TAKE APART BALL MILL JAR

[oldguy]

I was cleaning out the corners & sweeping up the shop today. Besides floor sweepings, in the pile going in the dumpster was some scrap PVC pipe & PVC flat plate, rubber gasket material & a bunch of sheet rock screws. For the hell of it, I sorted out some of the junk & built a "take apart" ball mill jar out of it. Was about a 20 minute task.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2012 by oldguy

[pyrojig]

Very nice. I just acquired a little over (3' )of 10" sch 40 pvc pipe and plan to build mill jars out of it . You have spawned some really great and simple ideas ( thank you). I believe that the other jars had a recessed plywood disk, of which one had a 2" access pvc nipple and rubber cap. I might be going that route. Any clever ideas are welcome.

[oldguy]

 

 

 

Last but not least BIG BERTHA (12 inch)

 

 

 

[pyrojig]

Awesome pics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where did you obtain your pvc plate?

I am actually going to build a similar setup but with wood framework v.s. the metal( which I like very much). Just need to get a cheap yardsale stack-able shelf and convert it to a usable ball mill stand. .

 

Did you stud the mill jar or did you use threaded inserts to make it durable ?

I have some pretty thick walled 10" and cant wait to turn a few mill jars out. I may have to go with the simple method and use ext. mounted plate's on the jar. I think that studding the jar is a stronger method , to secure the top.

[oldguy]

If you are in the USA & have an eBay - Paypal account.

 

The link below is a great place to get ¼ inch PVC sheet.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PVC-Plastic-Sheet-Remnants-/260754447272?_trksid=m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D7580263647244420034

 

 

To keep shipping costs low, I told them I wanted 12x12x1/4 inch pieces.

 

Because 21 pieces will fit perfectly in a large USPS flat rate shipping box.

 

On this "take apart" jar, I did not use treaded inserts. But could change it over in a heart beat.

 

PVC is very hard & will hold a course threaded screw long term very tightly.

 

It's easy to screw in threaded rod (glue with epoxy) & use acorn nut caps to secure the end plates in place.

 

A couple helpful hints:

 

Cutting larger diameter PVC pipe perfectly straight is very difficult to do.

 

Even with a cutter like below, which are NOT cheap.

 

 

You can do a fair job with a chop saw or table saw. But not perfect.

 

To make the end of the PVC pipe perfectly flat, a large disk sander is ideal.

 

 

If you don't have one, most local custom woodworking (cabinet maker) shops do & will usually true the pipe ends for a couple bucks each.

 

Also, if you are going to drill/tap the pipe itself.

 

I suggest you use a DRILL PRESS, rather than a hand held drill.

 

Using a drill press insure the holes you drill are perfectly vertical.

 

Not so with a hand held drill.

 

Edited April 8, 2012 by oldguy

[pyrojig]

I do have all the tools as stated above, and plan on using them. I wish I had that fancy pipe cutter. Thats a beauty for sure!!

 

Good point on the drill press for the drilling .(Thanks)

I DO live in CA and have a ebay acct. Thanks for the link.

 

I have to ask. How did the plywood work for the ends of the jars?

Also Im sure that these mill jars are just as noisy as one can imagine ...LOL

Have you considered to use a rubber lining ? I was thinking of either a spray in type( ryno linner) or dynomat etc. Just a few ideas.

[oldguy]

 

 

This is also an option.

 

If you add plywood, you still need flat PVC under it.

Plus the plywood will not make them any more quite.

 

LOL, milling noise doesn't bother me.

Besides that the sound when milling will tell you when the load is done.

 

 

 

[oldguy]

If milling sound is a critical issue. 3mm thick accustiblock is equal to 1ft of solid concrete for sound dampening purposes.

http://info.acoustib...iblok-products/

 

[oldguy]

 

EDIT TO ADD: I might add, you don’t really need to use hard rubber or neoprene gaskets. Instead you can use a thin skin of aquarium grade silicone sealant to insure a perfect end plate fit & airtight seal. Simply add a thin skin to the pipe ends & allow it to warm air dry cure a couple days before adding the end plates. The advantage to a take apart jar (even with a throat & rubber cap added) is that anytime you want, you can take it apart & clean-wash out the inside.

 

 

Edited April 8, 2012 by oldguy

[pyrojig]

Awesome!

Thanks for the tips. I will put these to use. It is nice to see your creativity. Thanks for taking the time to post pics and details . I really appreciate it.