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DIY Resin Trap for vacuum infusion/bagging.

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AdamDK
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DIY Resin Trap for vacuum infusion/bagging.

Post: # 23130Post AdamDK »

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

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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.
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I then added more cement to the white cap along the seam.
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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.
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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.
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I did the same for the brass fittings for the vacuum gauge.
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I let this sit for a few days before testing it.

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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....
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Re: DIY Resin Trap for vacuum infusion/bagging.

Post: # 23131Post nitro_rat »

Neat gizmo! Looking forward to seeing your core job...

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