Hold Fast Vacuum chuck seals

[Joe Frank Porter]

I have the Laguna vacuum chuck system on my 18/36 laguna lathe and it works fine. However, I use the HoldFast chucks, and I am disappointed in them as it relates to the performance/longevity of the seals. They are flimsy and at times allow the plastic base to mar the bowl. How do you users of these chucks deal with this

Thanks
Joe Porter​

[Roger Chandler]

I got replacement seals for my Holdfast from Rubber Chucky Products. They are specifically designed for them, and are much better than the originals. Rubberchucky.com

[Fred Belknap]

Joe I have the Hold Fast chucks and I had the same problem you are having. I tried the RubberChucky things without much success. I find that using foamboard from Walmart works fine. I'm talking about the kind that has the peal off plastic on the back. RubberChucky is expensive and I had problem getting it to stick. The rubber is a sort of silicon and I had problem finding a glue that would stick to them.

[Roger Chandler]

What Fred recommends here might be a better solution. I’ve had success with the rubber chucky seals, but they are pricey, and the craft foam sheets work just as well, but are cheap, and can be replaced as often as needed.

[Pat Bowman]

To keep from marring the bottom of my bowls with the Holdfast system I use drawer liner .Works great!

[JohnC Lucas]

If you finish the inside before using the vacuum chuck the marks left come off easily with 4/0 steel wool and then you can just rebuff the inside. I have tried lots of things. Commercial grade vacuum foam tubing holds great but has too much flex so the bowls are always mildly off center. I have purchase O rings but then you kind of have to custom size your chuck to fit the O ring. They are kind of hard so don't always seal well on bowls that move a little and become out of round. The Craft foam at Hobby Lobby and Walmart works pretty well but it is also a little thin. It is a closed cell foam so doesn't leak air. I buy the variety without the sticky back and simply glue it one with either contact cement or clear silicone caulk. One reason I like the non sticky variety is that I cut a square bigger than my chuck, then cut a hole in the middle. You can put this piece over the chuck that already has some kind of seal. Put your bowl over this. The square corners make it easy to adjust so you have it roughly centered. This extra piece will almost always seal a bowl that is out of round. It's dense enough not to cause to much misalignment. So for the most part the I like the closed cell foam although most of my chucks still have the O rings. Oh you can cut the O rings and put them back together with clear silicone caulking, so that way they can be custom sized.

[Joe Frank Porter]

Thanks all for your Comments. I'll first try the Craft Foam.

Joe Porter

[Thomas Heck]

I got the rubber Chucky seals and they work fine.

[Damon McLaughlin]

I also have the Rubber Chucky seals and they work fine for me as well. No more marks from the black hold fast seals and no marring from the chuck itself. I believe I read somewhere that the rubber chucky seal isn't supposed to be glued onto the chuck so I didn't, and haven't had an issue with it.

[Alex Zeller]

Has anyone tried using neoprene? We have parts shipped to us at work that use it for protection. It's pretty rugged yet flexible enough to seal.

[Brice Rogers]

Craft foam typically comes in thicknesses of 2mm, 5 mm or 6mm (translating to Imperial, that is roughly 0.080", 0.20" or 0.24").

[JohnC Lucas]

I think neoprene is what my commercial vacuum sealing tubing is but not really sure. Certainly looks and feels the same.

[Tony Rozendaal]

Just to add to this, Bob Leonard, the Frugal Vacuum Chuck guy got me to using a 3mm yoga mat from Walmart. It's about the same thickness as craft foam but a lot tougher. It comes in a couple different colors.

[John K Jordan]

...I am disappointed in them as it relates to the performance/longevity of the seals.. How do you users of these chucks deal with this


The best solution I've seen is the vacuum gasket tape that Joe Woodworker (Joe Gorleski) sells. This stuff is made for vacuum chucking and clamping use. About half way down this page:
https://www.veneersupplies.com/categories/Vacuum__Press__Items/Vacuum__Clamping/

Of the four sizes he carries, he recommends this one for vacuum chucks:
https://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Vacuum-Chuck-Gasket-Tape-34-x-116-x-3.html

JKJ

[Joe Frank Porter]

Thanks
I just ordered the vacuum gasket tape. It looks to be the best solution
Joe Porter