HF paint pot question

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M

massmans

Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
267
Location
Columbia, MO, USA.
So Last night I retrofitted my new HF paint pot with all the fittings and
gauges needed for casting. I used my air compressor and got it up to
60psi and did some soapy water tests. Didnt see any bubbles so I then
let it sit overnight. I checked it this morning and it has lost only 5 psi.

Is that acceptable? I think it is but wanted to check. I know that the little
bit of casting I have done so far, the blank was solid in around 2 hours.

I dont have the ~$20 venturi vacuum yet so i can't test for any drop in
vacuum psi levels.

So far I have around $90 invested before buying the venturi.

Thanks for the help
 
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5 PSI is not too bad, I'd be concerned if it was 15-20.
The 5 probably leaked out the over pressure-relief valve (if you have one) or out where the pipes are joined (you did use teflon tape or pipe dope, right?
 
How much of that 90.00 was the actual pressure pot? I ask because I had my siser in law pickup one for me from harbor Freight and I will be getting it this weekend when she comes home. I emailed her the link from their website where it said 65.00 and their print catalog said 55.00. Well she said when they got there it was 80.00 [:0] but they would honor the print out they took in from online and gave it to them for 65.00. So I am just curious how much I can expect to pay for my fittings I need to get this weekend.
 
fittings are cheap, just go to Lowes, home Depot , menards, or local hardware store and get pipe/compressor fitting. You will probably drop about 10 bucks on the fittings and that much on a gauge
YMMV
 
yes I used teflon on all the fittings that I added. I didnt remove the HF fittings that go through the top to inside so that may be it. I can soak them with CA when I get the vacuum.
 
I went to Ace hardware first and spent close to $50 on all brass fittings. The went to Home Depot and found all the parts needed in either brass or other metals for around $30. So i promptly took back the Ace stuff.

With shipping from MSCDirect the gauge was $19.

I got the pot on sale for around $50.
 
Five psi is not bad, at all. Mine leaks more than that and I've thought about tracking the issue down and fixing it several times. I haven't gotten around to it for two reasons. First, if I am casting, the PR will be ready to rumble in just an hour or two. Therefore, I don't require the pot to hold a pressure over night. Second, I simply keep my pot hooked into air compressor. If my pot loses some pressure, the regulator on my compressor will add air to the pot to bring it up to whatever pressure that I wanted it to be at.
 
that is the one i bought about a month ago. very easy to retrofit. I used my wife's scrapbooking embossing heat gun to heat up the joints of the stock HF fittings to get the glue they use to break loose. Then used alcohol to get rid of the remnants.
 
Originally posted by sbell111

Five psi is not bad, at all. Mine leaks more than that and I've thought about tracking the issue down and fixing it several times. I haven't gotten around to it for two reasons. First, if I am casting, the PR will be ready to rumble in just an hour or two. Therefore, I don't require the pot to hold a pressure over night. Second, I simply keep my pot hooked into air compressor. If my pot loses some pressure, the regulator on my compressor will add air to the pot to bring it up to whatever pressure that I wanted it to be at.
Click to expand...

Steve, take it from someone who has done a TON of casting...do not leave your pot hooked to your compressor! I did that one time and left it overnight. Mine would only loose 2-3 psi overnight but when I came in the next morning, the compressor was running full bore and REAL hot. For some reason, the seal at the lid/pot had blown out and was free flowing air. I now use a quick connect and cut off valve.
 
Thanks, but I only do this while I cast and I only leave castings under pressure for a couple hours. Since I am at home doing other things during that time, I would know if the compressor was running continuously.
 
MesquiteMan said:
Steve, take it from someone who has done a TON of casting...do not leave your pot hooked to your compressor! I did that one time and left it overnight. Mine would only loose 2-3 psi overnight but when I came in the next morning, the compressor was running full bore and REAL hot. For some reason, the seal at the lid/pot had blown out and was free flowing air. I now use a quick connect and cut off valve.
Click to expand...



Curtis, after you hook up the compressor, let it recharge itself, then turn it off.

Any drop in pressure from the pot should easily be recharged by the remaining pressure in your compressor tank.

This of course will vary depending on your compressor tank size and how well your compressor holds pressure.

Either way, the leftover pressure in the pot PLUS what's in the compressor sure beats the pot all by itself.
 
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