raverys12

I recently had an Idea to heat seal a vacuum bag instead of using sticky seal to seal it. I ordered a hand sealer for about $12. . I was excited to try this method and see if it would work. Well, it worked and I must admit, I was impressed. I sealed one end of the bag completely and then sealed pretty much most of the other end of the bag just allowing enough room for the hose. There I used a small amount of sticky seal, and what do you know, it worked great. No leaks and it was a very strong seal. I am now going to make up a bag nozzle that I can just place through the bag and then I can seal up both ends of the bag, and there will be no need to use any sticky seal. If there is anyone interested in more detail on the where I got the sealer and how I sealed the ends of the bag, just drop me a line. Take care, Bob.

Tom Jones

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raverys1...FYI "Wallah" is a French expression spelles "viola". Tom

Tom Jones

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raverys1... Can't speel to well myself!!

byoung466

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Im interested in the type of sealer....please let me know.
Ive been using plastic bags or drop cloths to make bags...does it matter what plastic you seal?

raverys12

It doesn't seem to matter what kind of plastic you are using. I ordered the sealer off from Ebay and bought it direct with the power supply. I didn't want to use batteries. Just do a search under Eurosealer. There are a ton of them on there with power supplies for Buy it Now at $5 bucks plus s/h. The thing I did find out on sealing the bag though is the process of grabbing the bag and not trying to seal from edge to edge. I held onto the bag about an inch or two and pulled the sealer straight away from where I was gripping the bag. Then I went back and drew the sealer at a 45 degree across where I was holding the bag, through the first seal mark and then the other edge of the bag. It worked great when I did that. I didn't bunch the plastic up. Good Luck, Bob.

buttuh

Interesting concept Bob. If it works that would save me alot of money on the sealant tapes. I must ask what kind of film are you using? Are you using industry standard nylon film or something else?

TIA,
Evan

raverys12

Yes I am, nylon flim. The film I got was from Composite Structures. The neat thing is, I haven't found any plastic that it wont work on. I remember seeing an add a while back on TV and they sealed a bag that had water in it. They drag ed the sealer straight across the water area and it still sealed. I got the unit on Ebay. Search under Eurosealer, as mentioned in the other thread. Let me know how you make out. It works fine for me. I'm also going to make a couple of nozzles to insert inside the bag instead of slipping the hose through the end of the bag. Take care, Bob.

buttuh

Thanks Bob. Gonna go look for one right now.

BTW, what inches of mercury were you pulling? Please say "Yeah I pull it at 28 and it still holds up!"

raverys12

I was at 15 hg, but I'm sure that it would hold at 28. I have a commercial HyVac unit that is capable of close to 30hg. I'll go down and give it a try and let you know. I know I couldnt pull it apart. Have to see, CUL, Bob.

buttuh

Beautiful... can't wait for the ebay auction to end.

raverys12

They had a lot of buy it now auctions the last time I looked. I'll have to go out there and take another look. I was up to 25 Hg. That was as far as I could go with the limit switch I have on my accumulator. I did see any problem. Thats the best I can do for now unless I by-pass the limit switch. Hope this helps, Bob.

buttuh

Too late, I bought one

raverys12

Good, They aren't terribly expensive anyway. Thats one good thing. Let me know how you make out, Bob

buttuh

I just realized something though, I usually seal the bag to the mold itself. So I guess this will still come in handy for all the other times that I need to place something completely inside a bag.

raverys12

Daaaa! Just kidding. Now your catching on!! Let me know how you make out when you get it. Why cant you put the mold in the bag???? Whats the diff. if you have bag material on the bottom of the mold. Not sure what your process is. CUL, Bob.

buttuh

Well my molds have 90 degree flange all the way around. I normally seal the edge of the vacuum film to the edge of the flange. I don't have to use as much film that way and it works out quite well.

Here's a pic for example. Although the film, in this case, is sealed to a flat surface but you can see that the film does not go all the way around like a bag.

raverys12

Got it! Just for the heck of it. What are you molding? I just ordered some epoxy to make a mold for the first time, and understand the concept, but haven't done any molding up till now. I have a cowl coming for the 35% Extra 300 I'm making and want to make a mold for it, and make my own. It most likely is cheaper to buy it buy the time I'm done, but you know how that goes. It's the adventure, Bob.

buttuh

I actually do car parts. I have absolutely 0 experience with air planes but there's a lot that I have learned here that apply to what I do.

As far as mold buliding, it just requires a lot of patience. Getting it right the first time so you never have to go back to it again. Good luck.

Evan