Vacuum Blanket

[mimosatexas]

Does anyone know the elongation % of the stock blankets?  Found a place where I can get 1/8 neoprene (not the scuba material) that is 72" wide with 400% elongation for around $10 per foot, but stock blankets are ten times that.  Ordered a sample yesterday.

[DAYBREAK]

I purchased a neoprene sheet and so far everything has gone well, except that now I have air leaks around the hinge screws where I put the frame back on the base. Does anyone have a suggestion for what to use here? I'm sure I need some sort of caulk or sealant, but I don't want to use something that won't let go when we need to take them it again.  (ie a glue or strong adhesive)

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

I'm interested in the stuff you wind up with, Mimosa. I've used the Scuba Material exclusively, until I can't buy it any longer. I now have a pond liner from Lowe's and it is pretty underwhelming.

Daybreak, welcome to the forum! You'll not have any problem removing RTV Silicone when the time comes. Just buy the cheap stuff from Walmart, unless you can't find any, and  be done with it. If their store brand is absent, GE or any will work okay. I like the Walmart brand, because you can speed it up by misting a little water on it and stirring it in. Some brands don't do that as well. And by the way, "RTV" stands for Room Temperature Vulcanizing but that fact is not as widely known as it ought to be. Moisture in the air speeds the cross linking. It seems to be miserably slow to cure sometimes.

[mimosatexas]

I attached my blanket using adhesive velcro. Half around the frame, half attached to the blanket and just stuck it on.  Havent had a single issue and since the blanket is flush against the glass all the way around, no gasket needed either.

Never ended up receiving the sample I mentioned a while ago.  I do need to revisit this though...

[DAYBREAK]

Thank you both for the info and for responding so quickly! 

I ended up using one of the Liquid Nails glues...hope I don't regret it. I have now run a bead of caulk all the way around the outer side of the frame. I can't hear where it's leaking and the blanket is sucked down really well by the looks of it, but I'm getting Low Vacuum and the indicator shows about half of normal. Right now I'm 3 days into trying to make this work and I'm really frustrated....besides getting way behind.   Any additional help/response would be appreciated.

[DAYBREAK]

By the way, I went with the "material down". There were mixed opinions on rubber to glass vs. material to glass. I chose material.

[markdhl]

Douthitt blankets are thin but much stronger and lasts a lot longer than the materials being mentioned.  If you want good contact then the blanket needs to wrap around the screen not pull the screen.  Spending a little more is a much better value.

No matter how good your press is .... it cannot put the quality back into a screen.

Mark Diehl
Douthitt Corporation
313 515 8635

[Sbrem]

The pond liner worked very well for us, about $40 for enough to do our unit twice, which is 54 x 74... if you put it on right, it works the way it should; one little leak though...

Steve

[mt_signex]

One tip for repairing neoprene blankets is to use Aquaseal, it is used to repair neoprene waders and is readily available anywhere they sell waders, so most farm stores or sporting goods outlets will have it.

I've used both materials for replacement blankets and as long as you can get the seal down both rubber and neoprene seem to work well.


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[LocalColor]

Had an 8' by 10' tilt vacuum frame, could shoot 8 auto fames at a time with a Richmond 10k Solar beam. The fix I used on this blanket will sound a bit odd, but, a water bed  mattress. Cut down a Queen size to fit and I left the neoprene on the frame for cushion and added the mattress to the outside. The vinyl of the material conformed perfectly on both flavors of roller frames we used.

[heray11]

 gET AN OLD VACUM CLEANER AND ATTACH IT TO THE UNIT. iT WILL SUCK IT DOWN IN A HEART BEAT. ALSO, BE AWARE OF THE DISTANCE YOU CARRY THE SCREEN TO THE WASH OUT. s SIMPLE SPRAY BOTTLE WITH WATER, WET THE SCREEEN AS SOON AS YOU REMOVE THE SCREEN. hELPS IN WASHING OUT SCREENS, ESPICALLY ON HIGH MESH

[mimosatexas]

Wut

[Atownsend]

For those looking for wider Buna Rubber sheets, Allstate Gasket in PA has 48"W rubber sold by the foot. We went with 1/16" thickness. Good elongation, but not as stretchy or thin as the Douthitt blankets. But it does work really well. http://www.allstategasket.com/info_gasket_material_style-1190.asp

The larger widths are harder to find, but they are out there.

If anyone has a good source for sponge beading to seal the frame to the glass, I'd love to know where you snagged that from. We reused the old seal as I couldn't easily source anything that looked to be comparable.

[Atownsend]

Actually, Buna rubber may not be the best material for this. I may have jumped the gun before having all of the information. Apparently Buna N is damaged by UV light and I missed that information when I ordered it. Its already installed, so we will see how long it holds up. Will update when and if it deteriorates from the UV.

[CBCB]

I just got some neoprene from a fabric store for my M&R Mega-Light. Seems to be working well so far, but is definitely thinner than the original blanket. I think it was $60 for two blankets.

Sounds like pond liner and other materials just aren't worth it. Gotta find a nice thicker neoprene, and seems like fabric stores are the best bet.