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Vacuum Pump... Noise?

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Jim Fitzgerald

Jim Fitzgerald

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I recently got a vacuum easel and pump for a great price. In using it to print my 8x20's I have noticed that the Gast pump makes a rattling noise when in use. It is an oiless model. Is this normal?

Jim
 
I've had two, a small Kostiner one and a large unmarked one that was used with a large process camera. Neither rattled, but both were very loud. They also vibrated. I would put a soft neoprene or similar pad underneath. I'd also locate the vacuum in another room if possible, using a long hose. It works _MUCH_ better this way as you won't hear it as much.

If they really rattle perhaps something has entered the vacuum chamber? I'm not exactly sure how these work but opening it up might be a suggestion.
Does it pull a good vacuum?
 
Jim Fitzgerald said:
I recently got a vacuum easel and pump for a great price. In using it to print my 8x20's I have noticed that the Gast pump makes a rattling noise when in use. It is an oiless model. Is this normal?

Jim
Click to expand...

yeah, I think so. The ones I've ben around always made a lot of noise that way....but, that was almost twenty years ago.
 
vacuum pumps should make a noise if turned on. Sounds as if everything is ok. I would try to locate it away from the easel.

lee\c
 
Jim,

With regards to the noise, if you can't locate it in a different room, head over to your local Lowe's or similar store and pick up a pair of John Deere noise canceling head phones. They cost about $90, but they work great. You can even plug in your mp3 player to listen to your favorite music. I think Bose makes something similar for the typical Bose inflated price of something like $300.

Good Luck,
 
When new the gast pumps don't rattle, but as they age the rattling is more pronounced as the carbon vanes wear. At some point the pump will lose efficiency due to so much wear and they can be rebuilt with new vanes.
Sometimes the powder from the vanes will cause them to stick and lose pressure, this can be remedied by running some oil free solvent through the pump in a well ventilated area. Watch for sparks and flame sources!
They are always quite noisy even new, they usually have a muffler in the form of a filter with a glass jar over it. You can even add more muffling to it if you are careful not to choke the air supply too much.
 
Well, it looks like the noise is normal. I saw that some of the hew ones had mufflers. This one has a vacuum gauge. I guess I will have to put it in another room and my neighbors will have to deal with the noise. Not bad when I'm doing silver contacts but will be noisy for my carbon prints.

Jim
 
You might be able to find a new Briggs & Stratton lawnmower muffler that can be fitted to the exhaust port of the pump. It uses standard water pipe fittings, screw on. I don't remember how many times I've replaced a rusted out muffler on those motors with a length of waterpipe way back when. It may take some step up or step down adaptors but you can make it work.
 
You can get foam sheet which has been cut to have a dimpled surface like an egg carton. Build a box big enough to allow about 6" clear space around the compressor and line it with the foam. Put a foam pad under the compressor. This will cut the noise to a tolerable level.
 
Because of the noise, I keep my vacuumm pump in another room--two rooms away, in a closet inside on a homemade insulated box (with a vent so that heat does not build up). No sound at all in the darkroom, and the pump barely can be heard in the room it is in.

Michael A, Smith
 
A la MAS, I put my vacuum pump in another part of the basement away from the DR so noise would not be a factor.

Just don't put it under the floor where the wife is still sleeping in the wee hours of the morning as I did!
 
Try replacing the carbon vanes. Not hard to do; just unbolt the head, note the orientation of the vanes, slip each one out and replace with a new vane. Blow out the head with compressed air (outside of course) and check the motor for lubrication (most are sealed, so no maintenance is needed).

We used these pumps on wet gate motion picture printers and they were very, very simple to service.
 
Michael A. Smith said:
Because of the noise, I keep my vacuumm pump in another room--two rooms away, in a closet inside on a homemade insulated box (with a vent so that heat does not build up). No sound at all in the darkroom, and the pump barely can be heard in the room it is in.

Michael A, Smith
Click to expand...

Mine is in another room - very quiet. You cannot hear Michael's at all! I thought he had it in the dungeon.
 
Just in case anyone reading this has money to spend, there are some very nice diaphragm or membrane pumps made for backing up the exhaust of more powerful turbomolecular pumps in high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum systems. They are small, quiet and clean, and even come in chemically-hardened versions if you're creating nasty smells. They also have no problems with generating oil mist.

The best is the enemy of the perfectly good enough, but if you're searching for a new solution, these are the bee's knees:

http://www.pfeiffer-vacuum.com/filepool/2/File/MVP_006_PU0048PE_061009.pdf

http://www.edwardsvacuum.com/Products/75187/overview/Product_Details.aspx
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Michaels insulation must work because I can't hear it at all. Then again, he is in Pennsylvania and I am in North Dakota and the wind noise from last night at minus 38 with 30-50 mph winds might have something to do with it. (wind chill factors to minus 75, not good for stargazing outside)
 
I was just at Wal Mart earlier and saw a screw in muffler that can be used for less than $2. That and the insulation will make it purr like a Mercedes.
 
Jim are you using the vacuum easel for contact prints? With or without glass, I'm not familiar with these types of easels but would like to make a vacuum easel for projection printing.

Thanks,
Curt
 
Curt,
If it is for horizontal projection, you want high volume airflow. A furnace blower with a squirrelcage fan is ideal. Build a manifold around the fan intake and use 4" flexible hose to your easel. I have built a couple and can provide more info if needed.
 
Curt said:
Jim are you using the vacuum easel for contact prints? With or without glass, I'm not familiar with these types of easels but would like to make a vacuum easel for projection printing.

Thanks,
Curt
Click to expand...

Curt, wow old post and still questions! I'm using this to do 8x10, 11x14 and 8x20 contact prints. It has glass and the glass forms a seal on the rubber seal and I can control the pressure with a bleeder valve. Either Azo or carbon transfer prints. I have switched to a NuArc 26 1KS unit that has a nice built in vacuum frame and pump and I have gone to printing in carbon only.

Jim
 
Thank you Jim and Richard, I used NuArc equipment in college for my Graphic Design and Photography degree, it's the best equipment all right. I have a Kostiner vacuum pump with a foot switch and will be making an easel.

Curt
 
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