Easy ... Lazy ... I think the word you were looking for is Efficient. Minimization of inputs while still meeting the end need. Great vid!

I love the idea of using AC gauges for this. One thing I would do differently is, I wouldn't remove the quick connect fitting from the blue hose. Instead, buy a R12 to R134 retrofit kit (or just the low-side port, most auto-part stores should have it) and a suitable male to male fitting and install that into the lid. Now you can quickly and easily disconnect the hose from the lid, even after pulling a vacuum.

A note I know about, install an angled piece on the inside of the pot so that the rush of air doesn't spatter what you're working on. Have it angle so that it blows along the inside wall of the pot instead.

You have made vacuum pimping more accessible to the masses. Thank you! I am interested in acquiring a resin stabilization setup and this makes my dream of that less unlikely. Cheers!

this is exactly the tutorial I needed. Thank You!

You can use the air intake side of most air compressors to pull a vaccuum. You will not get a very high draw but it will work good enough for most home and home workshop applications.

Like the funny t-shirt and was laughing at the notes added. Simple and easy to follow thanks!

I bought one of those vacuum pumps when the first came out in the early 1980's. before that model came out most vacuum pumps with it's specs were so heavy they needed a cart or a helper to move them around

OMG dude!!! I literally have all of this! I have a pump and gauges from fixing the car AC 10 years ago. Now to the kitchen to borrow a pot

This is the perfect KZfaq video. Great idea! Thanks!

Thanks as this is a good idea. I've occasionally wanted some way to degas epoxy or something and already have a vacuum pump from my past HVAC job. You do a good job of telling us that the gauges will not measure true vacuum, but you're correct that this will at least give you a way to detect inaudible leaks. I've never heard a pump sputter like that so it's obviously been abused (you're supposed to change oil every few uses), but great that it still works. I like that you show introducing air before shutting off the vacuum as well, but wish you'd told us why. Understand that you were keeping the video compact for youtube, though, and you did a great job of that.

Nice job. We shared this video on our homemade tools forum this week 😎

Paul, you rock. Thank you!

he actually makes really good videos he definitely deserves more subscribers

I built mine to be chemical resistant. Mcmastercarr sheet of type a viton... stainless half pan from resturant supply is 10"x12" perfect for my 12x12 viton seal. Resturant supply places will also have full polycarbonate chambers depending on your pressures needed

Wow, that really does look surprisingly easy to make.

Great video Sir ☺️

tiny somewhat inconsequential tip that may have been mentioned 246 times already, but still helps the algorithm - disengage the vacuum pump before turning it on, it starts easily that way.

Wanted one of these for a long time

The leftover 1/2" sheet would make a good router base. Helpful when routing out a large area. Bigger than the regular base.

Building an NIR Spectrometer and need a simple vacuum chamber for removing sample contaminants from spectral readings. May design the outer housing like this pump and integrate the inner sensory housing to fit inside with samples of various spectra.

I did the same thing as you except a few changes: 1: I bought a brass cross 1/4in fitting and some brass 1/4in nipples and tapped the hole in 1/4npt. I also added a valve on one side and the gauge on top, as well as a hose barb on the other side. I haven’t cut out most of the silicone too just a little hole for the air outlet through the polycarbonate. I have a pressure chamber arriving so I didn’t want to cut the gasket to fit the pressure cooker I have since the pressure pot is larger and may have a bigger diameter. I got my pressure pot at the goodwill for like a few dollars and this route is by far the cheapest way to go.

Use the yellow hose for pulling the vacuum. Change the high side gauge (red one) to a low side gauge(blue one) & you could easily to 2 pots at once while still being able to see the vacuum pull down.

Excellent

Nice setup! If my fridge ever dies I hope it's not the pump because I've seen people able to get those to pull a vacuum fairly effectively before.

The sputtering on start up is the motor dying. Thats the starting capacitor or whatever kicking on over and over until the motor reaches the running RPM. Once its running at a fast enough RPM the capacitor is cut off and the motor will continue to run.

Cool beans, man! This would work well too for vacuum-sealing Mason jars, when dry-canning something. Also, I reckon you could just use the lid from that pressure cooker as well, if you added hose connections to it. If you didn't need to watch what is going on inside. I wouldn't do it with an All-American canner though!

This is way better than the one I built in the 90s, I think I will upgrade

Looks like a great way to start out, especially if you’re not doing this on some type of production level…

For my low volume, high vacuum source for a vacuum former. I used a 12 volt tire pump and a 400 cubic inch pvc plumbing pipe. I can pull almost 29 hours at 700 foot altitude. I now live at about 1400 ft so the gauge shows almost 28 hg. Converting a pump to pull a vacuum is cheaper than buying a vacuum pump.

I think this is standard fare the moment anyone buys a vacuum pump. I had ideations of doing vacuum-assisted carbon molds some years back with a 12cfm pump and went this exact route, then ended up remodeling a kitchen and 'pilfered' one of the old cabinet drawers made out of some seriously thick wood, sealed that up with silicone and a lexan top cover. I use it once in a while to do vacuforming of abs shells, but more often than not, that pump gets used in lab-esque vacuum filtration. I have the same meter set (still in the box) and ended up going with a vacuum gauge and a distro-block; they're quite cheap and you get a reasonable amount of accuracy as to if your seal didn't get set 100% right away as the pump won't go down under 20 inches. One thing to add or make is a mist capture container for the oil, as it sprays Everywhere. A simple do-job of PVC pipe, some fittings and a filter (the lawn mower ones are conveniently threaded most times) will do well enough for occasional use, otherwise the commercial guys want stupid money for essentially the same thing. (Seriously, look them up. They're all PVC and fittings for ~$150 US. It's ridiculous) Add: I don't know why I never thought of it before, but I've got a pile of those air/water filter separators for my shop compressor that I bet would work equally well on a vacuum pump; one has a valve in the accumulation chamber to vent what would normally be water out of the bottom, as one tends to go through a lot of oil with these things. I get mine by the gallon jug. To the test bench!

I have one almost identical in my toolbox. Mine is made from a 6" PVC drain pipe cap with a 1/4" plexi cover since it's only 6" wide and I use mine with A/C gauges and my vacuum pump. I use a transmission clutch pack piston seal under the plexi. I've been using mine for 20yrs to prime my lifters with oil when rebuilding engines. just fill with oil and a set of lifters, turn it on over night and watch the bubbles come out of the lifters, sure beats pumping them by hand until they fill up. I got my vacuum pump free. A friend asked me if I wanted it because he couldn't get it to air up his bike tires. I never did tell him what it really was.

5:44 That measurement is called a "snugga-dugga". LOL

Nice. I wonder how it would do with molds/heat in metal casting? You just solved my issues finding a new gasket for my Still. To make...Hand Sanitizer, of course.

I’m so glad I watched this first, I would probably have blown myself up somehow…again…

Any of those vacuum pumps will work. Even small ones (1.2cfm). Higher cfm's just pull faster but not necessarily deeper.

Hello Sir I have been learning from you and your skills thanks for the work you do for us. I was wondering if it would be possible to make a pressure chamber attachment that can push molten further into the small crevasses of a mould to achieve better quality result ?

You have the best music

“No that’s not dinner, it’s part of my nuclear fusion reactor. Gotta save money on the electric bill somehow. 🤷🏼‍♀️”

nice build. I made one out of 1/2 inch polycarbonate a few years ago. Works great, but I wish I realised how easy the plastic can pick up scratches 😭

Good video. If i don't have vacuum pump, Can i use refrigerator compressor? It will work like with vacuum pump ?

So I have a question. If, in theory, I were to rest the lid of the vacuum chamber you made upside down, and cover it with a layer of rockwool insulation, would that be enough to not only protect the polycarbonate from the heat of a freshly burned out lost wax mold, but also would it still be able to pull the liquid metal through not only the solid investment but also through the rockwool?

Great teaching! I was totally engaged even though I was only picking up parts of what you were saying 😅 I am wanting to try this out with a 20qt stock pot to vacuum seal bbq, sauces, etc. the way a VacMaster would. Do you have suggestions on a simpler way to add air into the chamber before removing the lid? Also I love that this is simple to make- but how idiot proof is it😅

now we're talkin 👍

If you have compressed air tools, HF's $17 Vacuum pump works pretty good for the cost, but I never tried something as large as that pot.

Hey the same guy I learned how to make aluminum bronze from!

Another fun thing about vacuum chambers, even if it doesn't leak it will still eventually regain pressure. The materials the chamber itself is made of will offgas and raise the pressure over time.

Restaurant supply store will have wider pots, because restaurants have bigger burners.

Thanks mate. The lid is just over the pot? It is not fixed/screwed in? I understand that vacuum will basically make the lid sucked in, but that also mean that the seal should be super good.

Well done. Signed in just to subscribe and comment that. And this: You should be have more views. Well put together video, in my non-professional you-toob viewing experience. Good luck!

😂😂👍👍 I Wish you were a teacher! I used to be a chemistry nerd but I decided that rock'n'roll was cooler. Now I begin to regret my choice!

Do you think you could use this to make boiled linseed oil?

Ok question, if you got an old pressure cooker that nobody cares about could you make a pressure pot by drilling holes and gauging a line in from a compressor? or would the locking mechanism be to weak on the pot lid?

Best, cheapest, and easiest by far is a pressure cooker for sure.. i took an old one and braised a copper pipe where the pressure valve was and voila.. used it for distillation and some vacuum epoxy things..

could the chamber be built out of pvc pipe for those longer pieces?

Spring is here, time to check out garage sales for pressure cookers. I expect most of them would be in pristine condition.

So the yellow hose attaches back to the pressure gauges?

As long as one is patient, and has a good seal, the size of the vacuum pump is irrelevant. Patience and persistence satisfies more than just the ladies.

Parts List: Suspiciously Cheap Pump and Gauge kit (and more): amzn.to/3YSxhzo Pump More equivalent to what I used: amzn.to/3EA4p6O Just gauges: amzn.to/3IPABG3 Polycarbonate Sheet: amzn.to/3ZdM7jN Silicone Sheet: amzn.to/3xQb3SW Tap and Drill set: amzn.to/3XV7O71 (measure yours first, make sure it's the right size/thread) *amazon affiliate links* Want to learn sand casting using your 3D printer? I can teach you!: paulsmakeracademy.mykajabi.com/joinus

You should get a top open mini freezer and remove the top and make a freeze dryer

NOW THAT I'M BUILDING ONE OF MY OWN DESIGN I'M REALIZING YOU DIDN'T SHOW US EVERYTHING DID YOU PAUL? WHAT QUALITY OF LIFE THINGS PAUL? NAUGHTY PAUL.

I want to know your wife's KZfaq ID and read her comments under your videos. If she has half the dry sense of humour you do it'd be like icing on the cake and hilarious :-)

Hey pal buddy the yellow line goes pump, but this is great and I am ordering the stuff now

can i use a morden pressure cooker pot?

Be careful not to pull too much water vapor or other solvents into your pump, I think it's because they can condensate into the oil and contaminate it on the ambient pressure end of the pump. Ideally, you put a cold trap between the pot and the pump (but that requires liquid nitrogen).

I wonder if I could just rent a vacuum pump and set of gauges from Autozone or something for the one-off days that I need to use it since that is the most expensive part of the system. Just gotta make sure the sizes match I guess

I need to vac butane out of something. Will this work?

Question... I'm considering making my own vacuum chamber using commercial grade water pipe, which I've yet to obtain. I'm thinking between 10"-16" in diameter and 10"-12" (maybe a tad longer) in length... Do you think this is a viable option and what might the risks be? Thanks in advance.

I am using a Harbor Freight paint pot, it sells for $99.99 and comes with a pressure meter and gasket.

how long does it take to boil let's say 500ml of water ? I'm thinking of building such a setup for making dry extracts.

I was sent the hvac kit by mistake, sender said keep it. So maybe I’ll get to use it now.

I came back to watch this a 2nd time, then I went and priced the Lexan at $36. That's without guages, without valves, without cutting and drilling, no tap, no labor. I was able to find a whole turnkey kit for $114. 5gallon stainless steel chamber with valves and a guage, hose and 5CFM 1/3hp pump. It's normally 130 which is already stupid cheap. The pump will probably break your heart, but we can't all be gifted a Robinair cast iron tank like you got, if you get a spec of foreign matter, water or whatever in the vevor pump, you are doomed, I keep the motors, they are worth something, a paperweight at least. Free shipping from eBay too good for next 6 days. I'm no pro, but that's friggin cheap, I have bought a few and need just a chamber for a vacuum distillation rig, I have a pressure cooker and found a better deal on Lexan, but I'm still tempted by this. I also got a water aspirator pump because I'm sick of killing RV pumps and I'm sick of them belching oil all over everything. Diaphragm pumps have gotten cheaper, but not PTFE diaphragm pumps and if I'm going to do it wrong I'm going to do it cheaply(And I already have several 55psi water pressure pumps. I've seen water boil at 19C using an aspirator which is near 29.3"Hg with no moving parts, no oil changes. I'll put the link in a reply in case it goes away

Maybe try replacing the capacitor in the pump motor

thread the fitting that connects to your vacuum pump through a hole drilled in a mason jar lid, seal with hot glue or epoxy.

Other person: you got the idea from Paul's Garage. Me: Paul's Garage? Who's that? 😅

12mm =~ .473 -> 15/32. 31/64 = .484x. The reason I can quote those figs from memory is I have *Router Bits* in those sizes, because nominal-size Baltic Birch varies from .465 to .485+ in inch dims. Stuff is nominally 12mm… I want slots for shelves that give just enough added space for the glue…

I don't think I need a vacuum pump, but I want one. So I will have to make up a reason to make one.

You might want to replace the start run cap(s) on the vacuum pump. They do have limited life spans.

You could always give it to me 😂

You need to open the gas ballast on the pump when you turn it on. Then it won't stutter like that.

Why not put the vacuum pump on the yellow hose and use the high side valve to let in air without having to unscrew anything?

I am by far a vaccum pump expert, but when I was shopping for my vaccum chamber I was able to find one with a "Venturi Vacuum Pump" attachment which allows you to use an air compressor if you already own one, at a very fractional price.

Why didn't you use the lid for the pressure cooker pot?

Surprice: That Robinair is not that old maybe 1990s vintage, which in Vac pumps is quite young, because the parts are constantly bathed in oil during operation.

Lol and I thought you were going to build the pump out of homemade parts too!

freeze drying food, is a use too

31/64’s god i love our measurement system!

4:00 the only way I know to glue silicone is to prime the silicone first with polyolefin primer and then glue it with cyanoacrylate glue.

Its pronunced "Hear See"

Paul I think you mean 37/64 atleast that’s the one my tap said it needed for that tap

Just put the yellow hose on the vaccum pump and open the blue knob. Red is obsolete

Easy means lazy? No no no... lazy means efficient.

People get all precious when I run plaster through my vacuum pump but I really think it’s fine without a cold trap. I doubt I’ll notice that much shorter of a lifespan in the tool since I bought it for degassing plaster and silicone anyways. Anyway, great video!!! Kind of wish I had done this instead of buying my vacuum chamber. If I ever need another I’ll follow your plans!

Try making a replica of the Flux Capacitor with the Polycarbonate. 😂

If you don't need a 99%+vacuum, vacuum ejectors are like $40 for 95% vacuum The festo ones i use have integrated fittings for tubes and even integrated silencers on some models. Just be aware that you will need a compressed air source. Pretty much anything will do as long as you can regulate the line pressure given how they take 0.6 to 2.5 cfm of air to run.

fun fact: "Finger Tight" is roughly 3-5 in*lbs! (using at most three fingers, usually the thumb, pointer, and middle finger. And only on items up to roughly 1")

Polycarbonat is the same stuff those police riot shields are made out of, it´s crazy good stuff.

Even lazier: spread peanut butter in a circle on the silicone and let squirrels do the cutting with their teeth.

Use a refrigerator compressor. They do vacuum and 300psi. It works better for cheap projects than an expensive pump does

🤔could use it to vacuum seal Mason jars with food