Other cheap options are builders plastic (for both bag and perforated plastic, the latter is made by folding it into a small square and punching holes in it with a sharp awl), window sealing tape and brown packaging tape for sealing the bag and the fittings, and old carpet for a bleeder (for wet out, then vac bagging). For infusion, shade cloth works well, and cheap plumbing pipe and 3 strand polyprop rope will do as feeders.
Hi Herb,You know... One of my major road blocks has been the cost of all this professional grade stuff. I supposedly "HAVE" to get the "certified" infusion grade nylon at $4/yd, and sealant tape at $0.30/yd and throwing it away after infusion. Compared to that, my fiberglass is around $2/yd and you might start to wonder.Your scheme will definitely give me a second look at infusion. Here is the stuff I found locally...... as it happens to be the same stuff that is suggested being used as the skins for a wing.I can see why your shop vac died... They also use the air that is being "sucked" to blow over and cool the motor. Since your "sucking" almost no air, it has nothing to cool. It sounds like you're pretty lucky for it to have lasted as long as it did. Depending on your expense account, you can get a decent vacuum pretty easily. This one http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-vacuum-pump-98076.html should do... and if you're really on a budget, this might be a good alternative... http://www.berkut13.com/sucker.htm. I've created one out of my old dorm room frige that's been sitting down in the basement for... oh... 25 years. It pulls right down to near zero psi. It doesn't have much flow rate... I use the shop vac to pull most of it out then turn on the vacuum pump.Thanks again.Dennis
From: Herb <squirebug@yahoo.com>
To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au
Sent: Mon, May 23, 2011 9:16:56 PM
Subject: [harryproa] Re: Infusion on the floor
Hi Dennis,
I don't know if it is the same or not. I suspect it is a it thinner than that. But the important thing is whether it sticks to itself like normal clingfilm. Anything that sticks should work very well.
Best regards
Herb
--- In harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au, Dennis Cox <dec720@...> wrote:
>
> Thank you Herb!
>
> This cling wrap... Is this the same stuff that is used to wrap stacks of boxed
> on wooden pallets for shipment around the world?Â
>
>
> This is great information... and I for one can can squat for my one-off needs.Â
> Having a 40'x10' table is just not cost effective for me... even if I could find
> a place for it.
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Herb <squirebug@...>
> To: harryproa@yahoogroups.com.au
> Sent: Sun, May 22, 2011 8:31:28 AM
> Subject: [harryproa] Infusion on the floor
>
> Â
> Last year I completed a 3 meter dory out of epoxy, glass and foam in Thailand.
> My intention was to learn by making mistakes and I was extremely successful in
> that.
>
> My shop was a concrete slab with a roof but no walls â€" in the US we would call
> it a carport. The slab was smoothed fairly well, but not more carefully than
> normal for such a use.
>
>
> I began by cutting the foam to the shape required for the bottom and sides,
> which led to unnecessary difficulty in cutting the glass as it moved quite a lot
> during cutting and infusion. It would have been much easier to cut it oversize
> for infusion and trim with a jigsaw later. There were also some areas of the
> foam on the edge that wound up with no glass at all.
>
> I did the infusion one side at a time using a large heavy clingfilm (1.4m wide)
> that I get from Central (which is a major department store in Thailand). The
> procedure was
> 1. roll out the clingfilm to the length required
> 2. put the foam on the clingfilm followed by glass, hoses and nylon peel ply
> 3. roll the clingfilm on top to form a bag
> 4. hook up the shopvac for suction and check for leaks
> 5. connect epoxy and apply suction
>
> The epoxy spread very evenly with no problems. After the epoxy had set, flip the
> panel and repeat. I never found a leak in the clingfilm and never needed to use
> tape as the clingfilm always formed a perfect seal with itself and around the
> shopvac and other hoses.
>
> After a few panels the shopvac got too hot and melted its plastic bucket, which
> ruined the suction, so I did the remaining panels by hand. I don't think the
> shopvac would be strong enough for larger panels so I need to find a better
> suction source for the next project. I think the main reason the shopvac
> overheated is because I started with epoxy that was too thick and set too
> quickly for the weather here, it worked much better when I got the correct
> epoxy, but the shopvac died shortly after that.
>
> Based on this experience I don't see the point in building a table or infusing
> both sides at once. Granted my panels were relatively small â€" the largest was
> about .6m x 3m. However, even a very large panel â€" say 10m x 5m â€" would weigh
> less than 100 kg after the first infusion and could be turned with a few willing
> hands. I am not sure how to turn it if it is significantly wider than the height
> of the ceiling, but the weight wouldn't be a problem.
>
> Infusing on the floor saves all the hassle of building and cleaning a table,
> which would be significant for a large panel. Also, the infused side is very
> smooth as the foam provides a smoothing buffer against minor imperfections in
> the floor. These imperfections would probably prevent a smooth double sided
> infusion. It also saves the hassle of drilling holes through the foam to allow
> resin to flow to both sides.
>
> The second side can eliminate the use of clingfilm all across the bottom. Only a
> strip around the edge is needed as the infused side provides an air tight
> surface. Breeze created some minor annoyance by causing the clingfilm to fold
> over and cling to itself, but that was adequately handled by beer bottles (I
> found beer Chang the most effective:).
>
> In Thailand use of benches, sawhorses, etc. is unknown as everyone is
> comfortable squatting (except for obese westerners like me). After a little
> adaptation even I find it relatively easy to squat for some time. Work is
> usually held by 1 bare foot when cutting or sanding, which works very well. The
> temperature is almost always between 25 and 35 here (similar to Florida or
> California) so the normal clothing is shorts and flipflops. This habit also
> makes infusing on the floor seem the obviously correct way to do it, just as
> using a table seems obviously correct in the west.
>
>
> Best regards
> Herb
>