DIY wtc without fancy tools

[raalst]

Hi all, just as an inspiration, I would like to show you my
endcap in progress. I succeeded with ordinary tools, so
everybody can make endcaps !

I believe Fung Pang made endcaps the same way, but i'm not
sure.

I made an endcap from 4 disks of plexiglass (or lexan, dunno.).
These were drilled out with a large bore hole cutter (see link below)
Then three disks were stacked and bolted together.
The bolt was put into the drill, creating a poor man's lathe.
with a file and sandpaper, the three disks were made the right diameter. it fits perfectly in the PVC pipe that is my WTC body.

next steps are to sand the middle disk down a bit more, creating a groove for an O-ring.
then a fourth disk is added with a larger diameter and all is
glued together using 2-component cement.

I will think of a way to close the central hole in the disks.

cheap wtc construction

from now on, you have
- cheap plastic kits like the trumpeter Kilo for a hull
- a DIY wtc for a few bucks
- a DIY piston tank
- ordinary electronics to control it all

and the water tight linkages won't break the bank either.

Your wife will love it ! maybe now you can afford to feed your children instead of buying an Engel Typhoon



Edited By raalst on 1139081921

[himszy]

Ronald I did the same

Ronald I did the same for my kilo (weird how we both seem to be doing the same things....). However don't recommend doing it after what happened. The drill's bearings became damaged due to the direction of the force that was applied and the both the egg shaped endcap and drill had to be thrown away (only cheap one, maybe that's why). If you do NEED to do it, I suggest you use a broken hacksaw blade. Bend the blade into two bits until it snaps, then drive the broken end into the spinning sheets. The bend in the blade allows you to hold it at a much safer angle.

Michael

[raalst]

Michael,

sorry to hear

Michael,

sorry to hear that.
I did not hit snags like that but the disks did not get
exactly round either.

I guess I need the lathe (I do have a cheap chinese one)
to make proper endcaps.

it might work if you don;t have anything else, but apparently
you risk your drill with it.

[anonymous]

I have made endcaps several

[color=#000000]I have made endcaps several tmes in the way that Ronald describes and it works well - if a little time consuming.

My bench drill is still fine and they are much cheaper than a lathe anyway]

[raalst]

Dave, thanks for replying,
did

Dave, thanks for replying,
did you obtain reasonably round disks that way ?

how did you take off material from the spinning disks?
I filed & sanded them while they turned.
I believe Michael refers to actual cutting, using that
broken off sawblade. how did you do it ?

[himszy]

When I did it the

When I did it the first time I use a dremel with the sanding attachment. However the second time I used the hacksaw blade. The blade worked very well and made a nice cut. You could also use this method to insert a groove for an o-ring.

But saying that, making them on a lathe was much easier, safer and my preferred way.

Also, another way to cut the tube so it was a smooth surface, is to use a paving slab. The rough texture allows you to get a fairly good finish.

Michael

[raalst]

michael, what is a paving

michael, what is a paving slab ?
is it like the glass plate I use as a perfectly flat reference ?

It's still not clear to me if you somehow sawed at the disks while they spun or that the broken off edge was used sort of like
a lathe cutting bar (i.e. a makeshift knife).

sorry, clogs are thick

[himszy]

These things are paving slabs]http://static.flickr.com/23/29223883_761975916b_m.jpg
They

These things are paving slabs]http://static.flickr.com/23/29223883_761975916b_m.jpg[/url]
They are made up of tiny particles and so you can use them like sand/glass paper to get a flat, smooth edge.

You spin the endcap in the drill, but instead of going at it sideways, you go at it from the front. The result is a much cleaner circle which is almost guaranteed to be circular.

Let me know if you want some pictures...

Michael

[raalst]

you mean actual pavement tiles

you mean actual pavement tiles ?
like the ones just outside my house ?

Smart !

and cutting from the front, that's something I should try.

thanks and regards,
Ronald van Aalst

[anonymous]

Hi Ronald,

I used a jigsaw

Hi Ronald,

I used a jigsaw to cut the disk to about the nearest mm. Then I spun the disk in the bench drill and held an electric hand drill with a coarse sanding disk against it.

It all worked but I confess that having recently bought a lathe ( Peatol/Taiig with riser blocks) I will use that from now on.
BTW I also found that you can glue polycarbonate well with the liquid adhesive - (Polyweld (in the UK) based on Dichloromethane) Dave

[himszy]

you mean actual pavement tiles

you mean actual pavement tiles ?
like the ones just outside my house ?

Yup, they act just like 1 inch thick sandpaper! But make sure you check the area that you're using as some contain small rocks and a small amount of water on top helps as well.

Regards,

Michael