Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

I've been daydreaming about this for a couple of days, and was hoping for some advice.

I did very limited research on acetone vapor chambers and they all seems like difficult, jury rigged, expensive contraptions that require significant practice to operate

Here's my idea, assumptions and resources I would rather buy locally:

Print a jar lid with: heating element, acetone tank, fan to quickly expel vapor. place intake tube to bottom of jar so you can clear the chamber quickly.
I plan on making the heating element by wrapping kanthal wire around stainless steel mesh, for no other reason than this is how my e-ciggarette works and I have the supplies on hand. Thoughts?
Also print a PLA "object holder" to keep stuff off the bottom of jar. handle on top so you don't touch soft object

Thoughts:
-Acetone is heavier than air - why did all (2) of the chambers I saw produce vapor at the bottom?
-the examples I saw involved a chilled surface where the acetone condensed. is this needed?
-Is there any reason NOT to make a vapor chamber out of PLA?
-I'm planning on adding a fan to clear the chamber. do you think a circulating fan would also help?
-How can i tell in the store that the fan won't melt?
-If it doesn't explode - do you se any reason why this wouldn't work?
-I have never heated more than an inch of kanthal - is there better config than a single coil? should i use thicker wire? can i just use more power, or will this just cause the end to burn up before the center even gets warm?
-Should I submerge the wire, or use capillary action to pull up a small amount of acetone to the element?
-If i add a cooled radiator or filter to the exhaust pipe, could I safely use this inside?

What I need - shopping advice please! preferably local.
-Large threaded jar and giant washer- slightly larger than your print area
-How do I design/model a threaded cap for this? is there a sketch up plug in?
-Acetone-proof fan. I have motors from a CD drive. maybe print it? this adds a lot more labor to the design process though
-I have a 14v analog power source that i built in junior high. I'll probably just make wire holes and twist it together by hand, but CAD electrical design advice would be appreciated. has anyone used paint on conductors? do they stick to PLA? It would be neat to build-in a battery case and button for heat/fans, but this seems like a lot of work for a prototype.

as I am writing this during my break, I better get back to work. I'll edit it later.

Your putting too much thought into a simple crock pot...

I just use a glass borosilicate flask on a hot plate outside. I wait till I can see the vapor condensation on the sides of the flask work their way up to the top, then I know the flask is completely full of vapor and I dunk the part using wire to hold it. Works great.

Just limit the temperature of your heating device to about 56C

Jar on the bed of the printer. Really doesn't have to be difficult.

Does anyone have a chemical compatibility chart for PLA? I thought I had looked it up and found PLA to have issues with acetone, but now I cannot find it. So I may have been looking at PE or PET or something else. That is why I bought nylon filament to make some fuel and acetone resistant parts.

If PLA can handle acetone well that is good to know. I am not sure if mechanically it could hold up as well as nylon though.

I certainly wouldn't use a printed piece as my pot for acetone, PLA or not.

I wonder if acetone in a vacuum chamber would have the same effect as heating the acetone. Once the pressure was returned into the chamber the acetone 'cloud' should condense quite quickly.

I have been toying with the idea of using a vacuum chamber for acetone also.

I think that as the pressure is dropped the vaporization temperature will drop porportionally leading to boiling at room temperature with the corresponding vapor cloud. When the vacuum is broken, the condensation temperature should rise correspondingly and the vapor should recondense to liquid. I have not been able to located Saturation Tables for Acetone which would suggest a pressure to "boil" at room temperature but I suspect that a very light vaccum would be required. This will also keep the boiling point considerably below the flash point.

An added benefit of the sealed chamber is to control the escape of the vapors into the work area.

nitewatchman

nitewatchman wrote:I have been toying with the idea of using a vacuum chamber for acetone also.

I think that as the pressure is dropped the vaporization temperature will drop porportionally leading to boiling at room temperature with the corresponding vapor cloud. When the vacuum is broken, the condensation temperature should rise correspondingly and the vapor should recondense to liquid. I have not been able to located Saturation Tables for Acetone which would suggest a pressure to "boil" at room temperature but I suspect that a very light vaccum would be required. This will also keep the boiling point considerably below the flash point.

An added benefit of the sealed chamber is to control the escape of the vapors into the work area.

nitewatchman

What would happen to the vapors when they are drawn into the vacuum device? If it is too hot I would consider the possibility of an explosion.

Certainly a consideration. I believe that the liquid would be added after the vacuum is established and the device turned off.

Easiest approach is still likely a Crock Pot outside or in a well ventilated area.


nitewatchman

nitewatchman wrote:Certainly a consideration. I believe that the liquid would be added after the vacuum is established and the device turned off.

Easiest approach is still likely a Crock Pot outside or in a well ventilated area.


nitewatchman

I agree, the crockpot is the simplest to use and should be done outside.

nitewatchman wrote:Certainly a consideration. I believe that the liquid would be added after the vacuum is established and the device turned off.

Easiest approach is still likely a Crock Pot outside or in a well ventilated area.


nitewatchman

When you saying "Crock Pot", you mean something like that http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 45-7030552? If yes, how exactly use this device for acetone bathing?

You could also use your wife's when she isn't looking. Best way around our copound to get my own.

After she finds out that I have used it, she will treat the pot as if it just cooked off a batch of Ebola.

nitewatchman

Renha wrote:

nitewatchman wrote:Certainly a consideration. I believe that the liquid would be added after the vacuum is established and the device turned off.

Easiest approach is still likely a Crock Pot outside or in a well ventilated area.


nitewatchman

When you saying "Crock Pot", you mean something like that http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 45-7030552? If yes, how exactly use this device for acetone bathing?

Yes,

Use it just like cooking a pot roast. Just not as long and not as hot. Youtube has movies!

nitewatchman

thank you!

Generating large volumes of flammable vapors makes me nervous. Some Googling seems to show that acetone vapor may not be explosive, but boy is it flammable. So, be safe: wear protective gear, avoid static, have a plan for extinguishing a fire (good: cover for container, bad: fire extinguisher), and DEFINITELY work outside. I'd hate to see you in the news.