Building a cyclone

[Rick Beko]

Anyone who has built a cyclone did you do anything on the inside...prime, paint etc? Any recommendations on what type of paint to use? I have not officially started...just thinking ahead.

[Jim Becker]

There is no point in painting the inside...the abrasion from the chips will wear it right off. Now, the outside...you can get as wild as you want! One fellow who recently built one did it as blue fading to white... :)

[Jim O'Dell]

IIRC, Bill Pentz says to spray automotive undercoating on the inside to help seal the metal from the moisture of the wood, and to help with the abrasive qualities of the dust. If you could, I would think the best coating would be a thin coat of spray in bedliner type material. Can't do it yourself, and it would probably cost 150 to 200 bucks (bedliners here run about 279.00 wholesale), but you couldn't beat it for the inside of a cyclone!! Jim.

[Joe Jensen]

IIRC, Bill Pentz says to spray automotive undercoating on the inside to help seal the metal from the moisture of the wood, and to help with the abrasive qualities of the dust. If you could, I would think the best coating would be a thin coat of spray in bedliner type material. Can't do it yourself, and it would probably cost 150 to 200 bucks (bedliners here run about 279.00 wholesale), but you couldn't beat it for the inside of a cyclone!! Jim.

Hmm, seems like you'd want the inside to be very smooth. My cyclone is pretty heavy guage steel. I doubt that wood chips will wear it out in my lifetime.

[Noah Katz]

If you haven't started yet, I'd reccommend buying the Clearview or maybe one of the Tempests (they're cheaper but I don't have knowledge of how well they perform).

I built the Pentz cyclone lit and it took quite some time.

More importantly, by the time I got all the little and big odds and ends, I'm out around $1500 on top of all my time.

[Jim O'Dell]

Joe, I used to work for an aftermarket company that did electronics, paint and packages on trucks for dealerships. We also sprayed the bed liners. They actually spray smooth when they go on, then they change the air setting to create a splatter pattern, like doing texture almost, to create the rough surface, while the material is still hot from the chemical reaction. This is what makes the non slip surface. The trick would be spraying down into a cilinder and getting even coverage. Might be best to dry fit the body and cone, spray it, and then close it up. They could use something to seal the seam. Seems like our guys used some black silicone on certain spots to seal it off on the beds. Jim.

[Rick Beko]

It is a little late for me to look at a manufactured cyclone...although I have not started I do have most of the cyclone parts...20gauge sheet metal laser cut, CNC routed blowerhousing, 5HP Leeson and 14" Sheldon fan. The project interested me so this is why I took this route. Based on the responses I am getting the feeling I should just leave the inside as is. While readings Bill's web site he mentions painting both sides to prevent rust so this is the reason for the question.

[Jim O'Dell]

Rick, Bill must have changed what he had before. Something about buying cans of undercoating from automotive stores. Maybe they have found that it wasn't necessary. Jim.

[Jack Diemer]

We put in thin rubber mats of some sort that had a sticky side to them. The purpose was mainly to deaden the sound of what was coming through and to prevent sparking (if nail goes through). I would recommend just grabbing a couple cans of Rustoleum spray paint and hit it to protect from rust. Of course that truck liner would be best.

Building the cyclone isn't necessarily the hardest part........mounting it, now thats a whole nother subject.

This album may help on putting together the mounting.

http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r236/jackdiemer/?action=view&slideshow=true

[Joe Trotter]

I am thinking about building a small one for my shop vac similar to the dust deputy.

I was watching my daughter run her paint horse around the orange traffic cones and a light bulb went off. I am going to borrow a cone and use it to form up a glass cone.

If it doesnt work I am only out my time and a few dollars, but I will have fun doing it :)

I watched the videos on clearvue and was amazed.

Joe

[Noah Katz]

"I am getting the feeling I should just leave the inside as is. "

The instructions for my Pentz cyclone said to coat 90 deg of the cylinder at the inlet with a layer of polyurethane caulk.

They said it deadens the sound, but more importantly, prevents corrosion from the moisture in the wood being released when it impacts the metal.

[Ken Garlock]

"I am getting the feeling I should just leave the inside as is. "

The instructions for my Pentz cyclone said to coat 90 deg of the cylinder at the inlet with a layer of polyurethane caulk.

They said it deadens the sound, but more importantly, prevents corrosion from the moisture in the wood being released when it impacts the metal.

Yep, that is what I did. I used the PL window and door urethane caulking. It is available at the orange borg.

[Jim Becker]

Devil's advocate point of view...outside of some possible sound deadening, I'm wondering if the extra work (and cost if you choose something fancy like bed liner) is really worth the effort in the realistic lifetime and duty cycle of the cyclone in a hobbyist environment?