Vacuum Chamber Build

[cecrops props]

After waiting out several days of very windy weather, I was finally able to get back to finishing the paint on the vacuum tank. Here it is. Self etching primer followed by sanding primer, three coats of Rustoleum metallic blue followed a few coats of Duplicolor transparent blue, and several coats of clear, rubbed out and polished. Oh, and a different Duplicolor blue for the bottom. I call this paint scheme “Midnight Moonrise”. Others here have called it “wouldn’t white have been a whole lot easier?”



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[cavx]

@Downfall I'd avoid this unless you are prepared to have a mess in the bottom of the chamber or have a container to sit the mold in. I did this recently and even though I degassed before I poured, there must have been air still in the mix (tiny bubbles invisible to the eye) as the resin did the rise and fall thing again and I lost part of what was in the molds. Lucky they were sitting in a 2nd container. The part that cured was awesome, but only half a part, so had to be thrown anyway.

To make this work, you would want to build up a tube right up from the top of the mold to catch the excess and let the material raise, fall then go back into the mold. If doing this for the purpose of getting every last bit of air out, your probably just better leaving it under the vacuum longer and pushing to the limits of the pot-life. Most good product has a pot-life of least 15 minutes so 10 minutes under Vacuum is not out of the question as you still have a few minutes either side to mix and pour.

And if you still need more time, you can always cool the product (put it in the fridge or iced water) first to delay the "kick".

 

[cecrops props]

This is the rubber edge strip that will go on the top edge of the vacuum chamber tank, hopefully to form a vacuum tight seal with the lid. I purchased it from McMaster.



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[asalaw]

After waiting out several days of very windy weather, I was finally able to get back to finishing the paint on the vacuum tank. Here it is. Self etching primer followed by sanding primer, three coats of Rustoleum metallic blue followed a few coats of Duplicolor transparent blue, and several coats of clear, rubbed out and polished. Oh, and a different Duplicolor blue for the bottom. I call this paint scheme “Midnight Moonrise”. Others here have called it “wouldn’t white have been a whole lot easier?”


View attachment 440517View attachment 440518
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So pretty... will the finished vessel have that new-car smell?

 

[cecrops props]

So pretty... will the finished vessel have that new-car smell?

I sure hope so, right now it stinks of acrylic enamel.

 

[Sean]

Question please. as I know nothing about vacuum chambers. and just out of curiosity. how will you get an air tight seal at the two ends of the rubber ring that meet?

 

[cavx]

Question please. as I know nothing about vacuum chambers. and just out of curiosity. how will you get an air tight seal at the two ends of the rubber ring that meet?

Hopefully he will be able to fuse the ends, because you have made a good point, even a pinhole can be enough to prevent a full vacuum.

I have a square plate on the top of mine and I glued a sheet of rubber on the top of that, then cut out the hole to the chamber. The plate and lid and rubber seal are all the same size. What I find a little bizarre is that prior to gluing the rubber down, the weight of the Perspex lid was enough to get a seal started. Since gluing, I have to now press down for the seal to work. Once the gauge reads a few inches, it all good and the lid just gets sucked down harder and harder.

 

[asalaw]

Wouldn't a silicone adhesive do the trick?

 

[cecrops props]

Question please. as I know nothing about vacuum chambers. and just out of curiosity. how will you get an air tight seal at the two ends of the rubber ring that meet?

I will be doing some experiments with adhesives today. I was thinking of just using superglue, but if that fails, a silicone adhesive, as asalaw suggests, should do the trick. Unfortunately, if I have to go with silicone, I will have to wait a few days for it to cure before I can try it out.

- - - Updated - - -

I have cut out the 1inch thick acrylic lid, sanded and polished the edge, drilled and tapped it, and installed the hinge. Almost done!



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[cecrops props]

I had to make a special offset wrench to install the vacuum gauge in it’s cowling.



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[cavx]

Wouldn't a silicone adhesive do the trick?

I used cheap bathroom silicone to glue my rubber to the top plate. I pulled a vacuum and let it cure over night. Sure it works, but something is not quite right as I won't seal under its own weight.

I was thinking of just using superglue

What about araldite? Don't they use that for gaskets on large machinery? If you do you Superglue, just don't get any on that beautiful looking lid you have made. You won't get it off.

 

[cecrops props]

What about araldite? Don't they use that for gaskets on large machinery? If you do you Superglue, just don't get any on that beautiful looking lid you have made. You won't get it off.[/QUOTE]

Superglue worked perfectly. I just had to make sure it was perfectly aligned when the two ends were joined, and now they are perfectly stuck.

 

[asalaw]

What about araldite? Don't they use that for gaskets on large machinery? If you do you Superglue, just don't get any on that beautiful looking lid you have made. You won't get it off.

Superglue worked perfectly. I just had to make sure it was perfectly aligned when the two ends were joined, and now they are perfectly stuck.[/QUOTE]Nice!

 

[cecrops props]

My vacuum chamber is pretty much finished (at some point I may add a handle to the lid).


I have tested it today, and with my Welcsh Duo-Seal laboratory vacuum pump it will get to water boil in a little over two minutes. I can see that if I use a shorter and larger diameter vacuum line from the pump, it will evacuate the tank faster. I was happy to see that once a vacuum has been drawn, and the valve closed, the tank holds the vacuum with absolutely no loss.


I will be ordering silicone for my Borderlands Jakobs pistol project (here) in the next couple of days.



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[cecrops props]

...here is an added interior shot, and hinge detail...

 

[Downfall]

That chamber is to nice to use! haha Well done! I love the colour too.

 

[Flixen]

Great thread!!!
Thanks for all the info you provide to us.
And the finish is great some R2 guys would be more then happy if there parts came out half as nice as your chamber dose!!!!!

 

[asalaw]

My vacuum chamber is pretty much finished (at some point I may add a handle to the lid).


I have tested it today, and with my Welcsh Duo-Seal laboratory vacuum pump it will get to water boil in a little over two minutes. I can see that if I use a shorter and larger diameter vacuum line from the pump, it will evacuate the tank faster. I was happy to see that once a vacuum has been drawn, and the valve closed, the tank holds the vacuum with absolutely no loss.


I will be ordering silicone for my Borderlands Jakobs pistol project (here) in the next couple of days.


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Awesome! Second set of photos doesn't appear, though.

Now I've lost my fear of building one myself. I've already taken the TIG welding class...

 

[cecrops props]

Awesome! Second set of photos doesn't appear, though.

Thanks. I've fixed the link.

 

[asalaw]

Thanks. I've fixed the link.

Thanks! Much more better nice.