Project - Grinder / Cabochon Maker - Water System (pic hvy)
Apr 28, 2019 20:06:07 GMT -5
captbob, RWA3006, and 10 more like this
Post by NevadaBill on Apr 28, 2019 20:06:07 GMT -5
Project - Grinder / Cabochon Maker - Water Re-circulation and filter system
After acquiring a cab making grinder, I needed to come up with a way to get water to it. This is the build I settled on.
CONCEPT: The idea behind this design, is that water will come in to the small 2 gallon bucket, from the grinder. The water will be dirty with grit, rock pieces, and sludge. We do not want these contaminants to be introduced to the Water Pump. Instead, these heavier particles will settle to the bottom of the 2 gallon bucket. And the water will flow over the edges of the 2 gallon bucket, down in to the 5 gallon one. The water will be more free of contaminants which would hurt the Water Pump. The Water Pump should get clean water.
There are so many different ways to get water to a grinder. I don't claim this to be the best, cheapest or easiest way. It appears to work though, so I am offering this up as concept only, and not an exact parts list for everyone. This write up might put some people to sleep.
Things I had as goals:
- I wanted to re-circulate water to the grinder because I didn't have a water line hookup.
- I also wanted to filter the water, so that grit, rock chips, and whatever came from the grinder, did not end up in the pump.
- I wanted to retain and use the plumbing and valve system on the Raytech grinder.
- I even thought about the system being portable, in case I ever wanted to work on rocks at a show or something.
- The pump had to raise water at least 3 feet, and then push water to all open valves I would want to.
NOTE: Gallons Per Hour (gph) is a consideration when buying a pump. Smaller 30-40 gph pumps cannot raise water up too many feet. Even 400 gph pumps only claim to be able to raise water 6-7 feet. Research for your needs.
This build has a total parts supply cost of $60.00 all from the same store. But every project would likely have a different parts list.
It is centered around a pump with a good reputation. Little Giant has been around a while. This one costs more and accounts for more than half my project budget. And you can get other pumps for much less.
The Little Giant PES-290-PW, is a 290 gph pump. It has a 3 year warranty also.
Amazon link: www.amazon.com/LITTLE-GIANT-566717-Submersible-Magnetic/dp/B002TH07XM
NOTE: The specifications for this pump list a 3/8" and 1/2" barbed discharge. It comes with 3 though. And the smallest of the 3, has an INSIDE diameter (ID) of 3/8", and an OUTSIDE diameter (OD) of 1/2". Knowing inside / outside diameters are important when buying parts for any build
< < < See the Yellow Arrow in the picture. See the rubber grommet? Transfer this grommet to the size you choose to use > > >
Next, purchase some paint supplies. There are other ways to do this, but this solution is cheap and easy.
- 2 Gallon bucket
- 5 Gallon bucket
- Large paint screen for a 5 Gallon bucket
Next we need some water plumbing parts from the hardware store.
- Reducing Coupling ( 3/8" OD to 1/4" OD )
- Hose Clamp (not mandatory, but it helps)
- Barbed Hose Splicer ( 3/8" ID to 1/4" ID)
- Vinyl Hose (clear) 3/8" OD and 1/4" ID
We are going to bend the Paint Screen to fit our application. This is so that it will support the 2 gallon bucket, inside of the 5 gallon bucket. The bottom is bent upwards, just above where the pump will sit, and it adds structural strength if bent this way.
Again, notice how the bottom is bent UP, and also Inward. This might take a few minutes of trial and error to get right.
This is the way that it will sit inside of the 5 gallon bucket. Note how it ends up right above the pump.
NOTE: Also see how the pump OUTLET and hose will go up and behind this Paint Screen, without interference.
Once you drop the 2 gallon bucket inside of the 5 gallon bucket, it will comfortably come to rest at the bottom of the Paint Screen ledge that we created here.
NOTE: It is important that the 2 gallon bucket stands free, and does not touch the edges of the 5 gallon one.
NOTE: It is also important that the TOP of the 2 gallon bucket rides LOWER than the edge of the 5 gallon one, once inside. This will become more obvious later. But the idea is that we don't want water to be spilling outside of both buckets, on to the shop floor.
The plumbing parts now need to be assembled. We start with the Water Pump OUTPUT:
NOTE: The tolerance between the brass, barbed Splicer 3/8", and the interior of the Pump Outlet 3/8", are so tight, that I needed to heat up the plastic piece, because I knew it would crack.
I used boiling water. It was OK, until the plastic cracked 1/2 way in, and I needed to use Glue to seal the connection. If I were to do it again, I would torch the plastic to the point of melting, and slip the brass Splicer inside it. Then Clamp the two together.
This is what it looks like assembled:
Again, not hard stuff to do. This whole project is very easy to assemble, and took no more than a half hour or so.
Now it is time to Cut your Vinyl Clear Hose to the length you need, and assemble both ends ( the Reducing Coupling, and the Pump Outlet coupling ) to the Hose. It looks like this:
Now, you can attach the Pump Outlet coupling side of the new assembly to the actual Little Giant Water Pump:
< < < It is not pictured, but the Pump is adjustable, and I have set it to the LOWEST pressure setting possible, to start > > >
Next, you can attach the other side of the Hose assembly to the 1/4" Hose tube, which feeds the Grinder.
NOTE: It is very typical that a Cabbing Machine, Genie, Titan, Raytech, Lortone, etc brand of machine will use 1/4" (Outside Diameter) tubing. If you are unsure, check the specifications of the Grinder.
Once you have assembled the two steps above, it is time to drop the 2 gallon Bucket back inside of the 5 gallon one.
Also, I decided that I wanted a switch of some sort on the Water Pump. I just used a vacation appliance timer. But any type of switch is good. I recommend having one on there.
NOTE: You don't want the Water Pump to come on without it first being immersed completely under water.
Position the entire unit below the Cabbing Machine / Grinder, and in the best case, right below the drain plug of the Grinder.
The drain on the Raytech Gem Maker is a Garden Hose thread. So, I had a small section of garden hose around, which was cut down to the size to drop water and grit, down in to the small 2 gallon Bucket.
NOTE: At this time, I am guessing on the length of the hose. I might need to extend this further down in to the bucket. I have not experimented enough to know yet though. Only time will tell. We want dirt, grit, and rock sludge to be channeled to the bottom of the 2 gallon Bucket, ideally though.
Fill the whole bucket assembly with water now. I am using tap water, but once I go live with this, I will probably use some distilled water.
Some things to notice here.
- Blue arrows, are where the water exits the 2 gallon container, and drops down in to the 5 gallon one.
- Yellow arrows, show that there is some space (ideally) between the 2 buckets, just to allow water to NOT spill out, and on to the shop floor.
- Red arrow, is about where I filled the 5 gallon bucket to. I figured this would be enough. About 3/4 up the 5 gallon bucket.
We don't want the Water Pump to ever pump dry air. The instructions say that it should always be under water when turned on.
NOTE: With THIS solution, it is important to not DEAD HEAD, the Water Pump.
The water flow should not be restricted. The pump needs to have an INLET, and and OUTLET. So, even though there are many ways to design this in to your solution, the cheapest and easiest way I found to make sure that Pump Water has a place to go, is to simply OPEN one of the Water Valves on your Grinder. Water will go their first. The Pump will be happy.
Here is a short video where I run through my maiden test of the pump solution. This was my 2nd run though. I didn't have my camera turned on for the 1st run (Doh!), and had to do It again.
OBSERVATIONS:
- Even at low water volume, this pump can easily send water to 4 open valves at the same time
- There is some water over spray, which hits the polishing wheels on the side, and also exits out the sides of the Grinder.
- I have 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood, screwed, glued, primered, and painted, and now sitting below the Grinder. So any water run off is tolerated.
- This raised the grinder up by a full inch though, so I have added a 4 inch extension to the Grinder Drain Hose section.
- I have also painted the plywood at the bottom, underneath the water filtration system, for the same reason.
- I don't know if the water is sufficiently high pressure enough to keep the wheels wet enough. I am not experienced. It seems like enough maybe.
- But If not, then I will turn up the Water Pump adjustable output valve, to output more water pressure.
- This solution is running in a very self-contained, and not too messy fashion. I would run this indoors, on carpet if I had to.
The Expando on the left appears to wobble. The wheel looks warped in the video, but it runs true.
I think it is the too loosely fitting sander paper on that drum. Not sure, I haven't tried other paper on there.
The Expando I was expecting to tighten up more when the grinder started turning. I guess. Don't Expando's, "expand"?
I have to try another piece of sanding paper on there some time to see if the Expando is not functioning correctly or not.
Thank you for making your way through this write up. I will likely update after I have had some time with this solution, and report on how it's going.
I don't even have Dot Sticks or Dot Glue right now though, so it might be a little while.
And best of luck to you in designing your own water system.
PM me if you have any questions about any of the system.
After acquiring a cab making grinder, I needed to come up with a way to get water to it. This is the build I settled on.
CONCEPT: The idea behind this design, is that water will come in to the small 2 gallon bucket, from the grinder. The water will be dirty with grit, rock pieces, and sludge. We do not want these contaminants to be introduced to the Water Pump. Instead, these heavier particles will settle to the bottom of the 2 gallon bucket. And the water will flow over the edges of the 2 gallon bucket, down in to the 5 gallon one. The water will be more free of contaminants which would hurt the Water Pump. The Water Pump should get clean water.
There are so many different ways to get water to a grinder. I don't claim this to be the best, cheapest or easiest way. It appears to work though, so I am offering this up as concept only, and not an exact parts list for everyone. This write up might put some people to sleep.
Things I had as goals:
- I wanted to re-circulate water to the grinder because I didn't have a water line hookup.
- I also wanted to filter the water, so that grit, rock chips, and whatever came from the grinder, did not end up in the pump.
- I wanted to retain and use the plumbing and valve system on the Raytech grinder.
- I even thought about the system being portable, in case I ever wanted to work on rocks at a show or something.
- The pump had to raise water at least 3 feet, and then push water to all open valves I would want to.
NOTE: Gallons Per Hour (gph) is a consideration when buying a pump. Smaller 30-40 gph pumps cannot raise water up too many feet. Even 400 gph pumps only claim to be able to raise water 6-7 feet. Research for your needs.
This build has a total parts supply cost of $60.00 all from the same store. But every project would likely have a different parts list.
It is centered around a pump with a good reputation. Little Giant has been around a while. This one costs more and accounts for more than half my project budget. And you can get other pumps for much less.
The Little Giant PES-290-PW, is a 290 gph pump. It has a 3 year warranty also.
Amazon link: www.amazon.com/LITTLE-GIANT-566717-Submersible-Magnetic/dp/B002TH07XM
NOTE: The specifications for this pump list a 3/8" and 1/2" barbed discharge. It comes with 3 though. And the smallest of the 3, has an INSIDE diameter (ID) of 3/8", and an OUTSIDE diameter (OD) of 1/2". Knowing inside / outside diameters are important when buying parts for any build
< < < See the Yellow Arrow in the picture. See the rubber grommet? Transfer this grommet to the size you choose to use > > >
Next, purchase some paint supplies. There are other ways to do this, but this solution is cheap and easy.
- 2 Gallon bucket
- 5 Gallon bucket
- Large paint screen for a 5 Gallon bucket
Next we need some water plumbing parts from the hardware store.
- Reducing Coupling ( 3/8" OD to 1/4" OD )
- Hose Clamp (not mandatory, but it helps)
- Barbed Hose Splicer ( 3/8" ID to 1/4" ID)
- Vinyl Hose (clear) 3/8" OD and 1/4" ID
We are going to bend the Paint Screen to fit our application. This is so that it will support the 2 gallon bucket, inside of the 5 gallon bucket. The bottom is bent upwards, just above where the pump will sit, and it adds structural strength if bent this way.
Again, notice how the bottom is bent UP, and also Inward. This might take a few minutes of trial and error to get right.
This is the way that it will sit inside of the 5 gallon bucket. Note how it ends up right above the pump.
NOTE: Also see how the pump OUTLET and hose will go up and behind this Paint Screen, without interference.
Once you drop the 2 gallon bucket inside of the 5 gallon bucket, it will comfortably come to rest at the bottom of the Paint Screen ledge that we created here.
NOTE: It is important that the 2 gallon bucket stands free, and does not touch the edges of the 5 gallon one.
NOTE: It is also important that the TOP of the 2 gallon bucket rides LOWER than the edge of the 5 gallon one, once inside. This will become more obvious later. But the idea is that we don't want water to be spilling outside of both buckets, on to the shop floor.
The plumbing parts now need to be assembled. We start with the Water Pump OUTPUT:
NOTE: The tolerance between the brass, barbed Splicer 3/8", and the interior of the Pump Outlet 3/8", are so tight, that I needed to heat up the plastic piece, because I knew it would crack.
I used boiling water. It was OK, until the plastic cracked 1/2 way in, and I needed to use Glue to seal the connection. If I were to do it again, I would torch the plastic to the point of melting, and slip the brass Splicer inside it. Then Clamp the two together.
This is what it looks like assembled:
Again, not hard stuff to do. This whole project is very easy to assemble, and took no more than a half hour or so.
Now it is time to Cut your Vinyl Clear Hose to the length you need, and assemble both ends ( the Reducing Coupling, and the Pump Outlet coupling ) to the Hose. It looks like this:
Now, you can attach the Pump Outlet coupling side of the new assembly to the actual Little Giant Water Pump:
< < < It is not pictured, but the Pump is adjustable, and I have set it to the LOWEST pressure setting possible, to start > > >
Next, you can attach the other side of the Hose assembly to the 1/4" Hose tube, which feeds the Grinder.
NOTE: It is very typical that a Cabbing Machine, Genie, Titan, Raytech, Lortone, etc brand of machine will use 1/4" (Outside Diameter) tubing. If you are unsure, check the specifications of the Grinder.
Once you have assembled the two steps above, it is time to drop the 2 gallon Bucket back inside of the 5 gallon one.
Also, I decided that I wanted a switch of some sort on the Water Pump. I just used a vacation appliance timer. But any type of switch is good. I recommend having one on there.
NOTE: You don't want the Water Pump to come on without it first being immersed completely under water.
Position the entire unit below the Cabbing Machine / Grinder, and in the best case, right below the drain plug of the Grinder.
The drain on the Raytech Gem Maker is a Garden Hose thread. So, I had a small section of garden hose around, which was cut down to the size to drop water and grit, down in to the small 2 gallon Bucket.
NOTE: At this time, I am guessing on the length of the hose. I might need to extend this further down in to the bucket. I have not experimented enough to know yet though. Only time will tell. We want dirt, grit, and rock sludge to be channeled to the bottom of the 2 gallon Bucket, ideally though.
Fill the whole bucket assembly with water now. I am using tap water, but once I go live with this, I will probably use some distilled water.
Some things to notice here.
- Blue arrows, are where the water exits the 2 gallon container, and drops down in to the 5 gallon one.
- Yellow arrows, show that there is some space (ideally) between the 2 buckets, just to allow water to NOT spill out, and on to the shop floor.
- Red arrow, is about where I filled the 5 gallon bucket to. I figured this would be enough. About 3/4 up the 5 gallon bucket.
We don't want the Water Pump to ever pump dry air. The instructions say that it should always be under water when turned on.
NOTE: With THIS solution, it is important to not DEAD HEAD, the Water Pump.
The water flow should not be restricted. The pump needs to have an INLET, and and OUTLET. So, even though there are many ways to design this in to your solution, the cheapest and easiest way I found to make sure that Pump Water has a place to go, is to simply OPEN one of the Water Valves on your Grinder. Water will go their first. The Pump will be happy.
Here is a short video where I run through my maiden test of the pump solution. This was my 2nd run though. I didn't have my camera turned on for the 1st run (Doh!), and had to do It again.
OBSERVATIONS:
- Even at low water volume, this pump can easily send water to 4 open valves at the same time
- There is some water over spray, which hits the polishing wheels on the side, and also exits out the sides of the Grinder.
- I have 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood, screwed, glued, primered, and painted, and now sitting below the Grinder. So any water run off is tolerated.
- This raised the grinder up by a full inch though, so I have added a 4 inch extension to the Grinder Drain Hose section.
- I have also painted the plywood at the bottom, underneath the water filtration system, for the same reason.
- I don't know if the water is sufficiently high pressure enough to keep the wheels wet enough. I am not experienced. It seems like enough maybe.
- But If not, then I will turn up the Water Pump adjustable output valve, to output more water pressure.
- This solution is running in a very self-contained, and not too messy fashion. I would run this indoors, on carpet if I had to.
The Expando on the left appears to wobble. The wheel looks warped in the video, but it runs true.
I think it is the too loosely fitting sander paper on that drum. Not sure, I haven't tried other paper on there.
The Expando I was expecting to tighten up more when the grinder started turning. I guess. Don't Expando's, "expand"?
I have to try another piece of sanding paper on there some time to see if the Expando is not functioning correctly or not.
Thank you for making your way through this write up. I will likely update after I have had some time with this solution, and report on how it's going.
I don't even have Dot Sticks or Dot Glue right now though, so it might be a little while.
And best of luck to you in designing your own water system.
PM me if you have any questions about any of the system.
