i have designed and plan to build a vacuum chamber for perfect epoxy coats with no bubbles, and epoxy/ graphite poured tracks with no bubbles. i have a great idea , i think,. (see what you guys think) i will take a piece of pvc drain pipe at 10" diameter and 6 ' long, put a cap at one end / glued in place, on the other end , i will have a screw on / clean out cap. then i simply take a vacuum pump and make a fitting into the tube, does this make sense? does to me. stick the barrel inside, suck out all the air, absolutely dust free, vacuum chamber. i should be able to make perfect epoxy coats with this, no? what you guys think of that? i could stand it on end and the stocks can dry vertically also.
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vacuum tube design
- Thread starterjtkwest
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Interesting idea! May I suggest that for a ripple free finish, rather than going vertical, use one of the low speed rotissere attachments for gas grills to slowly rotate it while horizontal. I know a guy that does it this way, and his finishes are beautiful.
I would also suggest keeping the diameter as small as possible. Strength goes down as diameter goes up.
I would also suggest keeping the diameter as small as possible. Strength goes down as diameter goes up.
how much vacuum pressure do i need ? any idea? i was thinking of buying one of those vacuum bag? setups and just using the pump. maybe i will go a little further with the idea, and research and get a more powerful pump. does your buddy have a tube, like i am saying? or just the rotisserie thing?. i need the tube also so i can have a dust free environment. that is just as important to me as the vacuum effect. i wasa thinking of using these green pvc pipes at my job, the inside diameter is about 8", to me that is perfect. the side wall of said pipe is 1/4". if you really think i need high prressure, i can make the thing out of steel pipe, but i reallt think the pvc will be good, so i can move the thing out of my kitchen when i'm not building guns.
No, he doesn't use the tube. He just applies the epoxy and then lets the gun slowly rotate on the rotissere until cured. So if you were doing it with a tube, I guess you would need to apply the epoxy, insert into the tube, pull a vacuum, then close a valve and remove the vacuum pump, and then rotate it on the rotissere.
I really have no idea how much vacuum will be required to pop the bubbles. Not much, I think
I really have no idea how much vacuum will be required to pop the bubbles. Not much, I think
Jk that sounds like a interesting project.
I used to be an avid fishing rod builder & devised various methods to obtain a dust free epoxy finish.
Firstly - the easy way to remove air from a top coat of epoxy is to simply run a flame gun over the work.
I used to rotate my rods using a variable speed electric drill with the trigger taped closed, an old record player on set at 33 rmp & more recently a 12 v battery drill.
I would apply the epoxy, run a flame gun over the work & spin the thing in a warm room, I used fast cure epoxy that sets in about 2 hours.
But if you get the work inside a tube it might work better however it might not be as easy to turn a heavy object for a long time or support the the work inside the tube?
I used to be an avid fishing rod builder & devised various methods to obtain a dust free epoxy finish.
Firstly - the easy way to remove air from a top coat of epoxy is to simply run a flame gun over the work.
I used to rotate my rods using a variable speed electric drill with the trigger taped closed, an old record player on set at 33 rmp & more recently a 12 v battery drill.
I would apply the epoxy, run a flame gun over the work & spin the thing in a warm room, I used fast cure epoxy that sets in about 2 hours.
But if you get the work inside a tube it might work better however it might not be as easy to turn a heavy object for a long time or support the the work inside the tube?
ok vacuums aint cheap! they come in rating of horsepower with output rated in CFM ,(cubic ft per minute? i think so) any way, i can get 1/6th hp with 1.2 to 2 cfm pumps for around 80.00, they have them for hvac up to 10 cfm, i dont know if i need that much or what. at work today, i will talk to the ac guy, and se what he says about how powerful his pump is and what it can do. it looks like i will have to spend some $ on this project ,(surprise surprise!)
i used varnish once. it looks good , but i worry about durability. it seems like everyone uses epoxy for the finish too. wong, herannen, etc. you can add colorants to the epoxy etc. . how durable is the varnish, any idea?, i already have 2 hvlp sparayers and a line drier and hoses, i just borrow a compressor when needed. what could i apply with that? poly? seems to me the drying is the problem. i dont have a garage, so this stuff hangs in my kitchen, while drying. so what i need more than anything is a sterile/ dust free environment, i just figured i could add vacuum pressure and maximize my efforts
Well maybe it is just my way of thinking but epoxy is a glue & two component top coat paint is what is says on the can.
I learnt my trade as a boat builder 35 years ago & nothing much in that respect has changed in that time.
However like yourself, I love to experiment & need to test things myself....good luck.
I learnt my trade as a boat builder 35 years ago & nothing much in that respect has changed in that time.
However like yourself, I love to experiment & need to test things myself....good luck.
ok am i missing something?are you suggesting i use something in a top coat , like paint? what can i use that i can utilize the sprayer? i like to experiment but i would much rather pick up where you left off. so if you know something, please, by all means, SHARE! seriously, have you had good results with 2 part epoxy paint? what about for clear coats? what have you used and how did it go , and how has it held up? believe me, i am listening, thats why i post these threads.
From my experience the first coat of epoxy you apply to the wood soaks in to the fibres, the deeper the glue goes the better (that is one reason why traditionally used woods are not necessarily the best).
Teak for instance will not absorb epoxy like utily.
So the first coat goes on easily & because it doesn't pool on the suface results in a pretty flat although rough finish, at this stage I swap over to a polyurethane two component varnish.
I dont know what you have available where you live but I have a good choice of products available from the boat chandlers, most are spayable but if you are just doing one gun then a foam brush & quality fibre brush is fine.
These products are designed to withstand sea water & direct sunlight for up to 10 years although none will guarantee permanent submersion.
I would apply 5 - 6 coats then sand with 600 - 800 & 1200 grade paper then buff with a polish.
The same products are available in any colour, try a black or red one!
We used to get sprayable epoxy based paints but they are no longer available here, they were not uv resistant anyway.
The other option is car finish spray paints but a lot of these need heat, you would have to look into that, but some type of clear lacquer, flexible two pack paint suitable for fiberglass would work.
Teak for instance will not absorb epoxy like utily.
So the first coat goes on easily & because it doesn't pool on the suface results in a pretty flat although rough finish, at this stage I swap over to a polyurethane two component varnish.
I dont know what you have available where you live but I have a good choice of products available from the boat chandlers, most are spayable but if you are just doing one gun then a foam brush & quality fibre brush is fine.
These products are designed to withstand sea water & direct sunlight for up to 10 years although none will guarantee permanent submersion.
I would apply 5 - 6 coats then sand with 600 - 800 & 1200 grade paper then buff with a polish.
The same products are available in any colour, try a black or red one!
We used to get sprayable epoxy based paints but they are no longer available here, they were not uv resistant anyway.
The other option is car finish spray paints but a lot of these need heat, you would have to look into that, but some type of clear lacquer, flexible two pack paint suitable for fiberglass would work.
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hey fox, you make some very good points, i guess i never really thought about 2 part paint coming in clear. . you definately have a good point. i will definately look into some clear coats other than epoxy . i bought all the stuff, when i painted my boat,(sprayer , line drier. etc) so i am set up, i just need someone to tell me exactly what product to use, that they have had good results with, cause i want to learn from other's mistakes , instead of my own.
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