typing this with a red powder'd beard

[Micropterus salmoides]

Hi all. Been reading a while when I have some down time from work. My fishing time has been limited and I decided to doodle in tying some jigs that I use regularly as the money becomes available for materials and such. Also, maybe teach my son if he were to ever become interested. I decided to start ground up (skipping the lead pouring process) and try and build a fluid bed with the help of cadman's plans. I have a thing for the fancy painted heads I've seen. While I have a potential teacher whose work is amazing, he lives a ways and I don't always have the time to go learn.
Had some leakage problems @ first, but got them figured out. Now I'm having all out blow out problems...hence the red beard. So Im hoping maybe it's a minor glitch?
My volcano is mostly coming from the area where my valve is input. I've tried to dampen the pressure with the valve and stir and get spurts from the same spot. I'm using brown paper bags as filter media (just one side of the bag). I'm also using some powder I picked up from harbor freight, just for testing material.
If anyone can help, I'd greatly appreciate it. Otherwise I'm goin' back to the lighter and dip method...

ThX,
Adam

[azslabber]

Sounds dangerous,lol.Good luck.I like the trusty ole tap and sprinkle method myself.

[ifish]

MS,
I started out doing the same thing. I work for a major automotive filter company and filter pore size is our sience. I have tested every thing possible and the conclusion is that nothing works unless all the holes are the same size that your air flows through. In my buisness that is called mean flow average. If you hold the paper up to a bright light you will see different size holes and that is the problem. More air wants to go through the larger holes and that is why you get the volcano effect. I buy cups already made that have an average pore size that is between 3 to 10 microns. You can buy sheet material from Genpore but that is very costly. Benjamin Leech has cups that are alredy made at a good price.Welcome to TJ's Tackle

Good luck and don't give up.When a fish hits that jig you made all will be right in the world......IFISH

[fish_4_all]

Black and white PP will volcano sometimes regardless, even in a good fluid bed. I have only used a fluid bed made with the proper membrane so I can't help with other materials. Someting that might help, if you can find one is a vibrating motor. The motor will move the powder side to side and the air up so you get a lot fewer volcanoes. I have seen them in action and it makes my air only bed look like rough seas where the motor added was almost flat with very little powder even coming out of the cup.

Try other materials and find one that works for you. It is hit and miss but I have been told by many that you will find a material that will work with every color and every brand. I will likely stick to buying pre made cups.

[hunter7711]

Brown grocery bags wouldn't work for me. After I bought some Brown LUNCH bags my problem ALMOST ended. Lunch bags are heavier.

[skiptomylu]

Sometimes you can have just enough air pumping in and still not bubbling, but if you pick the cup up and make a circle with your hand and the paint acts like water of fluid you can paint with it like that. Maybe there will be only one or two spots you can see the air coming through the paint, but if you move the cup in that circle the paint will still look like fluid and it will work like that.
I can say much about paper or such as all mine have the membrane that comes in the bought cups. Even with it some I just make sure when I swirl it around it moves. If it's not behaving like a fluid then not enough air. If it pushing up and out of the cup, then too much air.

I guess that is why I have tried 2 or 3 home made ones only to go back and buy more real cups. Can't even tell you how many I have now since I keep each color in it's own cup, but it's a bunch.

Skip

[Micropterus salmoides]

Brown grocery bags wouldn't work for me. After I bought some Brown LUNCH bags my problem ALMOST ended. Lunch bags are heavier.

left you a voicemail yesterday
thats what I'm using, the lunch bags
gonna try a vacuum cleaner bag and see where it goes from there

[JSC]

Have not really looked but ... where can you find the vibrating motor and for how much ?

Thanx
JSC

[fish_4_all]

Well there are cheap ones that can be bought at almost any store, massagers owuld work well as long as they have a high ferequency vibration. As for the other source, use you imagination, this ia family site after all.

You can find smal motors online, radio shack and other places. I can't remember the name of my science surplus site but they always had them. Look in toys in any store and try to find any toy that virbates and that should work.

If you want the designed real thing try CSI paint and other manufacturers. I know one of them had a vibrtating motor that can with the fluid bed. I just can't find it again.

[JSC]

Thanx F4A

I remeber one of the Powder paint having one since you mentioned it but do not remember which one .... Maid a quick serch on the web yesterday AM and got an idea bout them ...

JSC