Do not use Best Value Vac for stabilizing.

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Beautys_Beast

Beautys_Beast

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I finally bit the bullet, and purchased a vacuum pump, Vacuum pot, and a gallon of cactus juice. A friend had given me a boat load of punky splated maple, and I wanted to stabilize it. I also had a old punky burl with really cool texture that I wanted to stabilize, and cast.

I finally get it all in the mail, hook it up, place my pieces in a jar, fill it with cactus juice, seal up the top of my brand new Best Value Vac chamber, and start stabilizing. I'm thinking, "This is awesome". 4 hours later, bubbles have stopped, I close the valve, shut off the vacuum pump and leave it under pressure to soak over night. In the morning, I wake up, and the Plexiglas lid of my brand new vacuum pot, is full of stress cracks. I am livid.

Now, of course, I didn't read the fine print. Best Value Vac says it is not to be used with stabilizing resins, like cactus juice. Something about vapors, blah blah blah. Of course, Cactus juice says there are no vapors in their product, and the problem is cause by the lid being to thin. Which, I happen to believe is the truth.

So I write to Best Value Vac, and say, "Hey, what gives" He says, "Whatcha using it for? I reply, "Stabilizing pen blanks" He copy pastas the warranty is void yadda yadda. So I ask how much is a glass lid? He says, "You need a whole new pot, cause the fittings go through the side." Like the fittings can't be taken off the cheap ass thin lid, and with a few holes, and rubber gaskets, etc, be mounted in the SS pot. But does he mention that? OH NO.. Lets just soak the already soaked customer for another $150.00. HELL NO!!!

It was my fault that I didn't read the fine print. I get it. I will adjust, and have already ordered a 3/4 inch piece of acrylic to make a new lid. But the whole attitude, and blame it on the main reason people buy these pots, seems a bit shady to me. If I screw up, I will take the hit, but a little empathy, goes a long way vs. "Oh, yea, your screwed, here, take a few inches more"...

I know I'm not the last person on earth that stands behind his product. If this were my business, I think I would get on the phone with TurnTex, and find out what I could do so that his product and my product actually worked together, instead of blaming him, for my inferior product.
 
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Did you read the "Compatibilty Explanation" on their web page?

There are three models of their systems and their Compatibility Explanation says only one model is usable with Cactus Juice and similar products.

Seems like the research you suggested has already been done.
 
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i'd like some clarification on the issue of compatibility and I'm sure others would too. seems odd that there's a complete difference of opinion on whether acrylic is ok to use with stabilizing resin from a couple of important suppliers in the hobby.
hopefully you're new acrylic lid will work but I have a 3/4" lid with low time on it that developed stress cracks as well so it looks like (granted from only my and your experience) that best value vacs may have good reason for their compatibility position.
 
I went with the "Glass vac" it been great. i wont defend their CS but heeded the warning about compatibility. Acrylic is temperamental. Ive seen it crack after flame polishing from exposure to solvent fumes.
 
I ordered a piece of 3/4 plexi, cut it round, drilled the holes, and attached the valve and gauge. Last night it was under pressure for 14 hours. No cracks. This just verifies what TexTurner said. It isn't the Cactus juice, it is that the original lid, is to thin.
 
Plexiglas itself in made using methacrylates, the same base as Cactus Juice (the exact formulation is not disclosed.) It's hard to believe that exposure to Cactus Juice will not have an affect on weakening the Plexi top.

Gary
 
I may have mispoke with using "Plexiglass". It is 3/4in Acrylic. As it never comes in contact with the cactus juice, how could there be an issue?
 
Beautys_Beast said:
As it never comes in contact with the cactus juice, how could there be an issue?
Click to expand...

Does Cactus Juice have an odor? (I've never used it, I don't know if it does or not.)

If it does, what you are smelling will come into contact with the entire surface of your vacuum chamber, so the lid will in fact come into contact with chemicals from the CJ.
 
duncsuss said:
Beautys_Beast said:
As it never comes in contact with the cactus juice, how could there be an issue?
Click to expand...

Does Cactus Juice have an odor? (I've never used it, I don't know if it does or not.)

If it does, what you are smelling will come into contact with the entire surface of your vacuum chamber, so the lid will in fact come into contact with chemicals from the CJ.
Click to expand...
The lack of a smell/odor doesn't mean anything. It can still give off a gas, it is a chemical mix, an unknown mix to it's users.
 
Turntex says that the CJ wont affect an acrylic lid, and that the problem with best vaule vac is that the lid is to thin. I happen to believe him.
 
My first vacuum chamber was a 1.5 gal ShatterVac (polycarbonate lid) from Best Value Vacs. The lid quickly developed hairline fractures and eventually began to fail. After trouble getting someone at BVV who could help, I bought a replacement lid from them. As a test, I ran it without any Cactus Juice. After a couple of hours, the lid developed the same type of fractures as the original. It's simply too thin and can't withstand the sustained vacuum that is required for stabilizing. These are just for vacuum degassing resin, which lasts just a few minutes.

I quickly purchased a 4"x14" TurnTex chamber and have just added a 4"x22" chamber. The BVV chamber sits in a box, unused.
 
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That makes much more sense than blaming it on the Cactus Juice. You would think BVV would do a little product testing to determine the problem, before blaming another product.
 
The same thing happened to mine - but only after it got soaked with cactus juice. I opened the vent all the way on accident and it splattered CJ all over. After that - cracks.

The CJ itself might be stable, but the catalyst (that little bottle you mix with it) is not, and definitely has an odor, so does the CJ in general so there is definite gassing.

If you have a piece of ABS, put a drop of CJ on it, wait an hour then wipe it off. You will be able to dig into the ABS with your finger nail.

ABS, Poly-carbonate, and acrylic (plexiglass) will react with CJ. PVC, HDPE and some others will not.

(it's not a Best Value brand Vac by the way.)
 
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