DIY Thermo with magnets.

[Bert1985]

Has anyone made their own thermo mats? I was thinking about making my own. I was going to cover the silver stuff in fabric and sew neodymium magnets into the hem.....

Is this a good idea or not???

Any advice most appreciated as I don't want to do it if they will turn out useless.

[timski]

Sounds like a novel idea. With which part of the interior would the magnets/hem make contact? The interior of my bus has fibreglass surrounding the windows so I am intrigued how it's gonna work. We have the thermomats with the suckers which are a bit of a pain in the butt to be honest. And they don't fit very well. If you can get it to work I reckon it'll be much easier to put them up. Good luck

Tim.

[Bert1985]

I've ordered the magnets to test them before I buy the thermo wrap and fabric.
I'm going to mock up some with paper first and see what the fit is like.

Fingers crossed it works - I like the idea of thermo mats but I'd want them to look funky and match our interior.

[Bert1985]

Just tested round the windows with a fridge magnet and that stuck ok so hopefully these others will too.

[California Dreamin]

What a great idea....after cursing our JK 'suckers' for the last 3 years I reckon stiching this stuff into a hem around the outsides would work....make a template of the windows so you know where the metal frame is and the shape.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Metre-x-1-2 ... 20ba0b5dba" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Martin

[Andrew Evers]

What an absolute genius idea. I hate the way I wake up in the night with a thermo mat on my head as the suckers have come away from the window. It would also stop having sucker marks on the windows. I'm going out to see how I can easily mod mine in the morning.

[Bert1985]

What a great idea....after cursing our JK 'suckers' for the last 3 years I recon stiching this stuff into a hem around the outsides would work....make a template of the windows so you know where the metal frame is and the shape.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-Metre-x-1-2 ... 20ba0b5dba" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Martin

Oh I might order some of that to play with too, it would be a lot easier to sew into the hems and it would possibly give a better hold.

[kaminokid]

Like the sound of that.!!
We have tinted windows so cant use suckers on our windows
Will follow thread with interest
Good luck

[Bert1985]

It might be a while until I properly get to grips with getting stuck in - I have managed to get hold of some ideal paper/card from the art department at work today to make the templates - I will try and do these tmrw - then during half term I can get the sewing machine out and make some up - I still have to decide on material

Do you think zebra print would look too garish???

[Timwhy]

I've added some velcro in spots on my window blankets. The sliding windows with the screens posed a problem for the suction cups. I added some velcro to these two blankets at the front and top corner. The front side windows can be a pain in the ass too, so more velcro on these at the corners. I find that once you have taken them off when it's cold, the suction cup won't work until they a warm.

[Timwhy]

- I still have to decide on material

I just recently purchased a 20' X 6' roll of the reflectix bubble radiant barrier from a canvas shop that manufactures ceiling insulation for buldings. The owner said that any type of water resistant ploy would be best to back the bubble wrap, he claimed that it will have the insulating properties of R-8.

[Bert1985]

Sorry bit early in the morning and my brain hasn't engaged yet - would you say no to cotton fabric then? I bought a cheap pvc tablecloth from Dunelm and that would be easy to sew - could I use that?

[Bert1985]

I've added some velcro in spots on my window blankets. The sliding windows with the screens posed a problem for the suction cups. I added some velcro to these two blankets at the front and top corner. The front side windows can be a pain in the ass too, so more velcro on these at the corners. I find that once you have taken them off when it's cold, the suction cup won't work until they a warm.

I think the velcro is a good idea too - although I would have to rule it out for me - it sounds silly but I hate getting my hair caught in it!!!

[Timwhy]

Sorry bit early in the morning and my brain hasn't engaged yet - would you say no to cotton fabric then? I bought a cheap pvc tablecloth from Dunelm and that would be easy to sew - could I use that?

Anything that can trap mositure such as cotton may not be the best fit, even if it looks nice. I know from sleeping in my Westy and having a heater running, there is an incredible amount of moisture on the windows behind the blankets. Go to a fabric store and see what they have, you may be able to get some really appealing colors in poly?

I watched the canvas shop sew a large piece, over 100' X 6'. To get the poly and the bubble lined up, they used double sided tape to stick them together. Just don't sew on top of this tape, as you may make your needle sticky. Words of wisdom from my Mom.

[Chuggs82]

hi I made my own and edged them with gray duck tape the small magnets can be put inside the edge of the tape on the side you want to attach to the van, the roll of thermal we bought cost 25quid ebay ,better than paying lots of dosh just a little time and lots of satisfaction! happy screening chuggs82 :