Fluid Bed

buckdawg · 03-19-2007, 10:39 PM

Last weekend I started pouring and painting my own jigheads. Casting wasn't too bad but painting turned out to be more challenging than I expected. I built a fluid bed out of 3" PVC but that just wasn't cutting the mustard. To use a 3" fluid bed you need a pump with some serious arse! Back to the drawing board. Today I came up with the design detailed below.

The purpose of the fluid bed is to suspend the powder paint in a 'cloud' so when you 'swish' the jig through you get a much more even coat of paint and much less chance of clogging the eye. Plus the process saves paint.

I wanted to post pics and a step by step guide to help those that may want to try it. By no means do I have any idea what I'm doing

I'm just a regular schmuck who has too much time on his hands.

Here's a pic of the items used to build the bed:

Items are:

2" PVC male adapter
2" PVC femal adapter
aquarium air pump (the bigger the better)
airline tubing
board (or anything you want to use as a base. i've seen lexan used as well)
tee connector
coffee filters or brown paper bags - lunch bags you used to take to school (bags work best!)

First step is to drill a hole in the female adapter. you'll end up sticking the tee connection in here so drill a hole of appropriate size.

Second step is to glue the female adapter to the base. I used caulk but I'm sure there are better choices. Like I said I really don't know what I'm doing.

Second pic showing the hole:

Next I rig up the air pump. I bought a Top Fin brand pump. The box claimed it could be used in aquariums up to 125 gallons and has two outputs. I think the two outputs part is pretty crucial so try to get one of those if you can. This particular model cost $20.

I also put a control valve in one of the lines to control airflow.

This pic shows the hook up:

Next I cut a circular shape out of the paper bag a few inches larger in diameter than the make adapter. Place this under the male adapter and screw it into the female adapter.

screw it down and you're set!

fill the cup with powder (not too little, not too much) and turn the pump on. start with the control valve completely closed and adjust as needed to create a nice puffy cloud of powder paint. there may be 'volcanoes', i still have some, you'll have to adjust the air flow to reach a happy medium.

Feel free to add any comments or suggestions.

BigDaddy300 · 03-19-2007, 10:47 PM

That is really slick. I like the part about keeping the paint in the eyes to a minimun since I just spent 2 hours cleaning paint from jig eyes

Can't wait to see how the jigs come out.

Big Daddy · 03-19-2007, 10:53 PM

NICE! Very informative post. BD300 is right. It's SLICK! Interesting to see how a process takes shape!

buckdawg · 03-19-2007, 10:59 PM

you may still end up with some paint in the eyes but i think you'll see it far less frequently. i've heard the engraving attachment for the dremel does a pretty good job of carving out the paint. so far i've used a hot needle to poke through but leaves behind yucky soot on the eye and that doesn't look to pretty!

once you get it going it's kinda neat because it really does look and feel like fluid.

eyesman_01 · 03-20-2007, 06:48 AM

I'd bought one off ebay with the filterboard in the bottom of the PVC cup. It works great and doesn't waste so much powder getting it on too heavy. Wish I could find some of that board, I'd make more cups myself to store each color (11 so far) in. Those cups are $7.00 each with lid where I got mine. Could add up pretty fast for us small timers. I've heard the coffee filters work pretty well. Good job buckdawg.

buckdawg · 03-20-2007, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyesman_01

I'd bought one off ebay with the filterboard in the bottom of the PVC cup. It works great and doesn't waste so much powder getting it on too heavy. Wish I could find some of that board, I'd make more cups myself to store each color (11 so far) in. Those cups are $7.00 each with lid where I got mine. Could add up pretty fast for us small timers. I've heard the coffee filters work pretty well. Good job buckdawg.

Thanks!

Those boards are in the $200 per sheet neighborhood!!!

eyesman_01 · 03-20-2007, 07:27 AM

OUCH!!! But if that is a 4x8 sheet, you could make a whole lot of 3" circles out of it. Where did you find the board? I have been searching all over the internet and couldn't come up with anything.

buckdawg · 03-20-2007, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyesman_01

OUCH!!! But if that is a 4x8 sheet, you could make a whole lot of 3" circles out of it. Where did you find the board? I have been searching all over the internet and couldn't come up with anything.

that's too rich for my blood! lol that's just what i've heard. the guys that make the professional and custom beds use the stuff. for me the lunch sacks work JUST fine!

TIGGER · 03-20-2007, 09:03 PM

That is really slick! Thanks for sharing!

jimcline · 04-25-2008, 08:25 AM

Buckdawg, I'm new to the board and saw your post on building a fluid bed. I too am trying to build one and your pix really helped. The only question I have is how does the air go through the paper bag?Do you have to make small holes or does it just pass right through? I apologize if this is a totally stupid question, but I just don't know the answer. Thanks JIM

jimcline · 05-14-2008, 03:10 AM

Any idea where to find the filterboard?

tommytoo · 03-21-2009, 09:34 PM

I was also researching the filter board. I found it is called ( Porous polypropylene) You can google that and find suppliers. I bought a sheet that is 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches for 10 dollars from a site on Amazon.

You can also go to SCI Laboraties at scicominic.com/porous_sheets.htm

They are more expensive but more variety. I think you can make 36 three inch circles from their sheets. they are 18" by 18".

Hope this helps all of you.

Tom

tommytoo · 03-21-2009, 09:36 PM

The filter board I belive is porous polypropylene. I bought some on Amazon.. Other suppliers can be found on Google

cadman · 03-22-2009, 05:57 PM

You can buy the pourous board from www.tjstackle.com. He sells it pre cut. You want to talk to Benjamin, he also sells fluid beds if you are not handy to make your own. Also he has good prices on Pro-Tec powder paint...Tel him Cadman sent you. Benjamin is a good and honest guy. He will do right by you.

VTBasser · 03-23-2009, 12:34 AM

I think someone on this board also suggested using vacuum cleaner bags instead of coffee filters. Allows air through but not dust.

cadman · 03-23-2009, 07:10 AM

I have made (6) of my own fluid bed with my own tutorial. Here are some of the fluid bed medias you can use. Computer paper, vacuum cleaner bags, lunch paper bags, paper bags, allergy pillow cases, coffee filters, dust mask media and pourous fiber board. Please note: Not all medias work with all powder paints. Some colors like white have heavier pigments, and will not work with certain medias. I can't tell you which one to use for which color, as that will be trial and error on your part. Humidity is a bigger factor for powder paint. I know it's a pain in the butt, but take your powder out of your fluid bed cup and put it back in a tightly seald container. This will keep your powder dry. Below are some unfinished spinnerbaits, started with a base coat in a fluid bed. These are 100% all powder paint.

viper1 · 02-16-2010, 12:13 PM

I bought a 2 inch cup from tjstackle for4.50 and built my own fluid bed. His cups work on them all can be used over and over. Dont know what media filter he uses but it is good. just wipe out to change colors

markfish · 02-17-2010, 06:10 AM

this is nice but what do you do with the part you are painting do you dip it in the paint or hold it in the cloud of paint,I'm kinda lost here and if you want to do 2or 3 colors how would you do that,

cadman · 02-17-2010, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markfish

this is nice but what do you do with the part you are painting do you dip it in the paint or hold it in the cloud of paint,I'm kinda lost here and if you want to do 2or 3 colors how would you do that,

You take your hot jig and swish it through quickly in the powder. Do not put it in and keep it there. You will end up with too much paint on your jig, and when you go to bake the paint it will all drip.
A fluid bed is mainly used for production work and one color application or as a quick way to apply a base coat. If you want to put your first coat on then that's fine, if you want to put more colors on use the tutorial I posted here. I'm sure there are other ways as well.

andydean · 04-15-2010, 08:38 AM

Hello All. Im a new member. Live in NY. Fish salt and fresh. Surfcaster predominately on Long Island. Steelhead in Pulaski. Large and smallmouths, pickerel and crappie in reservoir system in Westchester County. Andy

andydean · 04-15-2010, 08:40 AM

Apparantly, I must submit 2 posts before I can include my email and request CADMAN to send plans for the fluid bed, sorry guys.

andydean · 04-15-2010, 08:41 AM

Hello Cadman, I am a new member and joined specifically to request a set of plans and tutorial for the fluid bed that you constructed. Thanks in advance and the site looks to be really informative. Im glad that I decided to look into building my own bed!! Again, Id really appreciate it if you'd send this info to: andrew.silver@diversifiedgeophysics.com
Andy

cadman · 04-15-2010, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andydean

Hello Cadman, I am a new member and joined specifically to request a set of plans and tutorial for the fluid bed that you constructed. Thanks in advance and the site looks to be really informative. Im glad that I decided to look into building my own bed!! Again, Id really appreciate it if you'd send this info to: andrew.silver@diversifiedgeophysics.com
Andy

Andy,
I sent you the instructions via your e-mail. If you have any questions, let me know and I will try to help answer them.

wjb1055 · 04-16-2010, 11:15 PM

CadMan, any chance you could email the plans to me also. Since I have less than 2 posts I can't add my email address but it is available under my profile.
Thanks in advance,
Bill

cadman · 04-17-2010, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wjb1055

CadMan, any chance you could email the plans to me also. Since I have less than 2 posts I can't add my email address but it is available under my profile.
Thanks in advance,
Bill

Bill, You have a PM from me.

Ronb · 08-21-2010, 10:38 PM

Hello,
I'm sorry to dig up an old thread but, I am having a fluid bed problem. Yesterday I bought an Elite 802 air pump, 8 ft of aquarium tubing, a 2 inch pvc coupler and a couple of 2 inch 2.75 inch tall pvc tubes. the air pump is a double outlet so I also bought a "T" fitting to take it down to one line,and a twist type air flow adjuster.
I epoxied the coupler to an aluminum plate, drilled a 1/4 hole in the bottom half of the coupler, epoxied the air line in the hole. I have tried using a coffee filter and a brown paper lunch sack as a filter.
My problem is I cannot get the air flow adjusted to where the paint "boils". I am either getting little volcanos or the paint literally clouds up out of the cup in a fine mist. If I turn it down to where I am getting no volcanos, the paint doesn't appear to do anything but feels fluffy when I tried stirring it.
I don't think the paint is fluffy enough because I still am clogging the jig eyes with paint.

Can anyone with a fluid bed offer any advise as to what I am doing wrong?

Thanks,

Ron

cadman · 08-23-2010, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronb

Hello,
I'm sorry to dig up an old thread but, I am having a fluid bed problem. Yesterday I bought an Elite 802 air pump, 8 ft of aquarium tubing, a 2 inch pvc coupler and a couple of 2 inch 2.75 inch tall pvc tubes. the air pump is a double outlet so I also bought a "T" fitting to take it down to one line,and a twist type air flow adjuster.
I epoxied the coupler to an aluminum plate, drilled a 1/4 hole in the bottom half of the coupler, epoxied the air line in the hole. I have tried using a coffee filter and a brown paper lunch sack as a filter.
My problem is I cannot get the air flow adjusted to where the paint "boils". I am either getting little volcanos or the paint literally clouds up out of the cup in a fine mist. If I turn it down to where I am getting no volcanos, the paint doesn't appear to do anything but feels fluffy when I tried stirring it.
I don't think the paint is fluffy enough because I still am clogging the jig eyes with paint.

Can anyone with a fluid bed offer any advise as to what I am doing wrong?

Thanks,

Ron

Ron a couple of things to try and note:

#1 All powders are not the same in denseness. For example white is the heaviest and will give you the most trouble.
#2 You may have to have several different cups for different colors with different filter media on the bottom.
#3 You can also try vacuum cleaner bags or the Tyvek envelopes from the Post office as filter media.

This is a trial and error project. Sad but true. You will have to experiment to see what media works with what colors. By your description, it looks like you have everything correctly done, other than trying different medias. Try it out and let us know if it helped. Good Luck.

hog4can · 08-29-2010, 09:11 AM

Don't know if anyone else has tried this but it works for me,get yourself some electrical shrink tubing(different sizes to allow for bigger eye hooks),cut into pieces just long enough to fit over the "eye" of the hook,hold over your heat gun/blow dryer,pinch the now melted shrink wrap closed(to prevent powder paint getting in),you can now preheat your jigs prior to dipping in powder paint,this is by no means a fast method ,but sure beats cleaning out the eyes

Brian

P.S. can be used over swivels as well