Has anyone tried to use a Vacuum Food Sealer machine for vacuum bagging? Thinking of trying it for rudders an fins. Will it work?
I have not tried it myself, but have wondered the same thing. The process shown in the URL posted by Angus is the one I use to build my composite wingmasts. It’s quite simple, not all that expensive & has the capability of being fairly large. The main factor to consider would be the amount of vacuum drawn & the bag’s ability to sustain it over time. I’ve found that 12-14" Hg is sufficient. A vacuum guage is necessary to obtain consistent results.
As long as I am in the “curious” mode today -
a simple PVC or brass gas valve (on/off), a plastic bag with hose and hose clamp, and a vaccuum pump (hand held and used for “bleeding” automotive brakes) would “seem” to be a poor man’s method to try the process. Costs - under $40 (US)
I know of the “venturi” type of vaccuum method that uses air from an air compressor to draw the vaccuum, but that requires the compressor to run full time until cure takes place - likewise suction from a vaccuum cleaner.
If properly sealed, with a valve to retain the internal vaccuum in the bag, why wouldn’t any of these ideas work?
Unfortunately I posted the wrong website link and can’t find the right one. Sorry. However, if you hunt the web a little, there IS an aircraft-oriented ‘how to’ site which specifically deals with vacuum bagging using a well known brand of American food sealer - unfortunately not available in Europe.
A.
PS See Dates thread in the Pub. You Americans not only use silly measurements and silly dates, you can’t even managae proper 220 VAC electricity! :devil3:
Try this
http://www.charlesriverrc.org/articles/foam_vac/scobiepuchtler_simplebaggingsys.htm
The hand held vac testing equipment can pull a decent vacuum and hold it as long as you work hard at sealing the bag. I have used an inexpensive vac tester to vacuum bag some footy parts.
The down side is that it takes more effort to get the bag sealed well enough to hold the vacuum. The more expensive pump systems apparently can overcome a less than perfectly sealed bag.