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Steven Walker became a registered member 6 years, 8 months ago
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dlipter became a registered member 6 years, 8 months ago
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Matthew became a registered member 6 years, 9 months ago
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vikebo replied to the topic Snow, sun, water packraft and some swimming in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
It was a fun experience and I think your kit is a great product, so I thought I’d share the story.
The schnozzle bag works ok with an adapter. At the moment the adapter is a tiny bit loose on the bag and a bit too hard to remove from the red press-fit valve. Small adjustments to the dimensions would fix this. Making it from white POM was probably…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 6 years, 9 months ago
For about $10 you can have a shiny new roller like this one.
When heat sealing TPU coated fabrics together, it’s important to apply pressure to the fabric as it cools, otherwise it tends to buckle and lift […]
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YES, this works even better in combination with a hot air soldering station:
https://www.banggood.com/858D-220V-Hot-Air-Soldering-Rework-Station-Handle-Handle-Stand3-Nozzles-p-1129100.html?rmmds=buy&cur_warehouse=CN-
That’s the same one I bought! It does a good job of sealing the fabrics together quickly, but so far I haven’t figured out how to use it without melting too much TPU, so I haven’t incorporated it into my workflow. Do you have any advice on which settings to use?
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I also have an 858D – squeeze a nozzle down to make a slot around 24mm wide. The air flow is quite low, so if it’s used at 220C or so the heat will spread out too much. Wind the temp up to 300 or more (even 400) and roll at a speed to suit and it will melt only the target you want. A bit like quickly searing a steak, rather than slowly cooking it right through.
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we made a video about it:
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Thanks for making the video! I have been trying to direct the air between the fabric layers (the way an industrial hot air welder does), but I don’t have enough hands to hold everything. Your method is much simpler – I will try it!
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yes, you still need both hands to do it, so everything mustbe fixed in place by tape before you begin welding
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Hey Naas,
What’s the strategy for the middle of the tubes? I imagine it’s tough getting the roller and the air gun to the center of the tube portions. Also, did you start sealing from the middle out, or did you start from one end with the pieces taped. How are you protecting the TPU in the middle on the floor and on the pieces adjacent to the seams or have you found it’s not much of a problem?
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Also, I’ve been trying your method on some scraps, and found (at least according to the what sealing methods page) that my welds when pulled apart have the tpu all come off in one sheet on one side of the fabric. I also can’t seem to tell the difference between a strong weld and a weak weld until I pull them apart (they all look properly sealed until I rip them apart and the tpu all sheds off on one side). What do you guys think? Is the blower too hot? I’m wondering if the table beneath the blower is making the tpu on the bottom side not heat up enough and it’s therefor not welding properly. Thoughts? Matt have you dabbled with this method yet?
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I’ve played with it a bit, but not to the point where I’m comfortable using it. I think the keys are to apply heat equally and evenly to both pieces of fabric and to not overheat them, and I find all of those things challenging.
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Yeah, after a few hours of using it, that seemed to be my impression. In addition to welding irregularly (I think 1/8 worked properly), my iron shit the proverbial bed and wouldn’t get hot the second time I fired it up, so maybe an additional demerit. It’s being returned (which was fairly easy thanks to Amazon).
I ordered a coverite black baron (the last one I could find on ebay) and they shipped it to my address from 7 years ago (that was my fault) so I’m without a backup for the time being. I will now probably try the leather iron you recommended, but they still take a few weeks. I’d say the hardest part of this process thus far is finding a proper tool to use… Anyway, back to tool shopping…
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YES, this works even better in combination with a hot air soldering station:
https://www.banggood.com/858D-220V-Hot-Air-Soldering-Rework-Station-Handle-Handle-Stand3-Nozzles-p-1129100.html?rmmds=buy&cur_warehouse=CN -
See the link in the first comment above.
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Snow, sun, water packraft and some swimming in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Thanks for the great story of your maiden voyage!
How do you like the red press-fit valve and Schnozzle combination? Does it take too long to deflate with the single valve?
In the newer kits I’ve replaced the beach ball-style seat valve with a top-up valve, and that fixes the unexpected deflation issue. If you switch to a red valve, please tell…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic First test, whitewater in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Very nice! 🙂
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Justin replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Do not believe I am a robot.
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vikebo started the topic Snow, sun, water packraft and some swimming in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Second test, this time on a river instead of snow.
Bought the 120 cm V3 in August and finished about a third of it at the time. I got a dog a few weeks ago and decided to finish the packraft so we can use it during the summer. The build went fine, but the last center seam and L2 – L3 were a bit tricky. Decided to use the flatter red valves…[Read more]
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vikebo started the topic First test, whitewater in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
First test last Friday (beyond the garden) of my recently finished 120 cm V3 packraft in Norway. Too late in the afternoon to try it on more liquid water, but fun to try it on the snow in a small hill with Milo.
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vikebo became a registered member 6 years, 9 months ago
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Justin Spurrier started the topic Design Tips and Tricks in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Hello,
I am trying to design a raft from scratch. I have ran into some road blocks when it comes to designing the bow and stern. Especially when I try to design a increasing tube diameter or try to utilize shapes other than cylinderical with a miter style joint. Any pointers or references that people have done to design projects?
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miloo replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Hello everybody 🙂
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miloo became a registered member 6 years, 9 months ago
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gustav.kraft started the topic DIY Inflatable PFD (Life jacket) in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Hi,
Started looking for other gear to make while the ice still prevents me from launching my raft. Next on the wish list is a PFD, but I don’t want a bulky or heavy one, so inflatable with a similar design as the seat is what I’m thinking.
Closest to something you can buy is this:…[Read more]
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Tuomas replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 9 months ago
Hi to all and greetings from Finland!
I just got my V3 kits. I’m psyched up waiting that my heat sealing iron will arrive from Aliexpress.
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Tuomas became a registered member 6 years, 9 months ago
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Justin became a registered member 6 years, 9 months ago
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 6 years, 10 months ago
Update: Gustav’s detailed fabrication instructions are posted here!
If you’ve ever tried fishing from a packraft, you know that it’s nearly impossible to hold a fishing rod and paddle at the same time. Gustav […]
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Very creative, i like it!
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gustav.kraft replied to the topic Rod holder insert in the forum DIY Packrafts 6 years, 10 months ago
Thanks!
I think I will make the next one within a couple of weeks if I can find the time. I will take some better pictures of the process and add some measurements
/G
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