As it turns out, just a little south of the border ...

[Spats139]

... Harbor Freight has opened a new store in Bellingham, Washington; just under 40 miles from my place in Canada. Drove down this morning with my wife, and after a stop at one of the casinos along the way, and then another stop for breakfast; I got to go shopping! (Actually, she enjoyed the store as much as I did and picked out a few things for her craft room as well.)

Amongst other things, I picked up a pressure pot ($59 with the $20 off coupon; best price I could find locally was $139) and the venturi type vacuum pump. I know that there seems to be a growing movement toward no vacuum / no pressure casting, but I'll have to try this out anyway.

Quite a few more things I would have liked, but we have to strike a delicate balance; buy enough to make the trip worthwhile, but not so much that we get nailed for duties when we cross the border back at the 49th. We did OK today!

So, when we got home, I took the money I saved, and then some, and promptly spent it! I made purchases from a few vendors who are generously supporting the Bash. They are three new (to me) vendors that I hadn't bought from previously; looking forward to getting their stuff.

Overall, it's been a good day so far. When I get it everything up and running I'll post the obligatory photos. :biggrin:

 

[Padre]

Hey Dale, do me a favor. Be VERY VERY VERY careful using the HF pressure pot. Please.

 

[NewLondon88]

I sense another addict in our midst.. :tongue:

 

[PTownSubbie]

Dale,

I just picked up my second pressure pot yesterday. It is on it's pressure drop test now to see how much tweaking I am going to have to do. They are great for Worthless wood castings and anything with suspended objects. Great price too. Yours must have been on sale already.

Get that thing setup and lets see some blanks!

 

[Spats139]

Hey Dale, do me a favor. Be VERY VERY VERY careful using the HF pressure pot. Please.

Thanks for the reminder, and yes, I will remain respectful of its potential;.

 

[DurocShark]

Mine's been great.

Use a wrench to tighten the wing nuts. It's really difficult to get a solid clamp by hand without a wrench. I kept blowing the seal until I tried a wrench.

Also, take the gasket out of the lid and clean up any burrs or gunk. Powder or grease the gasket too. I rubbed lithium grease into mine, then wiped it dry. This lets the seal wiggle to its comfortable spot when clamping the lid.

The new pots have the pickup tube loosely installed. You can unscrew it by hand. Get a plug (3/8" NPT) to fill the hole from the inside and you won't need to mess with the stuff sticking out of the top of the pot.

Test test test test!!! Run it up to 20psi then let it set. Run it to 25psi... 30psi... you get the idea. Do this to find any leaks or weak joints. You want it to blow at the lowest possible pressure if it's gonna blow. Don't take it to 60psi right away just cuz the box says you can!

Also, I found the safety valve was leaking at first. I pulled the ring a bit and it seated the valve so it's happy.

Please be safe. This is an awfully inexpensive thing to be putting that much pressure into. Don't stand over it when it's pressurized. Have it as far away from your work space as possible. Mine's by the garage door with 8 feet, a dust collector and a lathe between me and the pot. And I still get a bit nervous!

 

[mbroberg]

Ask Curtis (Mesquiteman) about the hazards of using pressure pots.

 

[mach9]

So, what max pressure should we be looking at? I bought a once used Craftsman pot off of Craigslist for $40 and have started converting it. I also got a venturi vacuum pump from HF and want set it up for pressure or vacuum. Don't want any big bangs however.

 

[DurocShark]

I don't know what others use... I use 30-35psi for silicone molds and 50psi for pipe molds.

Seems to work well.