vacuum molding

[Boothill Bob]

Howdy pards.
I know I've asked this before but I can't find the tread..
I want to build a more powerful vacuum device with a pump as on the photo..
What more does I need to operate it properly, can anyone point me in the right direction

[Camano Ridge]

Boothill, here is a thread from leatherworkers.net   http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=15508&hl= vaccum  press&st=0    You may have already seen it, most are using the 2.5 cfm vaccum pump a pressure valve, bleeder valve and a vaccum bag. PM Denster on leatherworkers.net he has some sites for ordering what you need, and I am sure he will share with you . He made his vaccum bag from vinyl from a fabric store and seal the edges with contact cement. I am in the process of setting up my system and i have the pump from Harbor Freight.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi, You wouldn't think woodworking and leatherworking needs are similar , but in adtuallty they are almost parallel.

This might help to answer your questions, but I would look at ALL of his webpages ...

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/EVS/parts.htm

[Massive]

All you need to run a trial piece, or while you are waiting for your stuff to show up is a piece of cionstruction plastic, some caulking, and a tube.  Making boats  we ran the pump day after day 8 hours a go.  They aren't fragile as long as they get enough cooling air, and for most types that is not an issue.  Actually one thing that did cause my rotary pump to heat up was the muffler unit.

With leather, you have the option of a set-up with a pretty good seal, so you can run intermittent operations, and for that you need a better bag, a 1 way valve, a reserve tank (like those car store tanks that hold air for refilling a tire), a regulator switch, spline so you can open and close the bag when you need to get in and out, quick connects for the hose, etc...

The joe woodworker site is the one I was looking at, though their systems seem pretty complicated.  I accumulated stuff over the years and have a pretty simple system.  I saw the JW stuff through some guitar making friends, and it does seem like an upgrade.