Tracey Duivestein on wed 18 nov 09
Has anyone used PVC irrigation pipe for the barrel of a simple
non-deairing pugmill (similar to the one on the Lue Pottery site -
thanks to Des & Jan Howard & Roger & Pauline Graham). I am about to
build one of these & after reading all the possible problems with
barrels (& rusting is a huge problem here), i thought that the
irrigation pipe is fairly inert, very strong & comes in all shapes &
sizes, including reducers for the nozzle. The blades will be stainless
steel.
Any potential problems before I start & waste precious time & money??
Many thanks
Tracey
I
>
Michael Wendt on thu 19 nov 09
Tracey,
Consider these factors:
Clay heats up dramatically during pugging. The outside of my
pug mill barrel is often uncomfortable to the touch after 15
minutes. PVC gets weaker when hot.
The pug shaft needs to be very stiff and the frame that
supports it needs to be heavy and rigid or the blades and
the auger will scrape against the sides of the barrel,
scarping away layers of PVC into the clay, a real
catastrophe.
You would also need to figure out a way to disassemble the
components for cleaning periodically.
You are not in the USA are you?
Check to see if there are any paper mills in your area. I
get my scrap stainless 6" pipe from a steel recycling center
a mile from here. It costs $25/foot ( 15. 25 cm dia x 30.5
cm length), and I have lots of extra pipe at that price if
anyone is interested (weighs about 10 LBS /foot). I use my
plasma torch to cut it to length but before I had a plasma
torch, I used a skilsaw with a metal cutting blade to cut
the shapes needed.
I also can forward the contact information from the
stainless steel auger supplier and you can look at my pug
mill pictures for additional ideas.
My motto is: plastic is for toys.
don't waste your time making a plastic pugmill using PVC
pipe unless you are going to build a steel case around the
outside and use the PVC as a corrosion liner only, not as a
structural element
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Tracey wrote:
Has anyone used PVC irrigation pipe for the barrel of a
simple
non-deairing pugmill (similar to the one on the Lue Pottery
site -
thanks to Des & Jan Howard & Roger & Pauline Graham). I am
about to
build one of these & after reading all the possible problems
with
barrels (& rusting is a huge problem here), i thought that
the
irrigation pipe is fairly inert, very strong & comes in all
shapes &
sizes, including reducers for the nozzle. The blades will
be stainless
steel.
Any potential problems before I start & waste precious time
& money??
Many thanks
Tracey
Des & Jan Howard on thu 19 nov 09
Tracey
Using non-corrodible plastic pipe sounds like a good
idea. Irrigation pipe if of the high pressure type
would be the starting point. Drain pipe, rainwater pipe
are a tad thin for the job. I'd say min. 5mm wall
thickness. Rough up the inside wall a bit, to cause a
layer of clay to stick, wall wear is minimal, pressure
in the barrel may not be.
I don't mind an extensive off-list exchange.
Des
Tracey Duivestein wrote:
> Has anyone used PVC irrigation pipe for the barrel of a simple
> non-deairing pugmill (similar to the one on the Lue Pottery site -
> thanks to Des & Jan Howard & Roger & Pauline Graham). I am about to
> build one of these & after reading all the possible problems with
> barrels (& rusting is a huge problem here), i thought that the
> irrigation pipe is fairly inert, very strong & comes in all shapes &
> sizes, including reducers for the nozzle. The blades will be stainless
> steel.
> Any potential problems before I start & waste precious time & money??
--
Des & Jan Howard
Lue Pottery
Lue NSW
Australia
2850
02 6373 6419
www.luepottery.hwy.com.au
-32.656072 149.840624
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