Powder Paint Fluid Bed Project Questions

I'm building a powder paint fluid bed and have a couple of questions. The design I'm using has a 3" PVC base, 3" to 2" reducer, 2" cups.

1. What is the best length of cup to use? The plans I've seen say to use anywhere from 2 3/4" to 4". I don't have any plans to paint anything except jig heads. I was thinking I would try 3" but thought I would ask around to see what everyone else uses. I don't want it any deeper than necessary to keep the amount of paint in the cup to a minimum and to make it easier to dip jigs. But I also want it tall enough keep any excess paint from flying out of the cup. Recommendations?

2. The little 2 oz cups of paint probably are not going to cut it anymore. I would like to find larger and more economical containers. Harbor Freight carries some in 16 oz containers for 4.99 but I think they only have a few basic colors. (red, black, white, etc.) Has anyone tried their paint? Other suggestion?

Thanks

Lots of info on the web about fluid beds.

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/commu...ad.php?t=65633

http://www.wafish.com/profiles/blogs...bed-for-powder

I think it was MO Qwack that had made a couple of them and posted a while back. He had one that he made for his dad I think it was. It was really cool and had a nice base that he added pictures. I know that is not what you are looking for from your questions but he may chime in and help you with your questions. I would check Barlows or Crazy Angler to try and find the bulk powder paint.

I can help, I think lol the cup size depends on the powder. Different powder and colors " float" higher or lower I start at 4 inches and cut it from there. You want it to boil just at the top. The internet is the best place to find powder. You can get good powder cheap even if you have to buy little more than you need the price is worth it. They have 1000s of colors just google powder paint. Harbor freights powders not bad just make sure it's glossy. If you have any questions just ask. Im by no means an expert but I have made a few different versions from basic to ticked out

http://emob136.photobucket.com/album...g?t=1275446582

I thought you would chime in on this one. That one you made is pretty sweet. I need to get one built I guess as many jigs as I am doing now. But i have about 15 differant colors. Do you have a cup for all colors or change out powder from one to the next? How hard is it to change and clean a cup from one color to another if that is how you do it?

My cups are both 3in. deep and that works for me. I think you will find that the paint will go a long way. The one on the left is micro fiber and the one on the right uses coffee filters. Clean up is easier with the coffee filters but you sometimes have to deal with volcanoes. If you have an air compressor, the micro fiber is pretty easy to clean up. Just bail into it and see what works best for you:) It tain't rocket surgery;)

I use 3" cups and they work well on both my 2" and 1 1/2" fluid beds,i've also got an order in for a sheet of the micro fiber,should be enough to make several cups.

Thanks everyone for your input... I finished my fluid bed after looking at several pictures and plans found on the net. (See photos below) I decided that I didn't want the pump and air tubes flopping around so I took some scraps and built a box around the set up. I can store it easier this way also.

MO Quack.... Thanks for posting a picture of your fluid bed. Just curious.... Is there a reason you have 2 valves instead of just one? Also, is there a particular place you like to get your powder? What do you consider a good price for bulk quantities? The 1 lb sizes that I have found on the net so far are still quite a bit higher than the Harbor Freight 4.99 price. Maybe it's just wishful thinking that I will find all of the right fishing colors for prices in that neighborhood.

Jiggin15....

Quote:

---

Do you have a cup for all colors or change out powder from one to the next? How hard is it to change and clean a cup from one color to another if that is how you do it?

---

Doing it the way I did it, I plan to make several cups and just keep one for each color. If you look at my photo, the 3" pipe is glued to the platform. The 3" to 2" reducer is not glued. (At least for now... the plans I found indicated not to glue the reducer it so that you could switch back and forth from 3" to 2" cups. I don't know if I ever will do that, but I followed the plans just in case.) Then you have the 2" cups that just slide in and out easily.

Buckwheat1... That is an interesting design you have on the 3" model. Is that a floor drain you used? I wish I had seen that before I finished mine or I might have gone that route.

bugman... May I ask what type of micro fiber you are going to use and where you are getting it?

Thanks

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...luidBed001.jpg

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...luidBed002.jpg

That's too pretty to get dirty.

Looks great,i thought i had found the right stuff but i think mr zip may have found something better,gonna make a few calls today and i'll let you know what i find.

Looks great, you did a nice job! Yep, I used a crapper flange. It works real well. I think Barlows carries the 3in. cups with micro fiber already installed. They are kinda pricey, but work real nice:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bugman

Looks great,i thought i had found the right stuff but i think mr zip may have found something better,gonna make a few calls today and i'll let you know what i find.

---

Did you ever find out any more about the filters? I ran across this and thought it might work. What do you think?

NEW Pack Pall Borosillicate Microfiber Filters (pk 100) - eBay (item 250590191765 end time Feb-25-11 20:07:25 PST)

It probably would work but i looks like it is made from some type of soft material the stuff i'm working on is made from some type of nylon and is 1/8" thick and solid so it can be glued into the bottom of the cup so the paint can be stored in them,i sent samples to two different company's monday and talked to them yesterday and the hadn't recieved them yet,hopefully i'll hear something today or monday.

I don't think the 1/8" material would work for how I plan to make my cups. I will be using pvc test caps with the centers cut out. I will lay a piece of filter material over the pvc tube and then tap in the test cap to secure the material. (At least that is the plans called for..... I have not tried it yet.) If I don't find something better, I will probably just go with the vacuum bag material. Most of the things I've read say it works pretty well. I'd still like to know more about your material though. Thanks

I got one made up this weekend. Ended up using 3" diameter pvc, with the cup 3" deep, using coffee filters. I have never used one, or seen one used before, so I am not exactly sure how the powder is supposed to look when you turn the pump on? Is it supposed to form a "cloud" of powder that you hold the jighead in? Or does it just kind of "fluff up" a little, and you dip the jig into the less dense powder? When I turned mine on, there were a bunch of little boils popping up in the powder, mostly along the outside edge of the filter, is this normal? Also, how much powder do you put into the cup? I did up a few heads but was having trouble getting good coverage over the entire head. I got a reducer to use a 2" diameter cup also, I may play with that and see how it turns out.

I too am just getting into powder painting, I know what you are talking about with the little boils popping up....I'm thinking I may need to add more powder paint to the cup.

Try to keep from stretching your filters very tight....keep them loose. Coffee filters are cheap to use, but you will most likely have some volcanoes. you want the powder to lift, but not make a cloud. It should look like water in a glass when you pick it up and slosh it around(fluid bed). Regulating your air is also a factor on lift and controlling volcanoes. Chartreuse is a good color to start with....it lifts easy. Black is a lot heavier and will be more difficult to control until you get the hang of it. Hope this helpsThumbs Up

With a 3" cup i'd guess you'll need 2oz of powder to get it working,i use 2" cups and just over an ounce works well.I never could control the volcanos with coffee filters but with the material i'm trying to get it lifts perfectly and stays at the "boiling" point for as long as you're working with it.

I have the 3in. cup from Barlows with the microfiber and its the cats meow. Kinda pricey, but you only need one if you return your powder to original container each time. I don't do a large volume of jigs and I only dig the stuff out once a year. If I did them on the scale Bugs does it, I would prolly want a cup for each color. 2oz. is more than enuff for a 3in. cup and will do a bunch of lead. I do like the 2in. cup better......just can't find em in fiber yet. I would prolly miss my lil volcanoes tho:rolleyes:

Has anyone tried the Tyvek material?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FAADAN

Has anyone tried the Tyvek material?

---

Nope, but I have access to a bunch of it....I will give it a try!

Buckwheat and bugman, thanks for the feedback, I think you two hit on what I was doing wrong. Had the filter as tight as I could get it, and obviously didn't have enough powder in the cup. I'll play with it tonight some more.

And thanks for posting you pics Buckwheat, I used your base design and it works really good; put a thick bead of silicone caulk on the bottom of the base then screwed it onto a piece of plywood, it is airtight and very secure.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BarryG

I too am just getting into powder painting, I know what you are talking about with the little boils popping up....I'm thinking I may need to add more powder paint to the cup.

---

YouTube - ‪Home made fluid bed 2‬‏

Might be of interest:

Filtering Membrane | Fluidizing Membrane | Pneumatic Silencers

There's a you tube video about the "membrane" and the guy tried several materials running from coffee filters to heavy paper bags I think. He said the best material was regular copy paper (20 WEIGTH or pound). So that's what I am going to try tomorrow. My first try was two layers of coffee filter but the volcanoes were still uncontrollable.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Slab Pirate 1

There's a you tube video about the "membrane" and the guy tried several materials running from coffee filters to heavy paper bags I think. He said the best material was regular copy paper (20 WEIGTH or pound). So that's what I am going to try tomorrow. My first try was two layers of coffee filter but the volcanoes were still uncontrollable.

---

This is a really old thread but if your not going to get a cup with the membrane already installed go get you a pack of small brown lunch bags. I went through all the different things from YouTube and other recomendations and found brown bags to be the best. But again my advice is go to simply crappie or TJ's tackle and get a cup with the membrane installed.. you will thank me later.