Scratch Build – In Progress The Mineral Oil PC - 3/24/2011 - More leaks :(

Touch it, does it feel wet lol. It's a liquid so it has to be "wet"...I think lol.

 

I'm trying to find a decent bulkhead fitting. A bulkhead fitting is something that allows tubing to get through a bulkhead. I plan on using two of these to get through the bottom of tank. Here's an example of a bulkhead union: https://getzequipment.com/oscommerc...ducts_id=92&osCsid=rddjpimu4mrvpdhf2otgb9l262

However, that isn't exactly what I need. I require one with a washer or some type of sealant. It can either be barbed or be female threaded. I'll be using it with 1/2" ID 3/4" OD tubing. I don't need a brass or stainless steel either. Those seem to be $20-50 apiece, which is way more than I want to spend on a simple fitting. I'll be making the connection through as 1/4" piece of plexiglass, so that needs to be taken into consideration too.

Any help?

edit: I think this is what I want: http://www.coleparmer.com/catalog/product_view.asp?sku=0644510
1/4" NPT threading and looks big enough to span the 1/4" thick plexiglass. It also comes with a seal and isn't ridiculously expensive.

All of this tubing size nonsense is so confusing. To me, the most logical method to classify tubing would be: OD, ID, and thread type (or connector type).

Instead I'm left to figure out the mess of NPT. According to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_pipe_thread 1/4" NPT is what I want. What exactly about a 1/4" NPT fitting is actually 1/4" is not clear. It's not 1/4" in diameter or radius.

 

Make it simple: Use G1/4" o-ring barbs. Make a set of 2" discs with a 1/4" NPT threaded hole in the middle, and glue them over a hole in the tank facing each other.

OK... That's more complicated than I put on.
-The holes have to be tapped perfectly level, or the O-rings won't seat right.
-Tap the holes first. Nothing is harder than trying to torque a round object in a vise.
-I'm not sure if the O-rings that come with the barbs are resistant to mineral oil. You may need to hit McMaster up for some special seals.
-You have to buy the tap.
-You have to remember which side the tap tapers from. I've tapped them upside down before.


As for names - "Intestinal lubricant computational device"
-Sure to pop up for you every time you need to google it.

 

I already ordered 3 of those bulkhead fittings I linked to, these ones: http://www.coleparmer.com/catalog/product_view.asp?sku=0644510

I'll try to tap the holes perfectly level, I haven't had too much trouble doing this.

The seals that come with the fittings I ordered are PVC (I think), which is resistant to mineral oil. However I just discovered that polyethylene is not 100% resistant to mineral oil. I was planning on using a few PE fittings I already own. http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/peh-chemical-resistance-d_329.html claims that PE has "good" resistance to mineral oil, not "very good." My guess is that I'll be OK though.

The problem with the type of fitting that I ordered is that it has so many points it can leak from.

As for your name suggestion, LOL.

 

Polyethylene is used in baby oil bottle caps. How bad can it be?
I'd say add a little permatex sealant to the threads if you are worried.

 

This is true. I'll probably be alright.

Got some more goodies in the mail today!


The package from Crystalfontz arrived today. Thanks guys! Lots of stuff inside: the LCD, the SCAB board, 4 3 pin fan cable extensions, 4 temperature sensors, 1 cable to allow the LCD to turn on the computer, 1 molex to 4 pin floppy power connector, 2 USB cables for the LCD, 2 different length cables to connect the SCAB to the LCD and a protector for the LCD. Jeez!


I couldn't resist hooking it up and messing around with temperature controlled fan curves.


I also received my pressure switch. I couldn't resist testing this either, looks like it'll work great.


Got 2 feet done. And yes, they're different sizes. I made the one on top first. I cut it out using the band saw. The bigger one on the bottom was cut out using a hole saw. I'm not sure which method was a bigger PITA. I may make 1 more smaller foot and 1 more bigger foot . They're not different enough that it'd be noticeable as long as the big and small ones were grouped together. I hope.

 

I love those Crystalfontz displays, very well made and packaged.

 

Feb 5 2009

Got a couple more packages in the mail today. A couple more should arrive tomorrow.



Petra's Tech Shop came through on their sponsorship. One of these nice looking XSPC radiators was provided free of charge. At low fan RPM, these out perform Feser's TFC. There's a review of them here: http://www.skinneelabs.com/Radiators/XSPC/RX120/RX120.html


I'd also like to thank Alex Venz for the support by means of a discount (and the free rad). Give them a visit!

I also got a bunch of screws from Small Parts Inc.


These 8/32 3/4" phillips head screws will be used to hold my L brackets in position.


These 8/32 1/2" flat socket head screws will be used internally. They will be countersunk to keep them out of the way.


And lastly, these 8/32 1/2" button socket head screws will be used to hold the aluminum panel to the frame.






I made a quick sketch to show how I will hold the two different sizes of L angle to the bottom of the frame. The green stuff is 1/2" and will provide strength to the acrylic frame. The red pieces are 1.25" and will be used to hold the corners together.

 

Where are you going to be using such a thing? Is it for running tubing from a 'dry' compartment of the case so oil doesn't get in? Why not make your own?

If I were doing it I would take a solid block of Acetal or something (scraps can be found for a couple bucks on eBay. I'll give you like if you want) and then use gasket silicone to prevent leaks.

Here is something I thought of. (click it to see full size)



Maybe I have no clue what you're really after though? lol

 

I really wanted to get one of those rads for my rig but didn't have the cash nor the room lol.

 

They will be used to go from the oil tank to the dry compartment below. I suppose I could order a piece of acetal off ebay and make the piece myself, but it's a lot less trouble to just order it. They'll come with the proper seals, already threaded, and won't require glue.


Here's something I whipped together real quick to show what I mean. Your idea was more or less correct.

Edit:
Hurray, I got hardware acceleration to work in SketchUp in Windows 7. I updated my video drivers from the Windows 7 x64 8.11 beta to the Vista x64 9.1. It installed just fine and now the acceleration works. Much faster.

 

Yay! Construction started!

I got a couple more packages today. One of them contained this:



All of the aluminum I ordered! There's a 3' x 3' x .05" sheet, 32' .75" x .75" bar stock, 16' .5" angle and 8' 1.25" angle.


I also received 3 of the 6 Noctua fan's I'll be using. I only bought 3 because I already own the other 3; they're currently in use.


Using these nifty little guys that come with the fans....


...I mounted them on to one of the radiators. It's a lot of trouble to get those little rubber things through the back of the holes so I can mount the fans. I did this so I would know the exact dimensions of the rad with the fans mounted and I can size the case accordingly.


My first corner complete! This is one of the many corners of the frame.


That's all for today! I did some more work making the frame, but I kind of messed up. There was a slight miscalculation that resulted in screws hitting each other when they shouldn't. I'll fix it tomorrow.

 

Nice start. What do you think of those anti-vibration nipples, are they worth it?

 

haha, i se a trend starting

you make me want to do a mineral oil PC, looks great keep it up.

 

Yes, I think they're worth it. They're a pain to get mounted though. I use them on my current case and I think I broke a few trying to pull them through the holes. To get them into that rad, I had to enlarge the holes, then file down the lip that formed after drilling the holes. Then I had to bend the metal on the side of the rad back so I could fit pliers in there to poke the head of the nipple through and then pull it through with a second pair of pliers. It was difficult to say the least. However, I'd say it's worth it in the end if you're trying to get a silent PC. 4 of them come with each Noctua fan though, I don't know how much they cost separate or if they're even worth the cost.

 

Moving right along...

I had planned on just posting one update tomorrow, but I couldn't keep the pics all to myself! So here they are:


I mentioned in my last update that I completed a little more than I had shown. Well, here it is. I was not happy with the quality of my construction. As you can see, 2 of the holes don't have screws. That's because the screws coming from the other direction ran into them. I didn't measure the spacing well enough. The other 2 arrows point towards where I was able to get the screws in, but I had to grind down the head so they didn't collide. Needless to say, it looks poor and all around unprofessional.


I decided to start over with proper planning. I made a list of the sizes of all of the pieces I will need and their locations. Each piece gets its own identifier so there will be no confusion later.


With the plans in hand, I turned to my trusty mitre saw and cut to length all of the pieces required.


Then I labeled them accordingly.


A quick mockup of how the pieces will go together.


Drilling commences.


I made a small template that allows me to drill 2 different sets of holes in the exact spacing I need with no variations. I either use the two far holes or the two middle holes.


Using the template, I made a bunch of my L brackets. Each one bracket has 2 far spaced holes and 2 closely spaced holes.


A complete corner. It turned out a lot better the second time around. My little template worked quite well.


Two corners done. These take a long time to do. For each corner I have to do the following:
Drill 12 holes through 3/4" thick aluminum.
Tap the 12 holes. (my arm hurts)
Make 3 L brackets.
Drill the holes in the L brackets.
Put everything together and hope to god that it all lines up properly.


This is what I completed today on the frame. My arm was starting to aches from all of the holes I had to tap. I can tell the complete frame is going to be ridiculously strong. It barely has any flex in it.


I also worked on making another foot. For this, I turned to the drill press. I think I've decided to use the hole saw method to make all of the feet. They turn out a lot better and require a lot less sanding.


This hole saw is super crappy. I have to go very slowly or it gets stuck. It also shakes the press so much that the chuck on the drill press comes loose. I have to stop and retighten the chuck several times while cutting these.


Two pieces immediately after the hole saw is done with them.


The feet I've completed so far. The middle two were cut with the hole saw. The right foot was my first, and the left foot was the second.

And that's where I stopped this afternoon, my arm was aching too much. I recieved my acrylic today, but it's nothing exciting. The sheets are all covered in paper anyway. I peeled off a little from a corner just to peek, stuff looks great.

What do you guys think?

 

2nd effort on the brackets looks a lot lot better

 

Nice workshop and tools you've got. Is it your garage?

 

It's my dad's wood working shop It takes up about a third of our basement.

 

You are making really good progress.