Dressing Up an Eyebrow Dormer By Mike Sloggatt
Use this no-math template method to match complex shapes with heat-formed PVC trim.
"I’ve used Heatcon’s heat-forming kit (800/
556-1990, www.heatcon.com) to bend PVC and
other types of plastic trim into shape on a
number of different projects (see “Bending
Trex,” 7/06). The technique is actually pretty
simple: A pair of temperature-controlled heating blankets are used to warm up lengths of
plastic trim so that they become pliable
enough to be molded into shape. The proper molding temperature
varies according to the material
being used, but runs somewhere
between 250°F and 300°F. To prevent
over- or undercooking the
material, the kit comes with an
infrared thermometer."
» Professional Deck Builder - May/June 2007
Bending Composite Decking by Kim and Linda Katwijk
"Off and on, I continued to play around with bending. Then last October at the Seattle JLC Live show, I saw Keith Skogland and Keith Cahill, from HEATCON, bending PVC trim and some decking."
"TOOL KIT Bending Composite Decking by Kim and Linda Katwijk HC 99-300 Heat Forming Kit Heatcon 800/556-1990 www.heatcon.com Street price: $3,000 I'm no stranger to bending composite deck boards by heating them. Over the last 10 years, I've tried a number of different methods, but only recently have I found one that's truly feasible. Experiments In 1997, for example, I used a 20-inch Sonotube and some space heaters to bend Trex. Unfortunately, this method was slow and imprecise; just when I thought I had it fine-tuned, I'd break another three or four boards. Next, I built what may have been"
Bending Trex by Mike Sloggatt
Special heating blankets were used to form the tight curves of this pool's retrofitted fiber-composite decking.
"To heat the Trex enough to mold it to the shape of the forms, the author’s crew used temperature-regulated Heatcon heating blankets. Sandwiching the Trex between sheets of scrap cement backerboard and fireproof Sheetrock helped minimize external heat loss and speed up the heating process."
» Remodeling Online - July 2006
The company introduces the HC99-200 series PVC heat forming kit. The patent-pending kit lets the user bend cellular PVC trim in a fraction of the time it takes to curve natural wood products, the maker says. The kit includes heat blankets to sandwich the PVC material and raise its temperature to 300° F where it can easily be bent. Also included are the temperature controller, gloves, operator's manual, and case.
» JLC Online - December 2005
The next time you need to trim out an
arch-top window or other curved trim element, consider using
cellular PVC in conjunction with Heatcon’s Heat Blankets.
These 5-inch-wide by 64-inch-long flexible heating elements
can warm a piece of cellular PVC trim
to the required 300°F in about 15 minutes. Once heated, the trim is flexible
enough that it can be easily formed
around a premade template. The Heating Blanket kit for cellular PVC
includes a 110-volt, 15-
amp thermostatic controller, two heating
blankets, insulated gloves, and a
carrying case. The company makes
larger blankets as well, but most require a 220-volt circuit.
» ProSales Online - June 2005
Designed for use with the company's cellular PVC trimboards, the AZEK Heat Form Kit allows installers to shape trim into custom arches, circles, ellipses, and more with less waste, the manufacturer says. The Heat Form Kit, developed in a partnership with HEATCON, includes two AZEK heat blankets, a temperature controller, an IR temperature gun/sensor, and heat-resistant gloves.
» Katz Roadshow Clinics
HEATCON®, Inc is an industry sponsor for the Katz Roadshow, featuring Mike Sloggatt. Watch these clinics and see our products in action.
The Katz Roadshow, a unique strategic partnership of leading manufacturers and installation specialists, provides hands-on training clinics for professionals at lumberyards across America. Take your craft and your profession seriously, attend an educational event.Join the effort to provide quality no-nonsense pro-active educational programs to your best customers.
» AWCI Online
Working with HEATCON®, Fypon® has found a way to make jobsite PVC trim fabrications faster and easier. By placing Fypon’s PVC trim pieces between the heat blankets in Heatcon’s heat forming kit, building professionals can quickly heat up PVC pieces that can then be molded into custom trim pieces on the job site.
In about 10 minutes the blankets heat up the product so that it can then be easily shaped around a custom template that the builder makes out of plywood. The pliable PVC quickly hardens to the shape of the mold, and the final pieces can be installed the same day.
The kit contains heat blankets, a temperature controller, gloves, case and instruction manual.
