[Cricklewood]

Does anyone know of a good place to get vacuum bagging supplies in the Toronto area?

[cravenjw]

Canada Composites in Mississauga sells fittings and bagging/breather/sealing materials for vacuum bagging glass/cf lay ups.

[kcaldwel]

I use mostly readily available stuff. Fish freezer bags from Canadian Tire for vacuum bags, paper towels for breather material with a length of 1/4" polypro rope around the circumference of the bag, tubing from CT, polyethylene vapour barrier with latex sealant against a sheet of glass for flat stuff, aquarium check valves, made bag inlets from aluminium tubing I threaded with a die and rubber washers and fender washers from Home Depot, aquarium digital temperature controller for my hot box, etc.

About the only things I have to order are 0.014" mylar (probably available in TO somewhere), and I haven't found a good alternative to the bag seal clips that work so easily. I like ACP's:

http://www.acpsales.com/OnlineStore.php?cat=5314

There is lots of fancy stuff you can buy in TO:

http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/menus/c...umbagging.html

http://www.compositescanada.com/prod...gging-supplies

Kevin

[michaely]

Originally Posted by kcaldwel

I use mostly readily available stuff. Fish freezer bags from Canadian Tire for vacuum bags, paper towels for breather material with a length of 1/4" polypro rope around the circumference of the bag, tubing from CT, polyethylene vapour barrier with latex sealant against a sheet of glass for flat stuff, aquarium check valves, made bag inlets from aluminium tubing I threaded with a die and rubber washers and fender washers from Home Depot, aquarium digital temperature controller for my hot box, etc.

About the only things I have to order are 0.014" mylar (probably available in TO somewhere), and I haven't found a good alternative to the bag seal clips that work so easily. I like ACP's:

http://www.acpsales.com/OnlineStore.php?cat=5314

There is lots of fancy stuff you can buy in TO:

http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/menus/c...umbagging.html

http://www.compositescanada.com/prod...gging-supplies

Kevin

hi Kevin and everyone,

Thanks for your suggestions for locating/re-sourcing vacuum bagging supplies.

I'm just getting into vacuum bagging, having lucked into scoring a complete APC auto vacuum system at a recent swap meet.
It came with the quick release seals.

It should be possible to re purpose some locally available materials to make such quick release seals.
One possibility would be to use the thick walled clear vinyl tubing available in big box stores (for plumbing); the stuff comes in various diameters and could be slit lengthwise; the inner rod could be large diameter music wire, arrow shafts, etc. This tubing comes packaged in coils but I think the shape can be "relaxed"/straighten out in hot water. Real cheap.

A more expensive re purposing but perhaps locally available be the large diameter/"high stress" Sullivan golden rod push rods; black outer sleeve (again slitting lengthwise) and yellow inner rod.

What is the 1/4" poly rope around the vacuum bag for? what function does in serve? (I'm a newbie in this field)

thanks

[kcaldwel]

Originally Posted by michaely

What is the 1/4" poly rope around the vacuum bag for? what function does in serve? (I'm a newbie in this field)

thanks

I've tried a few things to replace the bag clips with limited success. I have bag clips, so I haven't been trying to find something else too hard.

The twisted cheap poly rope provides an air escape path to all areas of the bag that doesn't collapse under vacuum. Paper towel makes a decent breather, but it is good to have a path for the air from the extremities of the bag to the vacuum connector.

Just keep the rope on the edge of a layer of paper towel along the length of the bag - I always put a double layer under the vacuum connection, with the rope looped around there too.

Kevin

[michaely]

Kevin,

Thanks for the explanation on the purpose of the rope.