Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers,Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved

[ZiggieCie]

Part one: Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers,Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved version

One of my main concerns in fossil prep for everyone is the fine dust created using power tools, Air scribes and Air abraders/etchers. Air scribes (small jackhammers), these create a fair amount of fine dust during use that is best controlled and removed from the area. Next are the Air powered etchers, (mini sand blasters) these use a very fine abrasive, produce large amounts of fine dust, and should not be used, without a containment system to control this abrasive dust. You do not want this in your lungs or your house.

I found two good homemade fine dust filters, using water as a dust capture agent that works very well on removing the fine dust created in fossil prep and drywall sanding. This dust clogs shop-vac filters very fast and ruins vacs. This type of water filter I will show you captures most of the dust before it gets to the vac, or your lungs.

What I have done is combined the features of two very good systems and MacGyvered them into, I hope a better, fine dust system for fossil preppers. You can build this yourself, at a very low cost, using material from around the home, and local hardware stores.

First, Credits: Julez from Germany, designed a chip and dust system for his shop, it is a two-part system with a cyclone for larger dirt and a water filter for fine dust. Link: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1700535

I bowered his water filter concept and combined it with another, water; fine dust system By Bob Carli, of Unionville, Ct. His system was featured in Fine Homebuilding, on line,

Link: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/reader-tip/a-better-way-to-suck-up-drywall-dust.aspx

OK here we go; the main parts are three five-gallon pails, standard plastic PVC pipe, a shop-vac and hoses.

(Finished vac, two pics)

Three five-gallon pails, top one with a snap on lid. Bottom pail, as is no top needed. Middle pail cut off bottom one inch. It fits inside bottom pail as a spacer. Top pail will have a 2-inch hole drilled in bottom near edge. {Metric users just use your standard size plumbing pipe sizes that are easy to get. If you check out Julez site, he has metric sizes.} In addition, in the bottom of the top pail I also drilled a bunch of smaller holes, I used a 5/16 drill bit and just drilled a pattern into the bottom of the pail. Size and amount do not matter, as you just want holes for the air to move up through the system.

(Photos of pails cuts and holes)

Now for the lid; I used a hole saw to cut two holes as close to the different pipe sizes as possible, smaller is better, as you can file the hole to size easier than filling in, a too large hole. The large hole for 2-inch “intake” pipe is 2 3/8”. The hole for the “outlet” pipe is 2 inch.

(Pics of lid)

Now also for the lid I thought it might need some reinforcing. What I did is I took the bottom I cut off from the middle pail and used a tin snip, (shears used for thin metal cutting) and cut off the one inch strip left from cutting the pail. The shears cut this easily. I use a file and smooth the cut edge because it will be glued to the top of the lid for strength. It may not be needed but I put it there. I used epoxy glue designed for hard plastic, regular pipe cement does not work on the HDPE plastic. I found it would be easier to glue the two pieces together, let them set overnight, than drill the two holes in the top. [Photo above with clamps and wood spacers to glue flat.]

Continued:

Edited October 17, 2015 by ZiggieCie

[ZiggieCie]

Part two: Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers,Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved version

Clean air out to Vac and Top pail: (pic pipes out)

The air out pipes are some non-standard 2-inch thin walled PVC pipe I had laying around. The outside diameter is 2 inches, where standard 2-inch pipe is 2 3/8 outside. The idea here is a U shape, with a longer side to exit through the lid for the hose to the vacuum to attach to. Exact size is not important, just so it looks like my photo and does not suck and stick to the inside lid.

To leave an air space between the intake piece and the lid I cut a 1-inch section of 2-inch pipe and placed it over the longer out pipe an epoxied it to the 2” pipe just at the fitting. Since the two pipes were not tight, PVC glue would not work. I used Loctite brand Epoxy formulated for plastic. What I did was to find pipe sizes that fit to the standard hose sizes for shop vac's, so trial and error work best for your fit.

[2-inch spacer piece, and positioning. It glues against the fitting.]

[This last photo shows how the spacer keeps the air pipe away from the lid.]

These two photos show the adapter attached to the top of the air out pipe, lock the section to the lid and fits my airhose to the vac.

One last thing for the bottom of the top pail; I had a blue plastic furnace filter mat. I used this as an extra air cushion, cut and fitted to the inside bottom of the pail. This is used to reduce any water spray and splash so it flows back into the bottom pail and not pulled out of the top, I made it two layers thick.

Pails are done.

(Pics of inside of pails showing large hole, small holes, and blue matt.)

Edited October 17, 2015 by ZiggieCie

[ZiggieCie]

Part three: Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers, Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved version

First photos for part 2, Holes at bottom of top pail for controled air movement.

Dust in pipe section: A few photos to show the air in and mixer section of filter.

Parts list:

Standard 2 inch, PVC plumbing pipe; Straight pipe 24/26 inches long

2-inch threaded female (threads inside one end of fitting) connecter, [top of straight pipe]

2-inch DWV hub X hub P trap, [bottom curves]

3-inch 26 Gauge 90-Degree Round Adjustable Elbow, [allows air/water flow to separate] link;

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-3-in-26-Gauge-90-Degree-Round-Adjustable-Elbow-26B90E3/100113133?keyword=90deg+26ga+adj+rnd+elbow

2-inch coupler, [attaches to bottom bend of P trap for spacer to keep water intake out of sludge]

Two 90 deg brackets with about one-inch sides

7 self-tapping screws, [attach metal elbow and L brackets to P trap]

PVC cement

Rubber bands for gaskets

Shop-vac (any size, any brand) Not super strong, you do not want to suck the water out of the system.

1 7/8 & 2 3/8 shop-vac hoses (I use the larger size from my blasting box and the medium size from the water-filter to the vac.

Let’s start at the bottom; the 2-inch P trap, this is a two-piece unit that is glued together at the desired angel. At the bottom of the main section, I use a small drill and drill a bunch of guide holes for allowing water to be drawn into the air stream. I than enlarge the holes with a 3/8 Inch drill. I angel these slightly towards the direction the air will be flowing.

Now I take the 2-inch connector that will be screwed to the bottom of the P-trap as a spacer to keep the pipe raised off the bottom and out of the sludge. On the end, you use to contact the P-trap I take a rounded file and cut two indents so it has more contact area to fit the bottom curve of the P.

I take the connector and Two 90 deg brackets with about 1 inch sides that have holes in each end and line up the connector and P-trap so the connector sits square on the bottom section with the holes. I mark one hole location for the bracket and drill a small guide hole for one of the screws into the P-trap and screw it

there.

Drill a guide hole into connector and screw it in. Now it is easier to attach the other bracket to the connector. One other thing to do here is to get a stick, yardstick, whatever, and stand it in your inside P-trap and mark a spot about a half inch above the top of the P-trap. This will be the easy way to check your water depth through the 2-inch tall pipe. Remove hose put stick down pipe, check water depth.

To be continued:

Edited October 17, 2015 by ZiggieCie

[ZiggieCie]

Part four: Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers, Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved version

Temporarily push 2-inch pipe into P-trap so we can line up the other parts. Set other section of P-trap too the base part and have your 90 deg metal piece close. Now we need to line up these pieces in the pail so everything fits in the bottom of the pail.

As the photos show, we want the pieces to circle around the inside of the pail. I set my 90 deg metal elbow so it angels down slightly at the exit end. Get an idea of the contact point of these two pieces because you will drill three guide holes in this area to join these two pieces together. Also, when setting up positions mark the locations so you can put them in the right position when gluing them together. Once glued they cannot be moved.

When screwed and glued you should have this.

Let’s test assemble this and see how it works: Sit your intake pipe assembly in the bottom. Put your bucket 2 with the bottom out on the bottom bucked. Take top bucket and fit over intake pipe so it sits straight up. Put your blue filters over intake tube and push down over holes. Take lid with exhaust tube attached and place on top. You have three pails with two pipes out of the top. A fine-dust water filter.

Intake plus three pails set together.

Continued:

Edited October 17, 2015 by ZiggieCie

[ZiggieCie]

Part five: Fine Dust filter for Fossil preppers, Ziggie's MacGyvered and Improved version

Hoses

On the large 2 3/8 inch hose (measured across rib's); I take the 2-inch threaded female adapter and with a knife or file I trim the threads down a bit so that it screws onto the end of the hose, it will fit tightly, and can be removed if you need hose. Now this adapter fits very nicely over the 2-inch, air in pipe.

Large hose and adapter:

For the smaller 1 7/8 inch hose or whatever size hose you are going to use on your system, to connect the filter to your vacuum. I had a section of gray hose that fit over the filter out pipe and attached to the hose to the vac. Our Shop-vac's in the USA have three sizes of hoses, I use the large and medium hoses for my filter.

[Medium hose setup]

If everything is fitting good, lets pull it apart and PVC glue the pipe sections together at the marks. The glue container has a small pad inside on a stem, wipe some glue off swipe around one piece of pipe fitting push together and line up your marks QUICKLY, it glues them together, very fast and will not move after.

Re-assemble and before you put lid on put several rubber bands over 2 inch pipe if it is not a snug fit. Put them on the pipe so the lid pushes them down and they push up against the lid to seal gap if any.

Put in about 2 and a half gallons water, and a teaspoon of fabric softener (to break down bubbles). You want the water above the P-trap joint but not near the bottom of the top pail.

Test run: First, I clean out the vac and rinse it and dry it out for the test. I also take the vac’s filter outside and give it a good cleaning. When the vac’s canister dries out, I hook everything together for a test run. I just have the large hose hooked to the water filter, and the other end just to the side, not hooked to anything for now. Everything hooked up let’s turn it on for a one minute test run. You should hear gurgling coming from the filter as the water and air mix together inside.

After a minute test, turn off the vac and open the vac canister up and there should be no water showing in the canister or on the filter. Now give it a ten-minute test, there should be no water, if at most a few drops.

It is now ready to hook up to your blasting box or your prepping box and pulling the dust into the water filter and not into your lungs, work area or home.

Ziggie Cie

Edited October 17, 2015 by ZiggieCie

[RJB]

Seems like a heck of a lot of work ziggie. Maybe if I was younger I would think differently. I guess I was lucky enough to have the money to simply buy one. Nice work you do though.

RB

[Ptychodus04]

Cool design. What's the design reasoning for the galvanized HVAC duct 90? Would you not have the same results with all PVC fittings without the issue of the galvanized fitting eventually rusting out?

[ZiggieCie]

Cool design. What's the design reasoning for the galvanized HVAC duct 90? Would you not have the same results with all PVC fittings without the issue of the galvanized fitting eventually rusting out?

I used the metal piece for weight savings. The PVC 3 inch curve piece is heavier. The 90 deg metal piece allows the water air mix pulled through the P-trap mixer to calm a bit so it settels into the bottom section and not blown all over the upper area and sucked into the out pipe, which happened in my first dust filter.

[Ptychodus04]

I used the metal piece for weight savings. The PVC 3 inch curve piece is heavier. The 90 deg metal piece allows the water air mix pulled through the P-trap mixer to calm a bit so it settels into the bottom section and not blown all over the upper area and sucked into the out pipe, which happened in my first dust filter.

Makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

[ZiggieCie]

The concept of the p-trap with the holes and the lose fitting 90deg metal elbow, is that they act like a mixing chamber for the air/dust and water to mix and put the dust into the water and allows clean air to exit out the top of the unit. It is simple but very efficient.

Here is a link to a vacum from GB that uses a water fillter system and there are others.

https://www.healthy-house.co.uk/thomas-perfect-air-allergy-pure-vacuum-cleaner

[Blastoid]

Ok, I've got a ton of fossils that need prepping, so if I can build this I'll be a very happy camper.

Would it be possible to do a simple drawing of the parts to make it clearer?

Can the middle bucket not be eliminated? The carpeting, that's going to be a mold 'n slime magnet, no?

Can the multiple parts at the bottom of the plumbing, combining air and water, not be replaced by a perforated spiral hose? A bunch of vertical hose to the shop vac would drop the water down no problem, no?

I'm trying to figure this thing out so I can knock one out quickly, but am having difficulty.

Wouldn't an intake pipe simply going to the bottom of a bucket of water do the trick?

What makes this system superior to the Fine Home Building one?

Thanks a ton for any help!

[ZiggieCie]

Here is a link for the blue furnace filter material, for an idea of what it is. It is much more open than carpeting, as you can see through the weave.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1SFXN_enUS498US498&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=blue%20furnace%20filter%20material

I will get back with more info tomorow, gold show is on.