected to make simple relay timer. The firmware is available for download from the website and it was edited to allow the user to set the desired ON time(using the 2 buttons). Then when the added third button is pressed, it will turn on an outlet(that the acrylic bender is plugged into) and leave it on for the desired time then turn off. If the button is pressed while the relay is on, it will turn it off.
Didn't originally expect to share this, but it is very handy for acrylic bending and I am sure other projects in the future. So I decided to share it.
Not going to cover the assembly as the schematic and parts list tells it all. Fairly easy to make, except for having to pull the LED displays header(required a hot air gun) and to add the extra parts, such as the 10k pullups to the LED display PCB. Lots of hot glue to keep it together and prevent any wires from coming loose.
Works great, all you do is position the acrylic on the bender, press the button, work on something else til the relay clicks and the light turns off, then bend. Saves a lot of time and effort that was being spent watching a stop watch.
All done and ready to use. This already has quite a bit of miles on it, and it works quite well. Usually use a granite countertop sample(4"x4") to help with the bending, also works well cause it sucks the heat right out of the bent acrylic, so it sets faster. And is perfectly square on all sides, and smooth on one side.
One drawback is the lamp is very bright when it is on. Usually have to place a scrap of aluminum bar over the part of the heat lamp that isn't being used for bending. If done over again would have added some simple water cooling by placing some aquarium or similar tubing under the granite tiles and setting them with some sort of plaster or cement.
Thanks for reading please check my Instructables Profile for more projects. Or Visit the website www.ChromationSystems.com for more projects and supplies.
Add a squared piece of wood on the center of the top base.and fx it with screws. You'll have to use later anoher square piece of wood in same size for the top of your cat tree.
draw the thickness of the wood batten you'll use for structure and screw metal shelf bracket on each corner as seen on the first picure. You ca now add wood batten on each metal shelf bracket then add floor to you cat tree.
1st floor : Cut the same piece of those you've used for the base and cut off the corner like on the third picture to include the wood batten to the structure. Add metal shelf bracket on each corner and screw them to the the middle of the wood batten.
2nd floor (rooftop) : make the same piece used for the base and screw it at the end of the wood batten.
I've used severals kind of shelf bracket the cheapest made with laminated wood are the strongest and won't become distorted like metal one.
I've chosen old light bulb because I love the light they generate. This isn't the most ecofriendly solution but my cat loves the warmth they produce and they contribute to heat my lounge.
My cat loves his tree and spends a lot of time on it. He likes standing on platform and watch the bird through the windows
If you liked this intructable and if you have any questions or tips please leave me a comment and don’t forget to vote for it :P !
Thank you for the ideas! I plan on making 2 cat towers for home and second location with cats. Currently have one tower that is almost 15 years old that needs updates and could definitely be much more exciting :)
This looks so great! I love all the bare wood, too. I know my kitties much prefer scratching wood to carpet. :D
Impressive. I like how you incorporated the litter box into the same space. That would be really good for when you have limited space.
This solar oven is easy to use and make with just five simple steps. The steps include the materials, tin foil/shiny paper stickers,the oven exterior, angling the oven, and lastly, the plate. Using solar power uses less energy, and is better for the environment. You would be able to almost always use the sun's energy to cook great food. I'm in Middle school and doing a project in science about making a solar oven. By using these instructions, you'll also be able to make this oven. Let's get started!
The materials you will need for this particular oven can be found within your home, or local store. There are ten major materials, if you need to use more than listed that will work, too. Here is what you'll need:
This step is fairly simple. All you have to do is put the tin foil down the width of the box. Leave the last section of the box blank(as shown in the picture). The tin foil has to be 30 inches, and if you are using a reflective paper sticker, use one-two pieces.
Now fold the box on a middle crease and put two flaps together to make wings and tape them. This gives the box support,so when it stands up it will make the reflective part go up to the top. When placing the reflector wing, you are able to decide what kind of an angle will help you cook the food. In the front of the box, lift up the flap like the picture. Make sure that each side of the tin foil/sticker are even.
This step takes some patience, so read the instructions very carefully. Take two nails and poke a tiny hole through the top flap. Next poke them through the reflector flap as tightly as possible and tape the sides just in case(you don't want the top of the oven to fall over while the food is in the middle of cooking). By doing this step, it helps angle the reflecting flap at the sun and plate.
This is the easiest step, and the last, but still read the directions just in case you miss something.Get a paper plate and place it in the box(try to line it up to wherever the sun is shining). Make sure that you get some plastic wrap that is used for covering foods, and wrap the wrapping around the paper plate. This is used to make sure that no bugs get into the food you are making. The plastic wrap has to be 12 inches. Thank you so much for using my instructable to help you build your own oven. Hope this helped and thank you again.
Jerry Jalava uses the 2GB memory stick, accessed by peeling back the "nail", to store photos, movies and programmes.
The finger is not permanently attached to his hand, so it can be easily left plugged into a computer when in use.
Mr Jalava says he is already thinking about upgrading the finger to include more storage and wireless technology.
"I'm planning to use another prosthetic as a shell for the next version, which will have removable fingertip and RFID tag," he wrote on his blog, ProtoBlogr.net.
Half of Mr Jalava's left ring finger had to be amputated last summer after he crashed into a deer while riding his motorbike near Helsinki.
He says he was inspired to create the unique storage device when doctors treating him joked that he should have a USB "finger drive" after finding out that he was a software developer.
WANT!! >crashes motorcycle into buck< >gets into hospital with broken everything but finger< >grabs broom, nearly slices finger off with razor blade< It's healed up a good deal... that was to deh bone....
Last night's episode of Empire officially set the M.O. for the remainder of Season 2: Expect the unexpected. The tale of feuding music industry honchos continued as warranted FBI agents marched into the label's downtown New York headquarters to raid Lucious Lyon's (Terrence Howard) corner office just as Jamal was in the midst of recording a new song. And though moments of presumable success occur inside Cookie's (Taraji P. Henson) new Dynasty digs, we learn that even the seasoned former jail inmate is unprotected from the eye of the government feds.
The potentially harmful investigations are all conducted by Roxanne Ford, the powerful prosecutor who's committed to throwing Lucious into jail for the murder for Bunkie Williams, and so the family's scheming lawyer (Andre Royo) conducts a family meeting asking all of the Lyon personalities to come together and showcase a happy facade for their own protection. To regain the rights to her new label's music, Cookie asks Lucious for a truce and with his help arranges for Jamal and Hakeem to record a music video together, despite their differences.
As Jamal poses for an artsy Rolling Stone cover and his boyfriend, Michael, grows increasingly agitated by his rising stardom, Lucious and Andre come to the agreement that the eldest Lyon son may return to Empire if he can help bring the ongoing investigations to an end. Of course, Andre and Rhonda are the ones who (accidentally) murdered Vernon in Season 1, the key witness that the family would need to ward off Ford's hunt for Lucious.
The music video shoot takes a rather violent turn, with Hakeem and Jamal physically brawling and expressing their hatred for each other on set. And while the event seems dramatic enough, Cookie is once again arrested for a petty crime committed by her assistant. Ford asks the dynamite mother for her help, and for her own protection, Cookie admits that Lucious and Bunkie argued and disagreed on a business deal before he was found dead.
Ultimately, it's the bond of the Lyon family that keeps the secrets and undisclosed details of betrayal and legal activity that we see reign supreme. Just when we think Andre and Rhonda may be arrested for attempting to say farewell to Vernon's corpse, Lucious rushes in to save the day and welcome Andrew back into the family and label. Cookie exits her hours-long jail visit to find an empty music video set, but manages to tell Anika that despite Lucious's lying words, she's no longer welcome at either company.
The most uplifting of key plot twists? Hakeem finds another promising new talent inside of a bar, one we presume he'll desperately want to present a music deal to. We'll have to wait until next week to see what drama will unfold next. See the best best fashion moments from last night's episode and the rest of Empire's Season 2 here.
You’ve gotta have moxie to make it in Hollywood, and Oscar winner Alicia Vikander has demonstrated a formidable sense of self from an early age. Back in 1997, The Danish Girl star participated in a Swedish talent show for children and knew exactly what her hopes and dreams were made of at the early age of 8. “I want to be an actress,” she adorably told the host when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up.
She's certainly proven herself to be a talented actress; however, the too-cute clip also proves that Vikander has musical leanings. For the competition, the beauty took the stage and delivered a serious, yet impactful, lip sync performance of a song that ultimately let her take home the show’s top prize (that's almost as big as her!). To do so, she rocked a princess-like frock that, as fate would have it, served as a years-before prelude to the Princess Belle-like Louis Vuitton dress she wore to the 2016 Oscars.
So did Vikander ever image she’d be as successful as she is? “I have to give thanks to my parents who were there and always told me you can actually do it,” she told reporters at the Oscars press room after her big win for Best Supporting Actress. “Apparently, a lot of things can be possible. Things that I would have never, ever dreamed and that’s only because I’ve had incredible women supporting me.”