8 INCH PVC BALL MILL JAR

[oldguy]

FrankRizzo,

 

Give me a little while to set it to paper & I will post it.

 

EDIT.......................

 

You can buy inexpensive flat sheet ¼ inch thick PVC at the link below.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/PVC-Plastic-Sheet-Remnants-/260754447272?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb62d1ba8

 

For 8 inch PVC pipe buy 10X10 squares.

 

Buy a couple extra in case you make any mistakes.

 

They ship in a USPS FLAT RATE box, so buy plenty, as shipping is the same under 20 sheets.

 

For the closed end, set a sheet on a flat hard surface.

 

Center the pipe on it.

 

Hold down with pressure (lean on it).

 

With a fairly dull lead pencil, or sharpie maker, run all the way around the inside of the pipe.

 

That will give you a circle marked on the sheet.

 

For the end with the opening to fit a 4 inch SCHEDULE 40 PVC pipe opening.

 

Use a steel straight edge ruler & a sharp awl to scratch a line corner to corner of the 10X10 sheet.

 

Upper right hand corner to lower left hand corner.

 

Upper left hand corner to lower right hand corner.

 

So, you end up with a centered X on the sheets face.

 

That gives you the center point on the sheets face.

 

Then position the pipe centered over the X & draw the outer circle.

 

Use a LENOX bi-metal 4 &1/2 inch (114 MM) hole saw.

 

With a drill press, position the hole saw pilot bit at the X.

 

Drill out the center hole.

 

Use a band saw, or jig saw to cut out the outer circles.

 

Cut along the OUTER EDGE of your marked circle.

 

(takes a good eye & steady hand)

 

Try fitting the flat sheet circle inside the pipe.

 

If it’s a tight fit, you are good to go.

 

If its to tight to fit, hand sand the edges.

 

If you bumbled cutting the circle to small… start over with a new sheet.

 

I have a variable speed 1 X 30 inch belt type sander, I use to do the sanding.

 

(again, takes a steady hand & good eye)

 

For the neck opening, run a ¼ round router bit around the inside of the 4 inch pipe.

 

Then cut of that end piece 1 & ¼ inch long.

 

Friction fit everything together, with the 4 inch rubber cap on the jar opening neck.

 

To make sure its all tight & true….. plus lays flat with the cap on the neck face down.

 

Lay the circle with the centered 4 inch hole in it on a flat surface.

 

Apply PVC primer, then PVC cement to both the joints where it will fit together.

 

Tap in the 4 inch neck & allow it to dry at least 10 minutes.

 

With the rubber cap on the opening neck, tap the circle into the pipe.

 

Until it will lay flat on a hard surface.

 

I use two (20CC) syringes with an 14 gauge blunt needle.

 

JG20CC-LL-20 20cc Luer Lock (Bag of 20) (link below)

 

http://www.howardelectronics.com/jensen/syringesm.html

 

14 gauge ½ inch blunt needles. (link below)

 

http://www.howardelectronics.com/jensen/needles.html

 

One with PVC primer in it, the other with PVC cement in it.

 

Apply liberal coating of PVC primer then PVC cement to the inner & outer joints & allow to dry.

 

Tap the other circle in the opposing end LEVEL recessed ½ to ¾ inch.

 

Apply PVC primer then PVC cement to the inner & outer joints & allow to dry.

 

Allow to dry overnight, reapply a heavy coat of primer & PVC cement to ALL the joints.

 

Wise to do a 3^rd application, after the 2^nd application is dry.

 

I have a rubber cap with threaded nipple in it & air pressure test the jar(s)

 

That’s it, you are ready to load & roll.

 

Edited August 4, 2011 by oldguy

[guntoteninfadel]

Use a steel straight edge ruler & a sharp awl to scratch a line corner to corner of the 10X10 sheet.

 

Upper right hand corner to lower left hand corner.

 

Upper left hand corner to lower right hand corner.

 

So, you end up with a centered X on the sheets face.

 

That gives you the center point on the sheets face.

 

Then position the pipe centered over the X & draw the outer circle.

 

I do this on both ends. then use the "X" to attach to a power drill and "true" it up to fit with sandpaper. Have not tried it on the 12" jar yet but the smaller ones fit so tight its hard to get them off again.

[oldguy]

There is a great deal of personal satisfaction in building your own mill to suit your needs. Then building jars to fit that mill. If both are well thought out & high quality, you have a mill and jars that will serve you well for years to come. I built my mill to handle multiples of 6, 8 or 12 inch jars simply by designing the free wheeling roller adjustable so I could move it over to fit the differing jars.

 

The recessed jar design I came up with came about, simply to fit more jars on the mill all running at once. As by recessing the jar ends, they are shorter & more will fit on the rollers. The added advantage is that large jars once 50% full of media are heavy. So they are easy to handle, pick up & move.

 

I spent more money buying Zirc M media than the mill & jars combined cost. But, it was a good investment, in that I have enough media to last a lifetime. I was a little leery of Zirc M media at first. But once my first order arrived & I quickly milled some single chem’s, them BP. I rapidly ordered far more. Enough I could fill three 12 inch jars 50% full + some extra.

 

Next on the wish list is a CNC router. So, I can easily cut precise circles in ¼ or ½ inch sheet PVC for the jar ends.

 

 

[FrankRizzo]

 

Next on the wish list is a CNC router. So, I can easily cut precise circles in ¼ or ½ inch sheet PVC for the jar ends.

 

I've got this neat router jig called a "Jasper jig" that makes cutting holes and circles (in increments of 1/16") super easy.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=193USEiGK6Y

[oldguy]

That is a neat thing.

 

I built a router template out of 1 1/4 inch plywood the same diameter as the inside of the 8 inch pvc pipe I have hundreds of feet of.

[guntoteninfadel]

Rizzo, where do you get one of those?

[FrankRizzo]

I bought mine from eBay. Amazon has them for a few buck shy of $40.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Jasper-200J-Circle-Cutting-Plunge/dp/B00009K77A

[guntoteninfadel]

Thanks, got one on the way