Do you have any wire fencing laying around? Something stiffer than chicken wire? You could use that. If you don't have any of that, you can cut a tomato cage open, flatten it out to the right height, and wrap some chicken wire over it. Cover all rough edges with tape. (I like duct tape for this) THEN, (and I consider this to be the most important part of the process) either lay your HP over the frame, or attach it to the underside, (I put my frame OVER the HP.) and put the whole works in a pillow case, or other fabric wrapping that completely encases the frame and the HP. I made some custom pillow cases to tightly fit both of my MHP. Cut a hole for the cord, and wrap tape tightly around the whole pillow case/frame package. This keeps the fabric from ballooning down under the frame. I've found that painters tape adheres nicely to the fabric and does not come loose. I tried electrical tape for this once, and it did come loose, entrapping a chick in the tape. The more she struggled, the more stuck she got. Ever hear the story of Bre'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby? Well, I should have named her Tar Baby. I never would have found her without my frequent checks under MHP to check for any problem chicks. I do use electrical tape to tape the connection where the cord attaches to the pad. I've had issues with that working loose in the past. I'll be going into my 3rd season using the same frames, and they hold up wonderfully. Back to the press and seal: folks use it without any problem, and I've used it, and will probably continue to use it. I wrap the whole frame/pillow case with it, then lay a scrap of terry cloth over the top. If you don't want to use it, you could use a plastic place mat cut to size, or some shelf liner and tape that down to the top of the frame. Just be sure that what ever you use can not come loose to allow a chick to squirm her way between the two. They do seek out dark little cubbies.
