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Hints, Tips and Solutions (Do NOT post requests for help here) If you have any useful general hints and tips for vintage technology repair and restoration, please share them here. PLEASE DO NOT POST REQUESTS FOR HELP HERE!

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Old 16th Dec 2017, 9:26 pm   #1
The Philpott
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Default Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

As a sufferer of freezing shed feet i would like to share my pre-heat system with you all. (Please forgive the use of white trainers for image clarity)

Needless to say the range must be adjusted to avoid a fire.. however note that in the event of being disturbed the shoes fall sideways rather than towards the elderly Baxi. Seasons Greetings to you all!

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Old 16th Dec 2017, 10:44 pm   #2
Biggles
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

I like it. Very original. Unlikely to work well in our house as it is difficult to get anywhere near the fire due to the presence of various animals all in competition to get as close to the heat as possible. (The large cat usually bullies the rest out of the way.)
Alan.
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Old 16th Dec 2017, 10:57 pm   #3
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Welly warmers. They look like fish tank heaters classed in plastic. We now have a wall mounted welly warmer that is fan assisted and has 4 corregated flexible tubes to place inside your boots. Both types work very well. They also dry wet suit boots.
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Old 17th Dec 2017, 11:12 pm   #4
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Another solution and it's vintage
Way back in the 60's, in winter, we used "wellie boot " drying packs. Desiccant pack, recharged by heating, usually in front of the fire, till hot =dried out and leave in boots. The primary result was to dry out the boot. Secondary one was to heat them up.
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Old 18th Dec 2017, 11:06 am   #5
60 oldjohn
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

What about these ?


John.
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Old 18th Dec 2017, 1:58 pm   #6
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Crocodile clip to the heel and toe segs, plug into mains, and rely on resistive heating to drive off the dampness?
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Old 18th Dec 2017, 6:01 pm   #7
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

I have found out that the element from an old rice cooker works nicely as a boot warmer on 24 volts.
They are 600W or so on 240 volts.
They turn up in the street some times.
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Old 19th Dec 2017, 12:42 pm   #8
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Hello.
Put them in the oven while cooking the tea. Just watch they don't melt.
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Old 19th Dec 2017, 9:19 pm   #9
Biggles
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

We have a warming oven in the bottom of our solid fuel kitchen range which runs at exactly the right temperature for shoes. Handy for drying out wet footwear too.
Alan.
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Old 30th Mar 2018, 3:42 pm   #10
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

I use a hair dryer on full blow/heat settings. Direct the stream into the interior of the shoe from about 9". Then slip the shoe on and repeat for the other foot.
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Old 30th Mar 2018, 9:36 pm   #11
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Then hot foot it to the shed........
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Old 1st Apr 2018, 11:07 pm   #12
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Since my original post i am still suffering chilly clammy toes when sedentary, so, amongst other things, having low blood pressure a visit to the doc is on the cards to try and raise it! (I have always been prone to icy feet but it's getting worse with age)

Meanwhile an xmas gift of felt insoles with an upper layer of foil has helped a lot- it's surprising how much chill rises up from the ground through the soles- a function of 13stone pressing down on quite a small area i suppose.
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Old 2nd Apr 2018, 5:01 pm   #13
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

I also have very low blood pressure and very cold toes/feet, and on a visit to our relatives in Canada noticed that one can buy heater inner soled for hunting boots powered by Ni-cads. I checked our electric blanket and worked out the wattage per square foot and did a dummy run monitoring the heat level. I obtained an disused electric blanket and with help from my wife made a pair of heated innersoles powered by Ni-Cads. You can feel the element in spite of padding but keeps the feet warm,you do have to recharge the D cell frequently. With a bit of thought and an isolation transformer they could be mains powered with movement restriction, of course. I made two cat basket heated pads for the cats, working on 9 volt transformers, switched on in October and off in May and did they like it. On another note if you put your feet in a box of polystyrene petals its surprise how warm they become.Ted
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Old 3rd Apr 2018, 8:58 am   #14
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

When I used to ride motor cycles, I had a larger pair of leather boots for winter. . There was space in them to enable a pair of ordinary socks, plus seaboot socks to be worn. I found they worked quite well although I was 25 years younger then.
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Old 4th Apr 2018, 10:27 pm   #15
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Risking going off topic a bit but a few years back I used to keep Guinea Pigs in a large run in my garden. As they lived there all summer I built a heater for their nest box for cooler nights which consisted of a couple of those large gold coloured metal cased high wattage resistors underneath controlled with a stat and powered from a low voltage supply. They were always nice and cosy in there. Saved me cutting the grass too, as I just moved the run when they had "mown" the patch in the run. They don't burrow out like rabbits so there was no need to put a floor in.
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Old 5th Apr 2018, 7:07 pm   #16
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggles View Post
We have a warming oven in the bottom of our solid fuel kitchen range which runs at exactly the right temperature for shoes. Handy for drying out wet footwear too.
And lambs. No, really.

Apparently farmers often revive ailing lambs by popping them into the 'warming oven' on a traditional range for a while - with the door open, of course.
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Old 6th Apr 2018, 2:34 am   #17
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

For those who need continual warming of the feet, rather than pre-warming of the shoes, heated insoles are readily available online or from sporting equipment suppliers.
Some are 12/14 volts, intended for use on motorcycles or in cars.
Others are 5 volt, USB powered, these could be readily powered from a 4 cell rechargeable battery pack.

If anyone needs affordable, high capacity rechargeable D cells for this or any other use, these may be found on ebay.
Search for "emergency lighting battery" This will find mainly industrial quality D size 4AH nickel cadmium cells, ready assembled into various voltage packs. (other search terms tend to find mainly loose cells)
Expect to pay in the region of £10 for a 4 cell pack.
These batteries are robust and long lasting, charge at about 200ma forever or at about 400ma for about 14 hours. No sophisticated charger is needed, a 12 volt DC supply, series silicon diode, and a suitable lamp as a dropper resistance will serve.

A small fuse close to the battery is vital as the short circuit current is substantial.
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Old 6th Apr 2018, 3:25 am   #18
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

I have found that elements from many of those rice cookers and bread makers that get used only a few times and then get neglected are great foot rest warmers when run from 20 to 30 volts. I have used a rice cooker element in this way for a couple of years from a hefty 24 volt wall wart. Perhaps a power supply from a dead ink jet printer would work.
The rice cooker element is 80 ohms.
They would also work for a heated boot box.
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Old 6th Apr 2018, 10:53 am   #19
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

For any one in need of D cell Ni-Cads go along to your local Alarm electrical shop and they usually have plenty of "old" one in plastic sleeves removed from emergency lighting unit, free to take away. These batteries are changed on a regular basis, I think every two or three years ( could be wrong). I have found one cell goes either high resistance or reverse polarity. I slit the plastic sleeve locate the faulty cell using a volt meter and give it a jog back into life. There are several ways of jogging these cell and I'm sure readers have read about them in the passed so won't repeat here. Whilst the battery is never as good as when new there is a lot of life left for future use. One can do almost the same with cordless power tool batteries. Ted
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Old 6th Apr 2018, 4:44 pm   #20
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Default Re: Jig for pre-warming 'shed shoes'

Heating wire removed from an old electric blanket is useful too. I have some wrapped round external pipework, under the lagging, which operates on 24V or so as trace heating.
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