Swarf vaccum cleaner

[HomeUseParticipant @homeuse]

Yes – My long curly swarf is Alu. -No good with magnet – Vac. picks it up but sometimes blocks in tube – usually cured by putting tube on blow side and blowing it out.

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

I find that if a slug of curly swarf blocks the tube you can sometimes shift it by squashing the sides of the tube around the swarf (c.f. "peristaltis&quot

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Well shot off down Lidl today to purchase one of the ash pan vacuum's after reading about them.

Wish I hadn't bothered, well packed and can't knock the product except it's a bit weak on suction, was expecting something a lot better. Only saving grace is the flex tube is 50mm instaed of 38 on a lot of the other but from past experiance the larger pipe usually gives more suction.

Currently got a similar sized Seeley unit with 38mm pipe and although quite old now it will out suck this ash can vacuum.

Oh well that's Gerts Chrissy present sorted.

John S.

[_Paul_Participant @_paul_]

Glad I didnt bother with the Lidl machine now looked at the spec and it is only a 500w motor

My old Vax is 1200w guess I'll have to live with it for a bit longer

Any one tried one of those Henry things?

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I've just bought our second Henry, good for general houshold duties, ie everything When old and battered goes in workshop for general cleaning. Beware, in my experience they don't last long. Wih or without bags the motor eventually gives up, metal swarf and/ or dust gets in the works and magic smoke comes out. Some makes better than others but all end the same, in my experience.

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

For a permanent extraction installation, I don't think you can go far wrong with these guys

CamVac

I've had one of their GV286W units in my woodshop for several years, I am now extending this to my engineering shop through an intermediate interceptor bin which will collect the metal swarf etc and keep it separate from the wood chips, so I can recycle both as required.

The sell a comprehensive range of ducting, blast .

No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer.

Regards

Graeme

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

just a further info update, the CamVac units are available with either a 65mm or 100mm collection inlet.

For my inital requirement, I judged that the 65mm would be adequate, I am now re-thinking this as I expand the system.

For small installations 65mm is fine but for a more distributed system, I would suggest the 100mm as there is less chance of blockages occuring.

You also need to consider static build up. All of my vacuum pipes are UPVC and have earth bonded copper cable inside to alleviate any static build up.

Please ask questions and I will respond based on my experience.

The team at CamVac are extremely helpful and knowledgable.

regards

Graeme

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

I am at present working on a vacuum cleaner for my workshop. The engine for it will be an "AquaVac" circa 1980, whose case is rusted through, but has a really powerful (and noisy) motor/fan unit. This was used to excavate 22 9" diameter pile (5'deep)holes in an extremely gravelly soil. You had to bash away with a chisel in a length of steel tubing unti you had loosened some material then suck it up. . . It would lift a house brick. Still back to its main disadvantage. The 2 1/2" hose inlet was square to the container but had a 90 degree bend inside, so as to give a tangential motion to the air entering it. The problem was that it did not work, material would enter from this pipe and fly directly to the centre of the foam filter without any angular displacement.. As this section got blocked, the air flow would get more diffuse and the whole of the filter would get blocked.

What I am intending to do is to mount the vacuum cleaner cleaner outside my workshop at a hight sufficien to get a plastic bag under it and make the base of the holding container hinged, so one can dump the rubbish with the minimum of effort. Also re-engineer the holding container to provide a long path length for the tangential airflow, to give a lot of time for the smaller particles to move towards the containers wall. It will be done with a long helix type bafflle which will be tight against the inner (sucking)tube, but will have clearance around its outer edge for the smaller bits to fall straight down to the bottom.

I am unimpressed with Dyson machines. Our MK1 ceased to suck very well, so I rattled a garden cane up inside the works and cleared a whole bucketful of dust from it. When I wrote and complained to Dysons, they sent me (FOC!) a new outer container which is much better, it only holds a cupful of dust now. FWIW The Dyson got dropped and broken around where the little inverted cones are (which give the air its spin) and the tubes that enter from the main chamber are about 3/4" long up into the cones, so this area can (does?) get filled with dust

Frank

[AB658Participant @ab658]

I endorse Graeme's positive comments about the Camvac GV286W with 65mm inlet; it does exactly what it says on the tin. Intended for wall-mounting, I have mine in a frame on castors so I can get close to whatever source is in use. I don't use it for swarf, but would expect the suggested interceptor drum to be entirely effective for removing heavier-than-wood-dust materials.

For the future workshop in the mirage just to the left of the oasis, I would consider a built-in system based around a bigger cyclone from Oneida Air Systems, but these are fiendishly expensive landed in Europe; the UK agent seems to have vanished. Axminster offer something comparable, but somehow not as impressive. It amazes me that no-one else appears to offer a simple metal cyclone for the job.

Adrian

[Graham WhartonParticipant @grahamwharton]

I'll stick a vote in the air for a Numatic Charles. Its the big daddy of the henry.

I picked mine up on ebay for £25.00

One point. Where the hose enters the body of the hoover, there is a large plastic clip inside which secures the hose in place. This has some poorly positioned plastic pieces that catch oversized curls of swarf and makes it block reasonably easy. I removed this clip to stop the blocking. This had the unwanted effect of allowing the hose to be freely pulled away from the unit when you try to drag the hoover by the hose (not good…) but if you turn the hoover on before dragging, the suction is easily enough to keep the hose in place while you pull it around.

Suction is brilliant on it. No worries at all from a power department. It sucks just as hard as my Dyson in the house.

I removed all bags and just left the material cover that forms part of the lid, this was fine for filtering garage dust, but does get a bit dirty with greasy swarf and required a good banging against the side of the bin when emptying.

The hoover also came with an alternative insert with integrated ball, that allows you to use the hoover for sucking liquids too.

Can't grumble I suppose.

Graham

[Mike ClarkeParticipant @mikeclarke87958]

My niece asked if I wanted anything inparticular for Christmas and I said the hoover mentioned above from Lidl would be great. I only intended to use it to suck up the soot from my smokebox and hoover the fine brass/CI dust from my machines (I find steel easy to sweep up – it's that fine brass dust/powder that makes a mess!).

I can ask my sister to take it back if it's not going to be up to the job. Or do you think it will be OK, given what I intended getting it for? Thanks, Mike.

Edited By Mike Clarke on 15/12/2012 14:39:18

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

Interesting comments on a Dyson. We had a domestic Dyson and all I can say is that the customer service is beyiond reproach. Every time a poorly designed part failed they rapidly replaced it without question, over and over again, even when it was the replacement part failing for the second or third time.

Neil

[MetalhackerParticipant @metalhacker]

We have several Henries, both for the house and the workshop. The workshop one dates from 1995 and is still going strong. I tried it without the bag but generally find a bag controls the crud better. Vacuums are great for swarf but NEVER EVER use compressed air to blow it away. your eyes are too precious to have flying metal chips in them. Andries

[AndyfParticipant @andyf]

I'm a cheapskate; I use an 30-year old Electrolux cylinder vac, in the workshop, now held together with coathanger wire. I removed the cardboard end from one of its paper bags, and stapled/glued a sleeve cut from an old shirt in its place. The open end is closed with one of those plastic spines meant for holding papers together, which can be slipped off for emptying. Still got plenty of suck, and I've made it a thin nozzle to get into T slots.

I keep meaning to ask the Council if steel and ally swarf can go in the recycling wheelie bin which takes steel and ally cans.

The local electrical repair shop is keen on Dysons; fixing them provides a decent income stream, apparently.

Andy

Andy

[Gordon Henderson 3Participant @gordonhenderson3]

I bought one of the Lidl vacs after seeing it mentioned on here and I'm happy enough with it.

I wrapped the hose extension piece from my previous machine in tape to fit in the ally bit of the Lidl machine and find it copes easily with brass and aluminium swarf. I'm not making large amounts of swarf though, and the reduced diameter seems to improve the suction.

Gordon

[Mike ClarkeParticipant @mikeclarke87958]

Me too Gordon – perfect for my needs. I too have an old nozzle I can use to suck up the ash from my smokebox.

My only niggle is the length of the hose – very short!

Regards,

Mike.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Been using one of these for a while now, an old hoover aquavac

The filter can be battered clean on a garden wall or in the street

[wheeltapperParticipant @wheeltapper]

Hi

this is the beast i use.

it's an industrial extractor head bought at a boot sale for a pound fitted to the lid of a large picke barrel.

the filter is a car air filter .

it will pick up everything, including some I dont want picked up.

Roy,

[Author]

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