Ski Builders Forum

Can PVC hose be used instead of firehose in a pneumatic press? its much cheaper, is it strong enough to withstand the pressure of lamination?

depnds if it's reinforced with any fibres or not, shure the plastic is strong enough

Check what the pressure rating is. Ive found 6 inch hose rated for 50psi, while its not fire hose, if those pressures were sufficient for your building practice, Id suppose it could work. But Im no expert, I couldnt say yes or no.

PVC hose is ok, but it's worth checking the reality of pressure rating using a metre of hose. Tested a piece of PVC hose to destruction today, I was SURE the bolts would hold. The weak point is around the coupling, where it clamps the hose. Result: 50 psi is fine , 75 psi causes failure, this is less than the stated rating. Cost: £3.00. If you buy a super rated hose, don't follow this route until it goes bang, suggest you test for a margin of error to represent fatigue and heat. Stand well back in any event!

I think the issue is with drilling in to the hose for your coupling. This seems to work fine with high pressure water hose because of the materials. I don't know if pvc hose handles the hole being drilled in to it the same way. I also don't know if the pvc hose expands enough for our purposes.

It's the pressure, if the washer is short on surface area or not tight enough, it becomes the weekest link and the fabric is likely to tear. Just in case anyone has the wrong idea, the pressure is increased slowly when testing above. Hope this helps.