# Pressure/Vacumn Pots



## Big (May 31, 2014)

Forgive me if I am looking in the wrong place but I am wondering about using pressure/vacuum pots and where you would get one from? I saw the .pdf in the library but was also wondering if there is a better source for one? Or, if possibly any of the IAP members are making them?


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## BSea (May 31, 2014)

If you want just a vacuum pot, Mesquite man makes them.  
Here's his link:http://www.turntex.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=121

If you are looking for a pressure pot, that's a different story.  That isn't something you can get from a member here.  At least. not that I know of.  Do a google search on paint pressure pots, and you should find lots of possibilities.  Most people here use a 2.5 gallon pot. You can spend less than $100 for one from Harbor Freight, to over $1000 for a new Binks pot.But you have to modify the fittings a bit to make it work for pressure casting. You can also make the pressure pot into a vacuum pot.


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## Jim Burr (May 31, 2014)

Big said:


> Forgive me if I am looking in the wrong place but I am wondering about using pressure/vacuum pots and where you would get one from? I saw the .pdf in the library but was also wondering if there is a better source for one? Or, if possibly any of the IAP members are making them?


 
Which one, pressure or vacuum? Use of the Search function will lead to dozens of posts of do's and don't, goods and bads' for each.


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## BSea (May 31, 2014)

Jim Burr said:


> Which one, pressure or vacuum? Use of the Search function will lead to dozens of posts of do's and don't, goods and bads' for each.


But some info is out of date.  For example, I bought mine at Sears, but they don't carry my model anymore.  So what I bought at closeout for $70 is no longer available. So it never hurts to ask a question to get current information.


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## glenspens (May 31, 2014)

got my pot at HF and made it a pressure/vacuum  for under $100 works for me


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## mark james (May 31, 2014)

Big said:


> Forgive me if I am looking in the wrong place but I am wondering about using pressure/vacuum pots and where you would get one from? I saw the .pdf in the library but was also wondering if there is a better source for one? Or, if possibly any of the IAP members are making them?



Keep asking questions!  You'll get lots of help.

I set up a pressure pot in February - from Harbor Freight.  I can give a few pointers - as a "new" caster thats just starting.  There are lots of very experienced casters here!

Welcome and have fun.


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## Big (May 31, 2014)

Thank you all so much for the feedback. You folks are great and so helpful to a total novice like me. I will be learning to cast acrylic blanks so I guess I would want a pressure pot. Not really sure what you would use a vacuum pot for but sure I will find out in time.


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## BSea (May 31, 2014)

Big said:


> Thank you all so much for the feedback. You folks are great and so helpful to a total novice like me. I will be learning to cast acrylic blanks so I guess I would want a pressure pot. Not really sure what you would use a vacuum pot for but sure I will find out in time.


There are a few reasons to have a vacuum pot.  Probably the biggest reason is to stabilize punky blanks that might blowout when turning.  Another is to de-gas mold making silicone rubber to get the bubbles out before making molds.  Although not many people make molds.


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## TimS124 (Jun 1, 2014)

Curtis (MesquiteMan) has plans on his web site showing how to make a mold and a mold caddy (to hold/steady the mold in the pressure pot).  They're both no cost....

He has some tutorials posted there that link to his YouTube tutorials on using a pressure pot.

My pot is strictly for pressure work.  I have a vacuum chamber for stabilizing.  That simplifies the attachments needed on top of the paint pot...

You need the pressure regulator, pop-off valve, pressure gauge, ball valve, and a connector that will mate with your compressor's hose fitting.  Inside the pot, it's worth adding a 90 degree turn to the air flow so it can't blast down into your liquid resin when you start pressurizing.

If you only fill one mold at a time, and make the caddy like Curtis shows, there will be a wooden layer blocking any incoming air so you can skip the 90 degree elbow under the lid if the slight cost is really a problem.

You might also want to make a much smaller mold when you're first starting.  You'll get the colors wrong, get the swirling wrong, and make a variety of other mistakes.  Smaller blocks mean each screw up costs less (and wastes less material).


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