aquiring antique Vaccume filter

Thomp · #1 07-09-2006, 03:49 PM

I recent aquired a old canister vaccume its bout the size of a 5 gallon bucket, inside the vaccume it had a great big cone shaped filter 14 inches across the mouth and 14 inches deep, it looked like tyvech or a big coffee filter. the filter is no longer obtainable even at vaccume speciality shops, this vaccume looks like it was made in the 50's its 2 speed quiet but would suck the chrome off a trailer hitch... and it works better than a new one as far as power and noise output as it is whisper quiet.
since its working so good i dont want to toss it but use it in the shop and as a portable dust collector ... but without a filter it wont last a day ill bet.
theres not any room inside the container for a car air filter not i cant modify anything else i can find to my sadisfaction that it would provide a filtering mechinism for long..

i would like some comment-suggestion on what i could use for filter material? clothe, paper towell? nylon pantyhose?
suggestions welcome

AlArchie · #2 07-09-2006, 04:21 PM

Thomas, if you have a farm supply anywhere near you, check with them for large milk filters for the automated milking machines, or for sheets of that filter material. Don't know for sure, but it just might be what you are looking for.

If that isn't possible try a good fabric shop for thin felt material which should also serve the purpose. You should be able to spray that material with "Endus" or similar household product to help with the dust stopping capeabilities of the felt. I'm assuming that this is only the final filter before the dust laden air gets sucked into the motor area.

Here's another thought...I bought a Grizzly dust collector and ordered a second filter bag. It is big enough to cut a new cone from for your vacuum. You should be able to cut a cone and get it sewed up to fit. The materialis designed specifically for that, too.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/H4340

Al

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #3 07-09-2006, 05:53 PM

You might check www.northernequipment.com I think thats the site, if not do a google search for Northern Tool and equipment. I am not sure that Home depot might have some material you can form...we had some we bought there, it was a blue material.

dryheat · #4 07-09-2006, 08:27 PM

Build a box that will hold a furnace filter and run the vacuum stream through that and then into the vacuum. Woodworking stores usually have hose adapters that you could make work. I think my folks had a vacuum that used cone shaped filter, it was a Filter Queen. One could still buy the filters several years ago.
http://www.totalvac.com/filterqueen.htm
ES

Thomp · #5 07-10-2006, 03:54 AM

Dry heat you hit it on the head, it is a filter queen. and the first filters on that page were what i think im looking for, thanks i never thought of shopping for such things on the web... oh well...

Al archey and Hi Ho thanks for your suggestions, that was what i was thinking of using filter sheet or felt if i had to make my own... although the box would make it bulky and floor space is already at a preimum it was last resort..

another thought was to use a old shop vac as a pass through vaccume, although the motor is burnt up it filters fine. but then again i got 2 5 gallon bucket size space hogs in the floor space, and wouldnt fit under the bench. . and wouldnt be as portable as the original vaccume.

thanks for the help and suggestions fellers....
thomas

dutchmanmk3 · #6 08-01-2006, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomp

Dry heat you hit it on the head, it is a filter queen. and the first filters on that page were what i think im looking for, thanks i never thought of shopping for such things on the web... oh well...

Al archey and Hi Ho thanks for your suggestions, that was what i was thinking of using filter sheet or felt if i had to make my own... although the box would make it bulky and floor space is already at a preimum it was last resort..

another thought was to use a old shop vac as a pass through vaccume, although the motor is burnt up it filters fine. but then again i got 2 5 gallon bucket size space hogs in the floor space, and wouldnt fit under the bench. . and wouldnt be as portable as the original vaccume.

thanks for the help and suggestions fellers....
thomas

Excellent link from dryheat ! Your idea of using an old shop vac as a pass through does work extremely well. On old burnt out motors you can remove the filter cage from the motor, and remove the cowl on the interior of the lid, and transfer it to the top of the lid inverted once the motor is removed, fill the screw holes with hot glue, and hot glue the cowl right back in the motor's place. You'll find that once you drill out the the center grid you will have a perfect 2 1/4" port. Ironically if you purchase a RA ShopVac brush, and pull the brush ring out it will make a sweet Right angle fitting to port into another shop vac. I have made 3 of these tanks so far with old shop vacs. My active dust collection for my sanders passes through a battery of these through 7 stages down to .03 micron. Point being that I can pack 32 gallons solid as a brick, and still maintain 85% dust collection efficiency. Not 100%, but I can actually stick a running sander to the wall, and walk away !!!

I really hate saw dust. LOL.

Thomp · #7 08-01-2006, 12:28 PM

i just removed the squrrel cage it was just a 2.5 gallon vac .../

walmart had shop vac 24" disk type filters that fit like they were custom made for the filter queen , that old vaccume sucks better than a new one.... thanks for the ideas

dutchmanmk3 · #8 08-01-2006, 03:04 PM

Thomas, If you ever have that motor apart. Take a close look at, and measure the bearings.

Many of the newer vacumms are designed as throw aways. So if you call Shop vac etc... they may not even carry replacement parts. As you've already discovered some of the old units are WORK HORSES ! and are vastly superior to what's available these days. I recently discovered that plain old skate board sealed bearing were a direct replacement for those in the old shop vacs. So I upgraded mine to an ABEC 9 ceramic bearing, and increased the performance by over 30%, and cut the noise level by easliy the same. It takes almost 2 minutes for this thing to wind down now when you shut it down. Sounds like a jet turbine spinning down ! ;^)

Thomp · #9 08-01-2006, 05:04 PM

this was a harbor freight 29.00 thing that only resembled a shop vac, the problem was i ran it till it got hot, the bering housing brass & plastic abs over heated and gummed the bearing to the shaft,,,
guess i could use a dremel andclean up the bering landings and use some jb weld to reset them but i would still have an inferior vaccume,,

i got 2 old style royle vaccumes that force the vaccumed particals through the impeller which makes it clog, if picking up big shavings.
but mounting them on a 55 gallon drum and using a dodge truck air cleaner inside the top pulling vaccume through drum then filter makes one great large capisity shop vac that will pick up 1x1 blocks,, without choking its just noisy as all get out.....

Hugh · #10 08-06-2006, 08:34 PM

A little bit off the topic, but just got to tell this story. My dad bought a new Electrolux Shop Vac for the store. He told everyone to make sure that I didn't get my hands on it, as I had a reputation for breaking thinks. well one day he was away, I tried it out, plugged it in, (those days, you could have a 220 outlet, like a regular outlet) it was plugged in 220 by mistake, and it would pick up a 5 lb roast , slickest vaccuum ever. After it started to slow down, it came to me about the wrong plug. Let it cool down, and dad was never the wiser. Moral of the story, a 110 vac plugged into a 220 line, works a lot better, but dosen't last as long. Grin