Fun project. I recently made a similar one. A problem with vacuum pumps is that they rust out quickly because the oil becomes saturated with moisture from the ambient air. Most pump instructions recommend frequent changing of the oil due to this. Since I use my pump during binges and then it sits unused for long periods it seemed wasteful to dispose of the oil after each binge. So I built a desiccant based chamber to remove the moisture from the oil so that I can reuse it and save my pump. I flip flop with a batch of dry oil while the other is drying.
Thanks for the comment. I also heard from the dealer I bought the pump from that the oil takes up moisture. While I don't have the system that you have, I change the oil after use and keep the old oil. I will change the oil back for it's next use then change out the oil for "preserving"oil if that makes sense. I don't waste the oil I plan to reuse it. I'm interested in your desiccant chamber and would be interested to see its design. Cheers Steve O
I would put some sort of diverter inside the tank so if you let the air in too fast it doesn't shoot straight down into the resin and blow it everywhere.
Extremely informative. Well done. I was surprised at the amount of gas being drawn out. Can any gas go back into solution if the pressure is not released in a controlled manner (too quickly)?
I understand that once the air is released from the resin it does not reenter it. The controlled release of the vacuum is to not cause disturbance to the contents of the pot. A comment made earlier by a viewer suggested to install a diverter to deflect the air entering the pot. I will do that the next time I crank up the lathe.
The finished product looks awesome
Thanks.
Great side project !! Really good advice on how to build the system. Cheers
Glad you liked it!
Well done! 😀
Thank you! Cheers!
Fun project. I recently made a similar one. A problem with vacuum pumps is that they rust out quickly because the oil becomes saturated with moisture from the ambient air. Most pump instructions recommend frequent changing of the oil due to this. Since I use my pump during binges and then it sits unused for long periods it seemed wasteful to dispose of the oil after each binge. So I built a desiccant based chamber to remove the moisture from the oil so that I can reuse it and save my pump. I flip flop with a batch of dry oil while the other is drying.
Thanks for the comment. I also heard from the dealer I bought the pump from that the oil takes up moisture. While I don't have the system that you have, I change the oil after use and keep the old oil. I will change the oil back for it's next use then change out the oil for "preserving"oil if that makes sense. I don't waste the oil I plan to reuse it. I'm interested in your desiccant chamber and would be interested to see its design. Cheers Steve O
I would put some sort of diverter inside the tank so if you let the air in too fast it doesn't shoot straight down into the resin and blow it everywhere.
That's a great idea. I shall modify the connector to do just that. Thanks for the idea.
Extremely informative. Well done. I was surprised at the amount of gas being drawn out. Can any gas go back into solution if the pressure is not released in a controlled manner (too quickly)?
I understand that once the air is released from the resin it does not reenter it. The controlled release of the vacuum is to not cause disturbance to the contents of the pot. A comment made earlier by a viewer suggested to install a diverter to deflect the air entering the pot. I will do that the next time I crank up the lathe.