Been wanting one of those Black and White Polystyrene chillers that I've seen a lot of anglers use, Needless to say they aren't as good as Safari and Pacific Chillers, but they are sufficient enough to keep the bait frozen for an 8 hour comp and they are way lighter then the Safari or Pacific chiller. So off i go down to my local tackle shop to purchase one, unfortunately he doesn't have stock. So what the heck i decide to build myself one
For this project i purchased a 12lt Polystyrene cooler box, Roof Membrane and Sealant, Exterior Enamel Paint(Black & White), Paint Brushes, Thumb pins, Masking Tape, High Density foam, Contact Cement and a Nylon Cutting Board.
The Raw Materials
The Original Heb Cooler Box
Step one - Apply a thick coat of roof sealant to the inside and outside of the cooler box, there after rap the cooler box with the Roof Membrane and secure with Thumb pins.
Step Two - Once the membrane is dry to the touch, apply another layer off sealant over it, let dry and repeat another two times there after.
Step Three - Once the Roof Membrane is properly dry, mask of a line which will seperate the White Paint from the Black Paint.The Black hides any scuff marks during use.
The Paint - Use only Enamel Paint and not a Water based paint as this will wash off.
Step Four - One painted its time to organize the lid, i purchased a thick Nylon cutting board, there after i cut it down to the required size.
Step Five - Now its time to attach the Foam to the lid. The foam acts as insulation preventing any cold air from seeping out. I used contact adhesive to glue the foam to the lid.
Step Six - The Final Product, Note i added a piece of Hose pipe to the handle for extra comfort.
IMPORTANT NOTES WHILST CONSTRUCTING YOUR OWN :
1 - Use a sharp scissors to get a clean cut of the membrane.
2 - After step one, and the first coat of sealant has dried, remove the thumb pins.
3 - Use proper High Density foam on the lid. Inferior foam will not keep your bait frozen for an extended amount of time.
4 - Before applying the glue to the foam, make sure you take measurements of the inside of the cooler box and cut the foam accordingly. A lose fit between the lid and cooler box is no good.
5 - Let the foam and lid bond properly before use, place something heavy onto the foam whilst its drys on the lid. This will help the bonding process.
6 - Use cutting fluid when cutting the Nylon for the lid to keep the blade cool, as the Nylon tends to melt and stick back together when the blade is hot.
7 - When buying a Heb Cooler, make sure it has Nylon bushes where the handle enters the cooler, if it doesn't have these bushes, the handle will eat into the cooler over time.
Hope you guys enjoy this thread and have many successes building your own!
