rtracy2001
11-11-2011, 11:01 AM
I have 2 Lyman 45s and one Lyman 450 waiting to get set up on the bench. I plan on using Carnuba Red in the 450 for my 8mm & 30 cal, and BAC in the 45s for my 40 S&W and .357. The BAC will work without a heater on the warm days, but not in the winter when I have time to use it. The CR needs a heater.
Reading through the posts it seems a popular solution is to mount the sizer on an oversized steel or aluminum plate and place an old iron behind the sizer on the plate. Simple enough, until I get to thinking about it.
First, heat does not rise. Heated air does rise because it is less dense than the cooler air around it, but heat itself is just energy and it will go up down or sideways, whichever has the least resistance. It is a lot like electricity in that respect.
Second, the heater plate will always be warmer than the the item it is heating.
Third, my bench is made of wood. Wood is a pretty good thermal insulator, but it is also combustible. If I have a brain fart and leave the iron on for extended periods, the wood under the heater plate will get hot and possibly combust = Really bad day.
So thinking about the above three items of trivia, do I need to add another noncombustible insulating layer between the bench and the heating plate? No one has really mentioned it (that I have come across). I was thinking a 12x12x.25 ceramic tile might do the trick, but they are hard to drill and easy to crack/break.
Thoughts or comments?
Reading through the posts it seems a popular solution is to mount the sizer on an oversized steel or aluminum plate and place an old iron behind the sizer on the plate. Simple enough, until I get to thinking about it.
First, heat does not rise. Heated air does rise because it is less dense than the cooler air around it, but heat itself is just energy and it will go up down or sideways, whichever has the least resistance. It is a lot like electricity in that respect.
Second, the heater plate will always be warmer than the the item it is heating.
Third, my bench is made of wood. Wood is a pretty good thermal insulator, but it is also combustible. If I have a brain fart and leave the iron on for extended periods, the wood under the heater plate will get hot and possibly combust = Really bad day.
So thinking about the above three items of trivia, do I need to add another noncombustible insulating layer between the bench and the heating plate? No one has really mentioned it (that I have come across). I was thinking a 12x12x.25 ceramic tile might do the trick, but they are hard to drill and easy to crack/break.
Thoughts or comments?