harbor freight pressure pot

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Thanks, i'll to get one. just started trying to cast with alumilite, way to many bubbles. i've tried warming the mold, and stiring in hot water.
 
Lewiscostley said:
Thanks, i'll to get one. just started trying to cast with alumilite, way to many bubbles. i've tried warming the mold, and stiring in hot water.
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If you are aware of this, please disregard. Alumilite and water/excess moisture are not a good pair. I warm my molds in a toaster oven on 200 degrees for 10-15 minutes, than also the cast mold after it is done. Never have warmed my molds in warm water.

I also have a Harbor Freight PP, no problems. I agree with Nikitas that there is a sweet spot (at lease for me). I don't do enough to mind having to adjust the lid.

Hace FUN!
 
I use the HF pressure pot with great sucess. It is picky about sealing, so I've taken to leaving the compressor hooked up with a pressure regulator, keeping it at 50 psi or so. Alumilite is should be ready to de-mold in 1-2 hours so it's not a big deal.

I've also stopped pressure casting PR, I'm not seeing any advantages. Carefull degassing of the PR, slow pouring, and using a mold setup where I can roll the tube after casting seems to have soved all my 'bubble on the surface' problems.
 
Is it OK to put around 60 pounds to HF PP? Specs says that 60 is max pressure. Will it safely hold 60?
One more, question from newbie... is 60 ponds enough for alumilite?
Thanks.
 
ok, made the purchase and so far its working good. casting between 45 and 50 psi seems to do the trick. The only issue im having is with the mold. The resin seems to shrink and leaves a bit of the tube exposed. any thoughts?
 
I have been looking at Harbor Freight ads and have never seen a pressure pot advertised. Is this something they normally carry in store or does it have to be ordered?
 
I have 3 and all hold pressure with no leaks. I've had no problems. My first one is rated to 80psi but the other two are rated at 60psi. They should be available in the store. They often go on sale for $79.xx and with a 20% OFF coupon the price comes down to around $65.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Philip E said:
I have been looking at Harbor Freight ads and have never seen a pressure pot advertised. Is this something they normally carry in store or does it have to be ordered?
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Philip E said:
I have been looking at Harbor Freight ads and have never seen a pressure pot advertised. Is this something they normally carry in store or does it have to be ordered?
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I see them all the time in the stores and a few times in the adds.
 
Here's a link to Harbor Freight;
www.harborfreight.com

2-1/2 gal. Air Pressure Paint Tank

Amazing deals on this 2-1/2Gal Air Pressure Paint Tank at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

On a different note, has anybody had a clear glass lid made for one of these so it can also be used as a vacuum chamber? It looks like it could work using the existing seal.
I have not done any resin casting yet, so I may be way off the mark here, but I would think that to get rid of all the bubbles, it would help to pull a vacuum first, then do the final cure under pressure. Is this a thing, or am I just overthinking this?
 
Fine Engineer said:
Here's a link to Harbor Freight;
www.harborfreight.com

2-1/2 gal. Air Pressure Paint Tank

Amazing deals on this 2-1/2Gal Air Pressure Paint Tank at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
www.harborfreight.com www.harborfreight.com

On a different note, has anybody had a clear glass lid made for one of these so it can also be used as a vacuum chamber? It looks like it could work using the existing seal.
I have not done any resin casting yet, so I may be way off the mark here, but I would think that to get rid of all the bubbles, it would help to pull a vacuum first, then do the final cure under pressure. Is this a thing, or am I just overthinking this?
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In my experience "degassing" the resin first only makes things worse. I have literally had more problems with voids after degassing than when I didn't do anything to the resin at all (before I got a pressure pot). Pressure pots do such a good job that degassing isn't necessary.
 
I realize this is a thread that started in 2015, but it was resurrected, and as it happens, I have a caution about the HF pressure pot.

I bought one about a month ago, and after I tricked it out to be a pressure pot (per the YouTube videos), I gave it a test spin. The clamps are cast aluminum wingnuts - I tightened them as tight as I could by hand, and pressurized the pot to a little over 30 pounds when it made an incredibly loud BANG - it turns out the threads on one of the cast aluminum screws stripped in the holder, which released the pressure on that portion of the lid, and the lid blew open. Scared the crap out of me. I was really disappointed as well, because those screws need to be harder than that.

I returned the pot the next day, and did some more research and landed on this TCP pot:

tcpglobal.com

Commercial 2-1/2 Gallon Paint Pressure Pot Tank

Commercial 2-1/2 Gallon Paint Pressure Pot Tank
tcpglobal.com

It is very similar in construction to the HF pot, except this one is stainless steel. Overall, it has a much higher quality feel and finish. I have used it a couple times now, and I like it.
 
KMCloonan said:
I realize this is a thread that started in 2015, but it was resurrected, and as it happens, I have a caution about the HF pressure pot.

I bought one about a month ago, and after I tricked it out to be a pressure pot (per the YouTube videos), I gave it a test spin. The clamps are cast aluminum wingnuts - I tightened them as tight as I could by hand, and pressurized the pot to a little over 30 pounds when it made an incredibly loud BANG - it turns out the threads on one of the cast aluminum screws stripped in the holder, which released the pressure on that portion of the lid, and the lid blew open. Scared the crap out of me. I was really disappointed as well, because those screws need to be harder than that.

I returned the pot the next day, and did some more research and landed on this TCP pot:

tcpglobal.com

Commercial 2-1/2 Gallon Paint Pressure Pot Tank

Commercial 2-1/2 Gallon Paint Pressure Pot Tank
tcpglobal.com

It is very similar in construction to the HF pot, except this one is stainless steel. Overall, it has a much higher quality feel and finish. I have used it a couple times now, and I like it.
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Is the max rating 25 to 30 lbs?? That is not enough.
 
I bought the California Air Tools one made for casting. I could not be happier with it. Pricey, maybe a little but I didn't have to go through what you are. You have bought one, now looking to buy another. You had to buy fittings, had the crap scared out of you. I know a lot use the Harbor Freight ones with great success, I just didn't want the hassle. The Cali Air Tool is ready to go right out of the box, very well built, doesn't lose one little bit of pressure and will outlive me, one time purchase, I'm happy.
 
KenB259 said:
I bought the California Air Tools one made for casting. I could not be happier with it. Pricey, maybe a little but I didn't have to go through what you are. You have bought one, now looking to buy another. You had to buy fittings, had the crap scared out of you. I know a lot use the Harbor Freight ones with great success, I just didn't want the hassle. The Cali Air Tool is ready to go right out of the box, very well built, doesn't lose one little bit of pressure and will outlive me, one time purchase, I'm happy.
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I appreciate the note Ken. I was not sure how deep I was going to go into this pool, so I decided to start with a modest pot, see if I have much success, and then trade up. I definitely did not expect the HF pot to blow like it did. I also agree having to refit the HF and TCP pots with the right fittings was a challenge. I'm guessing I will head to a California Air Tools Pot next year and keep the TCP pot for a backup, or additional capacity if needed.
 
jttheclockman said:
Is the max rating 25 to 30 lbs?? That is not enough.
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John,
I saw that also, but then I read many reviews about pressurizing to 45 and 50 pounds with no trouble. I have taken the pot to 45 with good results, so I don't see the need to go any higher. I wonder if the 25-30 rating was for a painting application?
 
KMCloonan said:
I appreciate the note Ken. I was not sure how deep I was going to go into this pool, so I decided to start with a modest pot, see if I have much success, and then trade up. I definitely did not expect the HF pot to blow like it did. I also agree having to refit the HF and TCP pots with the right fittings was a challenge. I'm guessing I will head to a California Air Tools Pot next year and keep the TCP pot for a backup, or additional capacity if needed.
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I feel ya, when I started out I thought that I would only need some bench top tools. Well I found out pretty quickly they weren't precise enough to satisfy me. If I would have bought higher quality tools from the beginning it would have save me some money. When I decided to give casting a try, I figured it would be cheaper to just buy higher quality from the get go. LOL, if my first try I had a blow up like you did, I'd have probably been done with it.
 
KMCloonan said:
John,
I saw that also, but then I read many reviews about pressurizing to 45 and 50 pounds with no trouble. I have taken the pot to 45 with good results, so I don't see the need to go any higher. I wonder if the 25-30 rating was for a painting application?
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I do not know. When it says in instructions max operating pressure of 30lbs. I would be leary. Just saying.
 
KenB259 said:
I feel ya, when I started out I thought that I would only need some bench top tools. Well I found out pretty quickly they weren't precise enough to satisfy me. If I would have bought higher quality tools from the beginning it would have save me some money. When I decided to give casting a try, I figured it would be cheaper to just buy higher quality from the get go. LOL, if my first try I had a blow up like you did, I'd have probably been done with it.
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It's all about experience. Make mistakes, get experience. I went through 3 Nova lathes before I gave up and invested some serious cash for my Laguna 1216, and I could not be happier. I don't think I will ever need another lathe. If/when I get the California Air pot, I'll probably feel the same way about that.
 
KMCloonan said:
It's all about experience. Make mistakes, get experience. I went through 3 Nova lathes before I gave up and invested some serious cash for my Laguna 1216, and I could not be happier. I don't think I will ever need another lathe. If/when I get the California Air pot, I'll probably feel the same way about that.
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You seldom regret buying quality tools. As a former auto mechanic, for tools used every day, the payback was very fast. I really enjoy using my Snap-On, Mac, and Hazett tools, even for every day tasks.

When dealing with pressure vessels, safety is also a big factor. Think about 50 PSI in a 2.5 gallon tank. The California Air Tools pressure pot is 9.5" dia., and 9.5" tall. This calculates roughly to a surface area of 425 sq. in. At 50 psi, that is 21,250 lbf. of force. That is what is released if the tank ruptures. That is not a trivial explosion. For critical operations, don't skimp on the equipment; that low initial cost could end up being very expensive.
 
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