Any recommendations for vacuum chambers?

[Austin Lux]

I have some pen blanks that need to be stabilized before I turn them, so I need a vacuum chamber for them. But I also want to be able to stabilise bowl blanks up to around 8 inches. What are some common pitfalls when looking for a vacuum chamber? I know I can make my own but I want to avoid that if possible.

My budget is under 100 for just the chamber.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Have you tried Hold Fast? they offer a bag system, I have not tried it. The pots they offer would be too small for an 8" blank I think, as well as your budget. No offense intended. They do make good pot in my opinion.

[Brady Watson]

You don't want to make your own. Get a 2-1/2 gal. Air Pressure Paint Tank from Horrible Freight or another discount source. Their price is $99. Grab a 20% off coupon and it's around $80.

[Mark Greenbaum]

Pressure tank is different than Vacuum Chamber. You may want to research before investing. Turn-Tex is who I will use when I can afford it. No affiliation, but what recommended by my instructor at JC Campbell Folk School for stabilizing wood.

[Grant Wilkinson]

I've used a paint pressure pot successfully for vacuum. I bought it used and it is heavier duty than the Harbor Freight-type pot. I would think that the HF pot would work, though. I think it's rated to 60psi and the outside pressure on the pot if a complete vacuum is pulled inside is much less than than - somewhere around 15psi.

[Dick Mahany]

Curtis Seebeck at Turn Tex has some nice ones. I purchase my stabilizing liquid "Cactus Juice" from him and it works well. I wound up making mine from 1/2" polycarbonate. The lid is MDO plywood with a closed cell foam sheet from a local hobby store as a gasket. Works just fine. If building one, take size into consideration to conserve on the amount of stabilizing liquid in the chamber. Although excess stabilizing liquid can be returned to the bottle, I often dye batches when stabilizing and strive to use the minimum amount of material. Mine is limited to pen blanks and sized accordingly.

Vac Stabilizing Chamber.jpg

Vac Stabilizing Chamber 2.jpg

[Mark Greenbaum]

Curtis Seebeck at Turn Tex has some nice ones. I purchase my stabilizing liquid "Cactus Juice" from him and it works well. I wound up making mine from 1/2" polycarbonate. The lid is MDO plywood with a closed cell foam sheet from a local hobby store as a gasket. Works just fine. If building one, take size into consideration to conserve on the amount of stabilizing liquid in the chamber. Although excess stabilizing liquid can be returned to the bottle, I often dye batches when stabilizing and strive to use the minimum amount of material. Mine is limited to pen blanks and sized accordingly.

Vac Stabilizing Chamber.jpg

Vac Stabilizing Chamber 2.jpg

What glue did you use for the tank? How much liquid do you normally use?

[Alex Zeller]

I would look into this style chamber. Do a search for "aluminum vacuum chamber". They come in lots of different sizes so you should be able to find one that will fit what you want without being too large. I think a smaller one for under $100 shouldn't be hard to find.

[Dick Mahany]

What glue did you use for the tank? How much liquid do you normally use?

I use SCI/Grip No.4 fast set (water thin) or SCI/Grip No.16 fast set (thick) solvent weld glues depending on how well the parts fit. Either work equally well. My tank is 5.375" L x 4.7" W x 4.4" D. So filled to a depth of 2.5" = 63 cu in or 35 fl oz less the volume of the actual pen blanks. Pen blank volume can vary significantly depending on size, voids, etc.

BTW the screen with the bolts are simply weight to keep the blanks from floating.

[Brady Watson]

I've used the HF tank I mentioned for years for 60 hours+ at 25HG" and haven't experienced any I'll effects...

If you're just doing 10-15 hg" a 1" plexiglass lid with gasket works fine. Don't over think or over spend unnecessarily... there's no magic or mystique here people.

When you need something with a large capacity... that's when things can be dangerous and implode. There's no such thing as a cheap large autoclave.

A big pressure cooker canner is another option...but don't the Mrs know what you're doing

[Brice Rogers]

An earlier comment was to not make the chamber too big. But, if it was large, you could put in a smaller (open) container with the stabilizing resin in it. It could be a glass or a de-lidded soda can. In fact, it possibly could be a zip lock bag with your pen blanks in it. If your chamber is a bit large, and you use a smaller container inside, then the only downside is it will take a bit longer to draw down the vacuum.

What is the range of vacuum that most people seem to make sense? 25" Hg or 10-15?

[Brady Watson]

Most infusion is done 10-15. Resin degassing is done 20+. Some have even used FoodSaver vacs and bags to infuse.

Maybe a more relatable analogy about the chamber not being to big, is the size of a submarine. Same principal with pressure acting on the outside of the hull as a shop vac crushing a trash can...