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Well done! And what a gorgeous location! Thanks for posting 🙂

Two packrafts made for a spectacular camping trip near Tobermory (Bruce Peninsula). I got an answer to my question of “how fast are these?”: the trip included a 6.5 km non-stop paddle on calm open water with no wind – this took 1:40, meaning we averaged a speed of 3.9 km/h in heavily loaded boats, relaxed level of effort. More photos of the trip

Hi — My kit just came in the mail. Excited to start building but I’m waiting for my iron to arrive so all I can do now is dream.

Ah, okay 🙂

It sounds like you’ve already got it solved, but one thing I noticed with mine is that the heating element can slide outwards, and if it’s not pushed all the way into its hole then it doesn’t transfer heat as well as when it’s fully inserted. Also, if the element is a bit loose in the hole, maybe adding some thermal paste (a heat…[Read more]

Yes, I did try welding some scraps with the iron. It was a frustrating experience requiring a long exposure to make it work. I wasn’t happy with the final weld. Possibly my technique, or the cold iron or a combination of both. If I didn’t have another use for the step up transformer, I would’ve purchased a 120V aircraft iron from Aircraft…[Read more]

It seems like you’re spending a significant amount of time and money trying to get the measured temperature to match some value, but from your posts I can’t tell if you’ve tried welding any scraps of fabric to see if there’s actually a problem there that needs solving.

If so, carry on – I just don’t want to leave other readers with the impression…[Read more]

A 120V-250V step up transformer was delivered late yesterday. 26 hours after ordering. There is some advantages to living within an hour of Toronto. Appears to be a quality build and it turned on and produced 236V from my 120V residential line . $87.99CAD delivered.…[Read more]

Terry,

You have a great kit awaiting, I will offer a few thoughts regarding your iron.

From the pictures it looks just like the leather irons I have. Mine just plug in and work. Eventually. It does take 20 minutes for them to reach temperature on 120v power. And they will go well beyond 220 degrees C.

Yes, I painted the sides flat black to use…[Read more]

I wanted to remove any variability in my thermo stand and actual temperatures. So, I painted the iron’s surface flat black and used my infrared toy. Spot checks revealed a variety of temperatures with the hottest about 1 cm away from where the wires enter the body.

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With this technique, maximum temperatures reached were 157C. Yeah, waiting for…[Read more]

Hello,

My first post here. I just received my Telkwa kit and am acquiring the tools needed to start assembly. I purchased the Jingda iron and am waiting for a roller to arrive. In the meantime, I tested the iron for temperature with a stand I made up from aluminum bar stock and other workshop scraps. I riveted 2 pieces together and drilled a hole…[Read more]