My piggie warmer...

Mike Té · Dec 18, 2007

No, not my new socks.

We just had 37 cm of new snow dump on us 2 days ago and it's snowing again. It's minus 15 C outside and in our old un-insulated house it's colder than a rat snake's fart in the basement.

My piglet warmer keeps my paper developer at a cozy 21 C.

I bought it from Farmtek last spring:

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1;ft1_hog_equipment;pg106120.html

richard ide · Dec 18, 2007

Be careful that the ice crystals in your wash water don't scratch your prints.

Haven't seen this much white stuff for many years and it isn't winter yet.

mark · Dec 18, 2007

I'ld be sittin on the thing. Screw the developer.

Bob Carnie · Dec 18, 2007

Mike

I just bought one too.
It is in my darkroom and already have been using it.

big thanks to Murray for his SOOOEEE thread.

winger · Dec 18, 2007

I was just about to go searching for that thread. Thanks for the link! My stainless sink chills everything, even if the air is warm.

eclarke · Dec 18, 2007

Thanks to Murray, I have been this pig warmer since a week after the thread started. It has never missed holding temperature where I want it. My next door neighbor just bought one for his darkroom...EC

Mike Té · Dec 18, 2007

Yes, I got the info from Murray's thread about a year ago; a great idea. Mine's about 17" x 17", just for the dev tray. I should buy one of those 27" x 60 inch-ers to stand on while I work.

rwyoung · Dec 18, 2007

mark said:
I'ld be sittin on the thing. Screw the developer.

Get a bigger tray for your developer, warm that and sit it to. Good for prints, good for hemaroids.

Chuck_P · Dec 18, 2007

tmike said:
Yes, I got the info from Murray's thread about a year ago; a great idea. Mine's about 17" x 17", just for the dev tray. I should buy one of those 27" x 60 inch-ers to stand on while I work.

Tmike,

I would be much interested in the 17x17 one that you mention---where did you get? I did not see that one on the link provided above.

Thanks.

TracyStorer · Dec 18, 2007

...big piggie warmer

I was processing some 20x24 film the other day and my darkroom was cold....I think I need TWO of the 27"x60" ones to keep all my 20x24 trays warm!

eclarke · Dec 18, 2007

TracyStorer said:
I was processing some 20x24 film the other day and my darkroom was cold....I think I need TWO of the 27"x60" ones to keep all my 20x24 trays warm!

Probably, but it will work well...EC

Mike Té · Dec 18, 2007

Hi, Chuck.

I bought my mat from Farmtek and just noticed today as well that it's not on their list. I Googled "Kane heat mat" and found several possibilities. Here's one for reptile enthusiasts(!):

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog...cable-and-rocks/-/kane-18-x-18-poly-heat-mat/

Good luck!

Chuck1 said:
Tmike,

I would be much interested in the 17x17 one that you mention---where did you get? I did not see that one on the link provided above.

Thanks.

Mike Té · Dec 18, 2007

Here's a site that has a pic of the one that I have. 18" x 18" after all:

Dead Link Removed

That's about the price I paid as well.

Chuck1 said:
Tmike,

I would be much interested in the 17x17 one that you mention---where did you get? I did not see that one on the link provided above.

Thanks.

Andrew Moxom · Dec 18, 2007

Do any of you that use these heated mats also use the thermostats to control them? The whole shooting match becomes a bit spendy if you add the thermo control

Mike Té · Dec 18, 2007

I have a rheostat control, no temp probe. I had to fiddle a bit to get the dev to stay at the correct temp, but I've found the right setting. I figure that if I add another electric heater to heat up the whole basement, that'll cost a lot more. Plus, the time it would take to heat up those cement walls once I decide I want to get down there to start work...

The ambient temp is fairly consistently around 16 C, tolerable with a good sweater and good socks (the OTHER piggie warmers, much cheaper). The mat bumps the dev temp up a notch, the consistency being a major factor.

Of course, then I'm still dealing with stop and fix at 16 C. I'm not sure that that's terribly consequential, but then I'm not anywhere near an authority on the matter. Ideally, I could have bought a longer mat to accommodate more and larger trays, I guess.

Andrew Moxom said:
Do any of you that use these heated mats also use the thermostats to control them? The whole shooting match becomes a bit spendy if you add the thermo control

MurrayMinchin · Dec 18, 2007

Shucks y'all, t'was nuthin

Murray

dancqu · Dec 20, 2007

tmike said:
My piglet warmer keeps my paper developer at a cozy 21 C.
I bought it from Farmtek last spring:

Also check out their or others for Seedling Heat Mats.
They are much less expensive and I believe cover the
temperature range needed. Dan

Bob Carnie · Dec 20, 2007

I have the temp regulator and probe,, I wonder where this is put if a live pig is on the matt rather than my chems???
took a while to figure out , in fact I think we had to rewire the controller.

I tried this sucker out myself since I have the same body weight and shape as a mature swine. Though nice and toasty the material was very hard to sleep on, I guess if I grow more body hair it will cushion the weight.

Thanks Murray, this was a winner on tips of the year catagorey.

richard ide · Dec 20, 2007

Pigs aren't really renowned for their thick fur.

sly · Dec 20, 2007

Somewhere around here I've got a heating pad that used to warm a water bed. If I can find it I'll have to try it out. Hmmm, if it's not been seen for a decade or more, where is it most likely to be? Sly

eclarke · Dec 20, 2007

Andrew Moxom said:
Do any of you that use these heated mats also use the thermostats to control them? The whole shooting match becomes a bit spendy if you add the thermo control

I use the thermostat Farmtek sells for the Pig Warmer. I set the thing one time and it has been on the mark ever since. I have used heating pads, seedling pads and my sink is a Arkay temperature controlled E6 processor. The Pig Warmer with the thermostat beats them all...EC

GeoffHill · Dec 20, 2007

Fish tank heaters are glass, so can sit in a tray of chemicals, and will normally hold a temp to within 1F

dancqu · Dec 20, 2007

Andrew Moxom said:
Do any of you that use these heated mats also
use the thermostats to control them? The whole
shooting match becomes a bit spendy if you add
the thermo control

Besides the seedling heat mats there are reptile heat
mats. Lots of info and sources via Google. Ebay also.

Likely the best bets are the seedling mats. Low wattage
per unit of surface area should make temperature control
possible by the use of between mat and tray insulating
materials; paper, fabric, whatever. Thermostats are
available. Flora mats are much less expensive
than the fauna. Dan

Dan Henderson · Dec 20, 2007

I got really lucky and found a temperature controlled, recirculating water bath from a guy who was liquidating his darkroom on ebay awhile back. I think it was intended to keep film developer at the right temp during development, but the lip of an 8x10 tray sits perfectly on the top of the tank so that the tray itself sits down in the water bath. This setup has completely solved my wintertime print developer temperature drift. Now if I could figure a way to turn the water circulator into a wave action, it could do my agitation for me as well!

My piggie warmer...

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