Pressure pot question

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thewishman

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Mar 9, 2006
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Reynoldsburg, Ohio, USA.
If I have a pot that is labeled by the manufacturer to 45 psi and I want to cast at a higher pressure, 50 or 60psi, what should I do?

If I have a car and the tachometer has a red zone of 8,000 - what will happen when I run it to 8,500? Will the engine fail the first time I do it? What about the third time? How about the tenth time? Will there come a time that your engine will fail?

Exceeding a pressure pot's MAX RATING may work the first time, and the third time. After I have a few casts over the rating, I have proven that I can be successful at that higher than max pressure.

If a car's engine gets blown it will stop running. If your pressure pot blows, you could be seriously hurt.

Cars have rev limiters, and yeah, there is a pressure relief valve on the pot. It probably costs the manufacturer a dollar or two. How do you know what that cheap valve is set at? What if it doesn't work?

When I decide to push my car past the 8,000 red line, all the way to 10,000 (25%) it must be okay, because the rev limiter didn't shut it down, and my car still runs. I'll only do that once a week, so that should be okay, if I succeeded the last few times, it obviously is not a problem.

If you can put 60 psi into a tank rated for 45, you are exceeding the rating by 25%. Obviously your relief valve doesn't work. Who will be responsible for damage to your shop, or injuries caused by tank failure?

Please think, is it worth the chance of being hurt to run my pot pressure too high?

You can cast PR with no pressure. 20 psi is effective, I use 50 - 60 with complicated blanks that could trap air bubbles. My pot is rated for 85 psi.

Would you be comfortable having your children or grandchildren in the shop while you are casting at a too-high pressure? Your children or grandchildren love you, too - why would you take such a chance with your own safety?
 
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CrashmanS

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Nov 21, 2015
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It's not worth it to me. Mine says 80 psi max. I go 60. I had an argument on another forum about using a pressure cooker rated at 20 psi to cast to 50 or 60. There was no way I could convince him otherwise. So I deleted all my warnings and left the forum and deleted my account. Be safe. They are rated for a reason. Some equipment is rated less because of a fail in quality control so they lowered the max psi even though they look the same as another. Your life. Make it up on your own.

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eharri446

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Mar 17, 2016
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Marietta, GA
That is what I have been trying to get across with some of my posts about the Harbor Freight paint pots that we have converted to pressure pots. They are rated at 60 PSI, however, since you only need 50 PSI for alumilite, why push the max limit.

I tested mine at 60PSI for an hour and with no loss of pressure, I then tested it at 50 PSI for 12 hours with no loss of pressure. The only thing I ensure of is that the screw clamps are hand tight.
 

mark james

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Medina, Ohio
That is what I have been trying to get across with some of my posts about the Harbor Freight paint pots that we have converted to pressure pots. They are rated at 60 PSI, however, since you only need 50 PSI for alumilite, why push the max limit.

I tested mine at 60PSI for an hour and with no loss of pressure, I then tested it at 50 PSI for 12 hours with no loss of pressure. The only thing I ensure of is that the screw clamps are hand tight.

I also have a HF Pot that was rated at 60 PSI. After assembly I tested it overnight at 45 PSI - it did not budge after 14 hrs. I never use above 45 PSI. I will offer the opinion that if I was looking to cast many, many blanks; I'd buy a higher rated pot made in USA, with appropriate pressure ratings.
 

WriteON

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Aug 21, 2013
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Florida & Pa
As a dental technician I used a Pressure Pot made for curing acrylic. The person filling the pot one day was day dreaming and not watching the gauge. The lid blow off and passed by my face like a flying saucer. The safety valve failed..never opened/released. Safeties fail. If you know the value opens at 50lb..stop at 40 or so. I knew another person that filled the pot until the value discharged instead of stopping at x amount. That is playing roulette. Be real careful. Expanding air/gas in a steel pot is a bomb. It's dynamite.

Loss of pressure after so much time has to do with a dirty gasket. Clean it periodically...lube it slightly.

Very good thread. Safety first. Some accidents are not forgiving.
 
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Woodchipper

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Mar 15, 2017
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Cleveland, TN
Don't push it! Stay within the spec's or even a bit lower. Better safe than sorry.
We have a saying in our hunter education classes about firearm safeties- It is a mechanical device that can fail. Don't rely on it.
 
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