replacement pad for Seal masterpiece 500 Dry Mount Press?

[Chester McCheeserton]

I see that B&H sells these for $240.

Anyone made their own out of something cheaper?

Seems like kind of a lot for a rubber mat.

[John Kasaian]

Maybe a felt saddle pad? Or a piece of rubber horse trailer floor matting covered with felt?
Maybe something like this?---
https://www.statelinetack.com/item/mustang-square-wool-pad-liner/SLT901243/
or this
https://www.statelinetack.com/item/cashel-western-cushion-pad-3-4-inch/SLT900704/

[Drew Wiley]

All picture framing wholesale suppliers carry em. You could shop around. I'm sure John K. could give you a discount on a used horse blanket; but it might get kind smelly heated up. It would lend some authenticity if your darkroom is an old barn, like my brother's was. But back to being serious - not every kind of foam rubber will stand up to repeated heating. Seal uses a special blend, plus a covering. Nothing is worse than when a pad starts breaking down and all kinds of little rubber spots get embedded in your work. An industrial supplier like McMaster-Carr carries a wide range of rubber sheeting along with full specifications; so you could look there too. I won't gamble, so I bought the real deal replacement just to have on hand. Haven't actually needed to replace my original one quite yet. But back when I did buy it from B&H, it was only $100.

[George Richards]

I picked up a 500 press a while back, it came with a felt pad. I think it may have been original. Sadly the press had been more missed used rather than used. It shows little signs of use but looks like things were dropped on it. The lamp housing broken and temp knob cracked and loose. Works fine just needed a little TLC.

[John Layton]

I also own this press and will likely need to face the same issue someday.

Hmmm...maybe try going to the Porsche 944 Online Forum - getting onto their Parts and Accessories menu, and entering "Hood Pad" into their search function.

I'm thinking that you might be able to craft something out of a 944 hood insulation pad (I'm a 944 owner/addict) - which seems to me to be very similar to the Seal press pad (heat resistant, about the same thickness, compressibility, etc.). The Porsche version is about 135 bucks...but the aftermarket (also available from the 944 Online site) is just about half that price.

Give me a moment to go out to my garage and pop the hood to measure....

OK I'm back. The pad is in two sections - neither of which is large enough to cover the 26x34 that you would need for your press - but you could get this area from two pieces - which should be viable for this (dry mount press) use...especially as the Porsche pad has a self-stick side which you could affix to the bottom surface of the press opening and it would remain stable.

[Paul Ron]

felt carpet under pads. they can be found in 1/4" thicknesses.

[Chester McCheeserton]

Thanks Everyone! Some good ideas/thoughts here. Suggestions like John K's and John L's Rubber Horse trailer floor matting and Porsche 944 hood insulation pads are what keep me here.

In the past I've just crammed more 8 ply rag boards in there to increase the pressure....not sure why B&H would increase the price so much for the original...still mulling it over. I think the person who had the press before me 'crushed' the pad, maybe by leaving it in the closed position. it still works, but is much thinner than others I've seen. Also strange that it's covered with yellow felt and the replacement ones don't seem to be.

[Bob Salomon]

Thanks Everyone! Some good ideas/thoughts here. Suggestions like John K's and John L's Rubber Horse trailer floor matting and Porsche 944 hood insulation pads are what keep me here.

In the past I've just crammed more 8 ply rag boards in there to increase the pressure....not sure why B&H would increase the price so much for the original...still mulling it over. I think the person who had the press before me 'crushed' the pad, maybe by leaving it in the closed position. it still works, but is much thinner than others I've seen. Also strange that it's covered with yellow felt and the replacement ones don't seem to be.

Maybe the price reflects the dealer’s cost!

[ivanka]

Maybe the price reflects the dealer’s cost!

totally agree

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[Drew Wiley]

Duuuh. Some things like replacement parts sell slowly. A dealer might choose to leave their asking price alone just to assist turning over old inventory, then be forced to raised the price substantially to maintain a realistic profit margin, once they themselves have to purchase that item anew. More popular items turn over a lot faster, so tend to get adjusted in price, whether up or down, more often. The materials which go into these pad have gone up at least 200% in the past 20 years. But its hard to trace it to the cycle of just the raw materials, because we don't know the manufacturer's own rate of turnover. And in this case, Seal itself (or whatever its current company name is) is not the actual maker, but relies on some kind of subcontractor specializing in these kinds of products.

[Tin Can]

Look up what a new 500 sells for now...

Look for Ejection Rubber, (http://www.diesupplyguys.com/index.php/ejection-rubber/closed-cell-rubber)

[Paul Ron]

felt carpet under pads...

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=felt+carpet+pad&hvadid=77859217662948&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=m&hvqmt=b&tag=hydusmmsn-20&ref=pd_sl_65rn759zin_b


you can find small pieces at carpet outlets or ask an installer for scraps.

[Drew Wiley]

I'd be spooked by something outgassing from carpet padding under heat that might be quite bad for either prints or human health. For example, there might be fire retardants, which do not equate to heat resistance per se. They might deliberately release with heat. You might not be able to find out the exact composition of the material. It will likely be a blend of recycled materials potentially including vinyls, which badly outgas or melt, as well as types of foam rubber which might degenerate under heat. Not a good idea. In the case of felt padding, besides being quite uneven in thickness, there are still unknowns about additives and performance under repeated heating. I sure wouldn't gamble my prints and expensive mounting boards using an unknown material. You could go to a source like McMaster and obtain pure silicone foam padding along with precise specifications, and perhaps save some money on at least smaller sizes. But you'd still need some kind of liner material and cross-compatible silicone adhesive.

[Bob Salomon]

Have you asked them?

http://internationalmoulding.com/ProductShowroom/Details/dk-500t-x-sponge-pad-so-60675-9985743230

[Drew Wiley]

Ha! ... I've done quite well haggling over the years, especially if some outfit had a box on a shelf collecting dust they'd like to make a least a little money on. But sometimes these list prices represent what they'd need to charge today because they don't even have it in stock. That kind of sales model on peripheral products is quite common. Most serious picture frame moulding companies do keep Seal/DK products in stock. BUT they want wiggle room to discount certain things as an incentive to steady customers. Others have a policy of selling equipment to do-it-yourself frames, but not mouldings or matboards, to prevent you from competing with their storefront customers who make routine purchases and have to deal with overhead. Policies differ. But it never hurts to ask!

[Paul Ron]

I'd be spooked by something outgassing from carpet padding under heat that might be quite bad for either prints or human health. For example, there might be fire retardants, which do not equate to heat resistance per se. They might deliberately release with heat. You might not be able to find out the exact composition of the material. It will likely be a blend of recycled materials potentially including vinyls, which badly outgas or melt, as well as types of foam rubber which might degenerate under heat. Not a good idea. In the case of felt padding, besides being quite uneven in thickness, there are still unknowns about additives and performance under repeated heating. I sure wouldn't gamble my prints and expensive mounting boards using an unknown material. You could go to a source like McMaster and obtain pure silicone foam padding along with precise specifications, and perhaps save some money on at least smaller sizes. But you'd still need some kind of liner material and cross-compatible silicone adhesive.

obviously you dont know what felt is. its wool. ive been using felt replacements for over 50 years in a couple presses with no ill effects or outgassing except when ive eatten beans!


:o

[Richard Wasserman]

I personally think it is best to just figure out how to buy the correct pad, but would like to add that not all felt is made from wool. It can be produced from synthetic fibers which I assume would be adversely affected by heat.

[Drew Wiley]

No. I have no idea what wool or felt is. I forgot to ask the 500 acres of sheep right across the road from our property. I just assumed they went to the barber seasonally for sake of style, just like poodles, though the dogs we used for cattle and sheep drives were Aussies, who didn't care much about hairstyle. Hmm.. the saddle pads were felt. Do I want that for drymounting? I don't think so. I'm satisfied with the official pad. That way I don't have to get involved in discussions about lanolin and so forth.

[Paul Ron]

seems replacement pads do use felt as a top layer but what do i know being a city slicker?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/997361-REG/d_k_se153260kit_replacement_sponge_pad.html

url]https://www.adorama.com/se210mf.html[/url]

but if you prefer the big city smell of a new jersey tire factory toxic waste rubber pad, go for it. maybe you should have used google instead of asking for alternatives from experianced users here.

your pad is quite expensive.

[Drew Wiley]

There is more than one kind of felt, just like there are many kinds of sponge rubber. I have sponge pads for my pin-registered contact printers that are pure silicone. That kind of material actually is expensive. I thought old tires in Joisey were used for sinking goodfellas in the harbor. You can't afford an official pad? Fine. I can't afford to gamble with museum board costing far more per carton than one of those official pads. I already have a new Seal pad for my 500T in reserve. I paid a hundred bucks for it; and it's not me asking.

[Chester McCheeserton]

[QUOTE=Paul Ron;1510099 maybe you should have used google instead of asking for alternatives from experianced users here.
.[/QUOTE]

"it's not me asking. "

That was me asking. Thanks Paul. I'll look into these carpet under pads.

[Drew Wiley]

Learn the hard way.