Trisk ETS 3 Curing Lamp

W

wisch79

A buddy called me today and said he saw this paint curing lamp at a yard sale today and wondered if I was interested. He said the owner told him he bought it from a body shop that closed down and said it worked. However, he ran over the cord with a forklift and cut a wire, so he cut it off but never got around to putting a new one back on. It has 3 heads and is a Trisk ETS 3 220V. I told him I would gamble on it and buy it if he had the money. He dropped it off earlier and this is what it is.







I have never used anything other than the Infratech SRU 1615 which just has an on off sitch. With it, I would just turn it on for a while and then turn it off. This thing has flash, bake, timers and a whole bunch of stuff I have no idea how to use. Has anyone ever used one of these before? Are they any good? Any tips?

I dont have much in it and have my fingers crossed it works. I hope to get it wired back up in a couple days, but thought I would try to get a little more info on it until then.
 
They're nice, you scored! The flash timer is kind of a set-it-and-forget-it thing if I remember right, it will ramp up the heat slowly to avoid solvent popping of fresh coatings. I'm sure you could find an owner's manual online.
 
New, that baby cost some money!!!

Probably $500 of lights in that thing if you had to replace.

Good score!
 
That's an excellent find. As said new, those are big money. Problem is 98% of the countless Trisks I have seen in body shops over the years are parked in the corner of shop with an inch of dust on them primarily because they are usually 220 and perceived as a PITA to maneuver through the shop.

Keep in mind it gets hot fast and cooks from the inside outward. I wouldn't put that closer than 24" (18" is the absolute closest) from a panel to start with and they need very short amounts of time to dry/cure panels. An example would be 3-5 min at 24" for 2K primer.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I am hoping to pick up some wire soon and see if it work. Like Andy said, it may be a pain that it is 220, but if it works I can live with it as I have 220 in the shop already and plan to put a long cord on it since I have to replace it anyway. Sad part is I will have more in a 50' cord than what I paid for the light! I have not been able to find a manual for this particular manual, but the ETS 3D is the digital version and seems to be close. I did notice that it has real short cure times so will have to get used to that.
 
I had the 6 head unit. They work pretty good. Last I checked it was over $100 per bulb.. The 3 head is probably about the right size, my 6 head was way to big.
 
So, with these shortwave lights is the temperature of the panel more important or the time on the panel? If Universal says 120 for 10 min. does that ring true with these lamps? Or is it more like full power for xx# of minutes. And, what would you say is the xx# of minutes. Would 120 for 5 min. be enough? Then cool down then buff.
 
Temperature is the only thing that matters. An infrared thermometer is mandatory when using powerful IR lamps, imo. One thing to watch out for is that the infrared (or non-contact) thermometer can pick up the reflection of the lamp and give an inflated reading. To get a true reading, hold the thermometer close to the surface, so that the area being measured is "shaded" by the thermometer and your hand.
 
Ok, if the panel gets to 120 how long would you keep the light on an area? Barry's 120 for 10 is for a heated booth which is passive air. These lamps are more of an active heat source. Then adding polar creates a whole other question.
 
I'm not qualified to say for sure, but I have had SPI clear at higher temps and longer times with no ill effects. The only problem to watch out for is solvent popping, which is what the flash setting on the Trisk is designed to prevent, I think. The general idea is that you either get the heat started right away at a low level, even before the coating flashes, or wait until the solvent has escaped normally at ambient temps. If you hit the panel with heat after it has skinned over but still contains a lot of solvent, it can get pretty ugly under the "right" conditions.
 
Sorry to bring up an old thread but I have finally gotten around to getting this thing working. My question is, how long would you use this for epoxy? Let's say it's 10 minutes, do you still have to keep the panel at 60+ for 24 hours?
 
bring panel to 120 for 10 minutes, let it cool to room temp and do what you want at that point.
 
So after the 120 for 10 minutes, temperature is not a factor any longer with epoxy? I usually avoid epoxy in the winter, but that is good to know if I ever have to spot an area in.
 
Lets say I spot in an area the size of a basketball on a quarter panel with 2 coats unreduced. Turn the lamp on and get surface to 120 for 10 minutes. Do I need to keep that surface above 60 for 24-48 hours like I have in the past or is it ok to let the panel get to say 50 degrees over night?
 
No, you don't want it to get cold. It's best to find a setting or distance that will keep the panel above the critical 65°F cutoff for at least 24 hours. We have a 5KW electric heater that will keep the booth over 70° even in the dead of winter, which has really helped.
 
Real nice nice grab! We have that exact one in our shop and use it all the time (I think we paid $3k), the thing can be a real time saver. Keep it No closer then 3ft from the panel and flash between coats if your spraying a panel and full bake if your doing final cure.

It can/will blister off everything down to the metal if your not careful with the space between it and the panel (everything), don't ask how I know. I use the timers in 10-15min intervals with a minute or two before starting it again or just move it to another spot that needs it and start it again, I do this because it will keep getting hot and if you use it for 30min straight it could get too hot. I feel cycling the time is a better way at controling the temp on the panel.

The lamp's heat will not ramp up slowly it will just go. I would not 100% trust the timer they can fail (we have older one that did) and they could just keep going and ruin all your hard work.
 
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