Simple, cheap vacuum chamber

[TheRealMrEd]

Before I built the modified pressure pot described elsewhere in this forum, I built this very cheap (for me) vacuum chamber for de-gassing silicone and resin.

I started with a simple insulated ice bucket, double- walled aluminum, around 10" diameter and 9" high. For some reason, the plastic lid had gone missing.

Then, I added a simple sheet of silicone, designed to be used by bakers to line a nine-inch pie pan for non-stick purposes. I cut a large hole out of the center to admit the vacuum and to observe the proceedings. Any material could be used as a seal, that won't admit air -- sponge, probably not.

Lastly, on E-bay, I obtained a sheet of Lexan about 1/2" thick, drilled a hole in the center (not very straight), and threaded the hole with a tap sized to fit the vac hose fitting I installed. I sealed it with liquid rubber, as of the type you can dip tool handles into, or use for painting insulation onto electrical wiring. A few coats were needed to stop the leaks.

Then, I added an old hand-held vacuum pump tester/brake bleeder combo, that I already had ($15 - $30) online depending upon quality.

The whole rig is shown below:

I can pull 22 -26 inches of mercury with this, depending upon how hard I want to work. Takes a while, but is a cheap solution if a vacuum chamber is all you need.

Ed