Ski Builders Forum

hegan wrote:Well I was given one and it ran ok for a little while until it broke last week,
how about this one?

This one would probably be better



free shipping makes the price pretty close
Mastercool is a fairly well known brand.

Remember to change the oil often, I'd do it after every 12hrs or so.
It's recommended to change it every time you use it, but that can get expensive as vacuum pump oil isn't cheap. (then again neither are vacuum pumps)
I bought a case of oil wholesale think it was about $6/ltr


sam

Nice thanks, I changed my oil in my old one every time I used it so maybe like 5 times live and learn. Im hoping my old tubing will fit on whatever i get.

to good to be true?

I have one which is quite similar. The vacuum is very strong. The connector plug for the vacuum is crap -> I removed the whole connector which goes into the housing and replaced it because the screw thread was very strange.

My fear is that the pump will make some "oily dust"...

Cheers, Christoph

Jibber wrote:
My fear is that the pump will make some "oily dust"...

oily dust?

Almost all these types of vacuum pump produce an oil mist.
Some are way worse than others.
I run mine outside with a long hose to prevent everything getting oiled.

The gast ones like on joe woodworker site are oilless and don't have this problem.

sam

Would inclosing it in a box help to keep the mess down?

Probably not too much. Oil mist would still find a way to contaminate your shop. Plus you need a fair bit of air movement to keep the pump cool.
I just found it was easier to keep the pump outside.

sam

Yes thats the what I meant with "oily dust".

I bought the pump because I need better vacuum for infusion (kiteboard). For normal laminating stuff I would prefer an oil-free pump!

Cheers, Christoph

Jibber wrote:Yes thats the what I meant with "oily dust".

I bought the pump because I need better vacuum for infusion (kiteboard). For normal laminating stuff I would prefer an oil-free pump!

Cheers, Christoph

Oil free would be nice, but this is just a hobby for me and I'm not looking to dish out the $ for one of those.

I had an older pump that didnt make a mess or I never noticed it.. But anyways I'm just going to get the one I posted for $75 so I will just have to deal with the dusty oil.

My pump is running since yesterday evening for the first time. I bought a 16mm (inner diameter) hose (garden shop) as exhaust pipe which goes outside thourgh the window. Works perfect so far...

Cheers, Christoph

Hey Hegan-

I vac press, I'm new to this, and all the websites with info are fresh in my mind. PM me if you have any other basic questions.

Someone mentioned both these sites, but given the rest of the posts on here, I'm not sure you got a good chance to check them out.

go here for vac pressing http://boardcrafter.com/

go here for pump supplies: http://www.veneersupplies.com/ Oilless is better, it won't drop pressure on you or die. Those oiled ones are for recharging AC systems and stuff. They're not meant to be left on running. Veneer supplies sells a rebuilt Thomas for 100 bucks.

Hey guys,
Been lurking here a while and just absorbing whatever info I can find, but I've run into an issue. I have silicon for bagging and its suppose to be great stuff, real stretchy and reusable many times, but it has a powder coating on it that is preventing it from sticking on other surfaces. Has anyone come across this before? If so what have you done? I have lots of leaks. FYI I have a vacuum table and would prefer to make this work due to it being easier to use: lift lid/close lid etc...

Smiley- what are you using to seal your vacuum environment?

JSquare wrote:Smiley- what are you using to seal your vacuum environment?

I'm using a super sticky rubber compound basically double-sided tape but thicker and moldable.