Talk Composites - The Forum for Advanced Composites

laminated veneer with vacuum

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Topic31271.aspx

By meiros - 12/13/2018 5:32:07 AM

Hi everyone,
Last year I bought the below equipment to laminat wood in vacuum bags:

VP425 Composites Vacuum Pump
TBC2 Through-Bag Connector
VB160 Vacuum Bagging Film 1.52m LFT 
Vacuum Bagging Gum Sealant Tape 15m Rolls
1/4 Turn Vacuum Valve
6mm Hose-Tail Barb Connector
6mm ID Budget PVC Vacuum Hose 5m

I could not make a good vacuum bag to keep the wood pressed during gluing process.
I made the bag carefully to make sure it was well sealed but the truth is that it never stays. I can make vacuum, but when I turn off the pump or close the valve, the bag loses its vacuum.
The glue has to dry about 3 hours. Should I leave the pump on during 3 hours?
But should not he be able to turn off the pump as soon as the vacuum was set?
Thank you
By Warren (Staff) - 12/13/2018 10:29:22 AM

It sounds like you have a small leak somewhere. You should be able to achieve fully leak tight bags with the material. Running the pump against a tiny leak is not going to cause any issues with the pump and is fine from a gluing down perspective.