wish me luck

General Composites Discussions Showcase
#61

LOL…ya, i dont think i will have a problem being in the same room with this thing when i turn it on…;).

i think i the propane tank is a 5 galloner…i figure it can hurt to go bigger on the tanks…it may even keep the pump cycling to a minimum. i would like to learn how to smoke meat. i love smoked samon.

so, i was able to put a full day in today, but you wouldnt know it…mostly running around for parts. rumor is that i might be going back to work in a week or two so i have to keep busting on this.

i built the electrical backboard for my vacuum system today…

the top box is for the on off switch. the middle box will be for the vacuum switch, and the lower box will be for the solid state relay i picked up on ebay.

here a picture of the back side.

if you noticed, i picked up a paint pressure pot at harbor freight today also. it will be my resin trap. do you think i should put a vacuum gauge on it? it will be my last device before the vacuum bag. i think it will give me the best reading for whats going on in the bag.

i wish i would have made the cart a tad bigger. but thats the problem when you dont have all the pieces from the start. its like cramming 10 lbs of sh*t in a 5 lbs sack. LOL. now just waiting on parts again. i dont want to nail the tanks down yet until i get all of my fittings and inline filter and such.

i also ordered a resin trap from fiberglass supply. it has a plexiglass lid. i thinking of useing it for a degasser. and if i put a ball valve on the lid, i can release some vacuum if the resin wants to bubble over. i just hope their trap will be big enuff to use it for a degasser. i want to be able to put a mixing cup in it. the website didnt give demensions.

when i ran out of parts, i decided to do some more waxing on my plugs. but gave up. the wax i have sucks. it is way to much work. when it dries its like trying to buff concrete. i tried spritzing with water. nothing helped so i ordered some
Meguiar’s M8711 - High Temp Mold Release Wax hopefully it will be easier to work with.

#62

the vacuum infusion machine is done. it has been holding leak free for 5 hours now…yeah! i will post the rest of the build when i get a chance.

but…my pump only pumps down to 26 hg. should it be lower??? is 26hg good enuff???

i have flushed the oil about 5 times and it still maxes out at 26…they have a rebuild kit available, but i hate to tear it apart. i will if i have to.

funny thing is, when i put the gauge directly on the pump, it pulls down to 29. but when i hook the pump up to the system i only get 26:confused::confused::confused:

opinions?

#63

Leaks good coat of paint and some sealant on all your connections you’ll get 29 eventually. Remember the resevior makes it take longer for full vacuum.

#64

so you think its leaking dallas? thats why it wont go below 26? i left it on for a while…

#65

For sure I’d check it all for leaks. If your pulling full from the pump… That tells you your pumps fine. I’d spray paint the heck out of the resiviour and make sure all fittings have rubber cement on the threads… Teflon tape works too. And also I’d consider making it easy to segregate the de gass camber if need be with a valve or quick disconnect. Also a vacuum log will be handy later on. You have built a full on vacuum setup no sense half assin it with 26 hg. Lol.

Rubber cement allows you to dope the connections with them assembled… And steel fittings and elbows are notorious for leaks. FYI. Especially if they have been over tightened.

#66

hey dallas you were right…leak(s)… when i put it togeter i used rectorseal on all of my threaded fittings. http://www.rectorseal.com/index.php?site_id=1&product_id=213 its what the pipe fitters use at work. i figure if its good enough for industrial plants, its good enough for my little machine… i didnt have any rubber cement so i used liquid tape on every possible place air could get in…even over every inch of my welded seams. i did that at about midnight and it was at 25hg. when i looked at the gauge at 8:00 this morning the gauge didnt move at all. it appears the liquid tape did the trick. but i must say, when i was putting on the liquid tape i didnt see it suck into any holes…:confused::confused::confused:.

anyways, i plugged it in at 8:00 this morning and at 9:30 it has reached 29hg. hooray!!! im gonna let it run another hour or so then i think i can set the vacuum switch. i hope all is good…i might clean the exhaust valve/ballast something. i read on line this may help.

is it normal for a vacuum pump to take 2 hours to pull down on something so small?

do you think it will be a problem for me?

#67

Segregate the big degas chamber and it will be much faster

#68

my gauge must have came out of calibration during the night. i have been testing all day. i am getting 26.5 max. from zero to 26.5 it takes 5 minutes. any more time and there is no change…im bummed

#69

Put the gauge on the pump again to be sure. Lol Get ready finding small leaks is going to become a habit from this point forward.

#70

These holes your looking for are… Microscopic FYI you will be surprised how such a small hole will impact vacuum. Once you get them your vacuum will rise much faster

#71

sure…after you have me paint every connection with sealer, now you want me to take it apart…ARGH!!! i thought you might tell me that. what i was hoping for was “good job doug. 26 is great…”:smiley:

#72

Lol sorry bro. When you get it right you won’t have it in the back of your mind later when something else goes wrong.

If it’s not too much dope the connections again with no vac pulled and try again on the am.

#73

its 26.5 dead nuts…that is pump to gauge with about 6 inches of hose…now what my friend?

#74

Wierd you were getting 29 at the pump before? And now your not?..good job Doug 26.5 will be fine! Lol

#75

baahaahaa…

the 29 i was getting before was with a little vacuum gauge i had for tuning carburetors. now all my measurements are being taken with a nice gauge i got from veneer supplies. i tend to believe the new gauge rather than my little chinese auto part store gauge.

#76

I don’t know if I missed it but what brand/model pump is this and is it rated to reach 29"? I know you traded for it, but just because it’s a vac pump doesn’t mean it’s rated at 29". I don’t know how many composite stores I have seen that only offer pumps that can’t reach 29". Just look at Fibreglast.com as an example… Over $1200 and it only gets 25.5" vac. http://www.fibreglast.com/product/Vacuum_Bagging_Starter_Kit_02228_A/Vacuum_Bagging_Pumps :laugh::laugh:

#77

its a welch 1st generation 1405…i have looked all over for the specs. but came up short. i did find the repair manual. but it doesnt give the hg rating.

#78

26 will work

#79

well, fibreglast is already a overly expensive place :slight_smile:

#80

this is the only spec i could find. and its for a second generation 1405…Ultimate Pressure (Torr) 1 x 10 -4