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Re: air reg

        Folks,

        Since the question of air regulators has come up again, I
figured I'd post this.  The attached GIF shows what I've done for an
air regulator, that's working very well.  None of the ideas here are
mine originally -- a number of folks on the list forged this ground
long before I got here.  I simply found that several people had
asked for more information on what I've done.  Since I had drawn up
a picture of my particular solution, I figured a few more might
find it useful, considering the price... 8^)=  The big breakthrough
for me was discovering that 1.5" underground sprinkler plastic pipe fits
very nicely in 2.0" underground sprinkler plastic pipe with just a
slight sanding.

        Attached is a GIF file.  I've scaled it such that most
folks should be able to view it in a Netscape browser without scrolling
(you may need to make your browser full-screen if you've got a 640x480
display).  It also should print and at least be useable.  The original
format is Corel Draw 5.0, and I could export it to other useful things
like WMF, so if somebody would like it in a different format, let me
know.  FYI, the WMF format is a touch over 100KB.

        Some notes to go along with drawing:

- Make sure the slot starts high enough up the inner tube so that it's
  completely covered when the outer tube is resting on the loop of
  rubber tubing.

- My biggest mistake was getting carried away with the slot(s).  Definitely
  start with one.  If you see the outer tube wants to ride too high, or your
  minimum pressure is still too high, add another narrow slot.

- The loop of rubber tubing is mandatory, at least in my setup.  The
  outer tube hammers once or twice before settling down, but it always
  settles down now (as opposed to before, when it would just keep hammering
  away...).  The rubber tubing cushions the outer tube when it comes down.
  It's also important because it helps the outer tube rest such the slot
  is *just barely* covered.  This helps to alter the dynamics going on at
  startup so the outer tube doesn't get into a state of harmonic resonance
  in it's motion, which is when you get non-stop hammering going on.

- After experimenting with some weight I got a length of angle iron,
  figured out how much I needed, and cut that much into 4 identical
  lengths.  These are (at the moment) duct-taped to the outside of the
  outer tube.  Once I'm 100% convinced everything is working correctly
  I'll attach them some other way.

- This thing is pretty loud.  The air comes whistling through the slot at
  a pretty good pace.  I've got my blower and regulator mounted in my attic,
  with a 2" PVC pipe coming through the ceiling down to the air manifold
  under my bending table.  You've been warned...  8^)=

- Low pressure air guages are hard to find, at least for me.  However, I've
  got something that works OK: a low-pressure tire guage usually used by
  off-road motorcycle racers (a hobby from my younger years...).  I've got
  a low-pressure tire guage that reads 0-15 PSI, and it's accurate enough
  that I've been able to dial in a 2 PSI pressure in my air system and the
  fires are very well behaved.

AIR-REG.GIF;


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| My aunt said spaceship guard was a good career         | Al Hooton          |
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