When I'm ready to lay down my balsa core, I'm going to experiment with resin-infusing my core to see if it's viable. My vacuum pump is a 1/3rd HP 4CFM Ebay special.
I plan on just doing a small piece first, say 1 foot by 1 foot.
I know this wasn't needed, but I like building contraptions. Perhaps my love of Lego is the cause. Anyways, I googled resin traps and didn't find a lot. So I built my own.
Materials:
1 - 3" dia. double-wye hub.
3 - 3" dia. male plugs
3 - 3" dia. cleanout adapters (female)
1 - 3" dia. cap (white)
ABS cement
tub/tile silicone
2 - 3/8" brass barbs
assorted brass fittings for my vacuum gauge.
3/8" ID vinyl tubing
I didn't get a picture of this, but I added a ring of silicone to the white cap's edge and smothered the inside of the wye with the ABS cement before inserting it into the bottom.
I then added more cement to the white cap along the seam.
I ringed the bottoms of the 3 adapters with silicone and glopped on the cement to the outer sides, and cemented the insides of the hubs.
Once that set, I added even more cement to the seams.
I drilled holes in the tops of the plugs just a bit smaller than the thread diameter of the brass barbs. Once I was ready to screw in the barb, I heated the holes with my heatgun to soften the plastic and allow the barb threads to cut into the plastic.
I coated the barb threads with cement, screwed it in, and then applied silicone around the edges on the inside of the caps.
I did the same for the brass fittings for the vacuum gauge.
I let this sit for a few days before testing it.
It pulls almost -27 inches Hg (mercury). -29.92 inches Hg is a perfect vacuum (space).
Based on what my pump pulls, -27 inches Hg is equivalent to -13.26 PSI.
On my 1 square foot balsa panel (144 sq inches), I'll achieve a little over 1900 pounds of clamping pressure.
However, once I clamp the hose between the trap and the pump, I do lose the vacuum.
I haven't sealed the male plugs into the adapters. The only seals on there are rubber o-rings. I did this in case I had a leak around the barbs and/or gauge. Which I did. So once I have the brass fittings fully sealed, I can then seal the plugs into the adapters.
Stay tuned....
When I'm ready to lay down my balsa core, I'm going to experiment with resin-infusing my core to see if it's viable. My vacuum pump is a 1/3rd HP 4CFM Ebay special.
I plan on just doing a small piece first, say 1 foot by 1 foot.
I know this wasn't needed, but I like building contraptions. Perhaps my love of Lego is the cause. Anyways, I googled resin traps and didn't find a lot. So I built my own.
[b][u]Materials:[/u][/b]
1 - 3" dia. double-wye hub.
3 - 3" dia. male plugs
3 - 3" dia. cleanout adapters (female)
1 - 3" dia. cap (white)
ABS cement
tub/tile silicone
2 - 3/8" brass barbs
assorted brass fittings for my vacuum gauge.
3/8" ID vinyl tubing
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/KIMG0251.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0903.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0904.jpg[/img]
I didn't get a picture of this, but I added a ring of silicone to the white cap's edge and smothered the inside of the wye with the ABS cement before inserting it into the bottom.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0905.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0907.jpg[/img]
I then added more cement to the white cap along the seam.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0908.jpg[/img]
I ringed the bottoms of the 3 adapters with silicone and glopped on the cement to the outer sides, and cemented the insides of the hubs.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0909.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0910.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0911.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0917.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0912.jpg[/img]
Once that set, I added even more cement to the seams.
I drilled holes in the tops of the plugs just a bit smaller than the thread diameter of the brass barbs. Once I was ready to screw in the barb, I heated the holes with my heatgun to soften the plastic and allow the barb threads to cut into the plastic.
I coated the barb threads with cement, screwed it in, and then applied silicone around the edges on the inside of the caps.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0913.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0914.jpg[/img]
I did the same for the brass fittings for the vacuum gauge.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0915.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/SAM_0916.jpg[/img]
I let this sit for a few days before testing it.
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/KIMG0268.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.adadk.ca/viper/ResinTrap/KIMG0267.jpg[/img]
It pulls almost -27 inches Hg (mercury). -29.92 inches Hg is a perfect vacuum (space).
Based on what my pump pulls, -27 inches Hg is equivalent to -13.26 PSI.
On my 1 square foot balsa panel (144 sq inches), I'll achieve a little over 1900 pounds of clamping pressure.
However, once I clamp the hose between the trap and the pump, I do lose the vacuum.
I haven't sealed the male plugs into the adapters. The only seals on there are rubber o-rings. I did this in case I had a leak around the barbs and/or gauge. Which I did. So once I have the brass fittings fully sealed, I can then seal the plugs into the adapters.
Stay tuned....