CA Technologies - Pressure Pot : A Review

[factor40]

Ha! Part of the fun of what a lot of us do with the casting is the underground/DIY nature of it so I would bet that the guy you reference isn't the first to try that. Probably won't be the last either.

It all makes for a rewarding experience when things work out and I think people considering their equipment need to take stock of what they want to do and then just go and do it. Upgrading to something more expensive can always be an option later if you find you are getting more serious about things. That's where the freewill piece comes into play I think. While I won't buy another HF pot, someone else may if they are new to the whole casting thing and that is ultimately a good thing. The more, the merrier!

-Steve

[FlowolF]

Maybe I should produce a line of helmets and body armour aimed at the 'extreme caster' - those who, whilst adoring their attachments to life and limb, like to push not only the boundaries of their media but also of their equipment ',;~}~

FlowolF

[lastspartacus]

So the same thing happened to me with a HF pot, and I just got my CA pot in the mail after reading your positive review.

So, it has lots of inlets that I'm not familiar with. The one marked 'air safety valve' is fairly obvious. What do I do with this 'air release valve'? And do you use the ball valve in the 'fluid outlet' at all? Or did you just set up from the one marked 'air inlet'? Thanks.

[factor40]

Congrats on the purchase! Hopefully no one was hurt.

The ball joint just stays closed, you could use it to set up a vaccum connection but I do that with a separate system. I believe the air release valve is just a screw type valve to let out the pressure when the in and out are both hooked up to a paint system. I just plopped my connection cluster to the air input and I was done.

Hope that helps, I use mine with total confidence now! Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Steve

[lastspartacus]

Ah OK, simple enough. I have confidence just looking at the thing

[lastspartacus]

OK, just one question so far. I fired up the ole' compressor and gave it the soapy water treatment. Just one leak, and its on the lid where ball valve it comes with is fitted to the lid, a good collection of bubbles foaming.

Did you have a similar experience? I'm trying to decide whether to put some JB Weld in the cracks or try to tighten the bolt further, but I don't know if its fitted in a threaded slot or simply welded in and I would make it worse by trying to tighten.

[mangozac]

Where did you get the idea to use JB-Weld from? I'm not sure I agree with its usage - while it is certainly handy for sealing things I don't think it's appropriate to use around pressure fittings like that. If you have a leak then you should use proper anaerobic thread sealants (i.e. Loctite brand, but note that thread sealant compounds are different to thread locking compounds). Any half knowledgeable hardware attendant should be able to direct you to the right product.

[Blindhorizon]

I used thread lock.... the parts arn't coming apart thats for damn sure.

[mangozac]

But note that thread lock and thread sealant are two different things. While thread lock will probably work, it's not technically correct and there's no guarantee that it will actually seal the thread.

[Blindhorizon]

[lastspartacus]

Thing is Zac, I think the threaded bolt may just be welded into the lid. I won't know for sure until I try to turn it, and I don't want to break it. The Weld is a crude method but its worked so far on parts that I'm sure won't be moving.

[mangozac]

If your new CA Tech pot is leaking from a welded join then you have a defective pot and should return it under warranty. This is supposed to be a high quality unit. In fact, I'd get in touch with them before going any further to see what they have to say. Like I said before, JB-Weld is inappropriate for sealing high pressure leaks.

[Beo]

Hello there!

I'm a total newbie to resin casting and after reading Steve's review, I ordered the CA Technologies resin casting pressure pot from Finish Systems. It's great that I don't have to really modify it from a paint pot to a casting pot. The thing is, I have yet to try adding pressure and have only just figured out how to assemble the CA pot. The CA pot comes with absolutely NO instructions of how to assemble it or what goes where. The one instruction sheet that they included was for the painting pot rather than the resin casting one.

So I tried to fix the 3-way air regulator/ pressure gauge that came with the pot into where it says "Air Inlet" on the lid. . The Regulator/Gauge looks exactly like this one:




I figured that one end is to be connected to the air compressor ( I'm planning to use the right side one) but what about the other end (the left one) ? Am I supposed to plug it with a brass/ steel cap or something? If so, what size or type should I get? I tried to read up on this but all that talk of 1/4" NPT, 3/8" FPT, BSP, etc, etc, etc, had me confused. Like I said, I'm a total newbie

Any help would be appreciated.

p.s. Also, do I need a ball valve on the right hand side or is it ok to direct connect to the compressor ?

Thank you

[factor40]

Here's a few pics that should hopefully help you.





The few parts I add can be purchased at any Home Depot.

If you have any other questions let me know

[Beo]

Hi Steve,

thanks for the pics. Most helpful. I've uploaded some pics of my pressure gauge/ regulator. It looks different from yours. Did yours come with the pot itself or was it your own? Do you know of anyone who's CA pot came with the same gauge/regulator as mine? What size did they use to plug one end? There aren't many hardware shops around me and the ones I asked don' t have the correct size plug. They all only have larger water pipe brass plugs. My best bet is to order it online but I need to know the correct size & type.