I've found a cheap alternative to fire hose!

Powforbreakfast.

Powforbreakfast.

Active member
as your bladder in a pnuematic press. holy hell. you can buy 25 feet of used 5" fire hose for 50 bucks (crappy, it'll probly leak later on.) or you can buy 25 feet of NEW fire hose for upwards of 150 bucks. However, i went to a hose and gasket-specific shop today, and i told the guy what i was doing. i said the hose needed to withstand at least 100 psi (i'll be pressing lower than this, but i'm leaving my options open) and that it needed to be around 5" in diameter. well, lo and behold, he produces this hose called spiraflex pvc disc hose. they make a 5" size, but he said it's more expensive than the 6" diameter they have because it's a less common size. anywho, six inch dimater, fiberglass reinforced hose that's rated to safely handle 150 psi, and it's thinner than 5" firehose. yes!

and then, he's like, "yea dude, this is good stuff, it's only 9.50 a foot!" 9.50 a foot, jesus christ, that's a lot! so i leave the rediculously-overpriced shop, and i look online for this magical hose. i found a place that sells it for 3.52 a foot, which means if you wanted 20 feet of it, it would cost roughly 70 bucks plus shipping. which is a hell of a lot better quality than used fire hose, and the price is pretty hard to beat.

i'll post a picture of the material in a few hours, i got a sample of it to take home with me. i need to finish my homework first. for those of you searching for a bladder in advance, i will already say, you are wecome.

oh, by the way, the six-inch diamter sample i got is just under 10 inches wide when laying flat. they also make 4" diamter that's also rated at 150 psi.
 
thats sick dude, i will have to remember this if i ever switch from my vacuum press to a pneumatic press. do you think you could post the link?
 
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an update to this matter; the PVC disc hose pictured above would work, but it may not curve as well to the tip/tail part of the mold as a more flexible material. i'm checking out PVC DISCHARGE hose; it's similar, and still rated for 150 psi, but it's a more flexible. it's a little bit more costly, but the fluidity of it might be worth investing in. it's still cheaper and better quality than fire hose!
 
Discharge hose will work, but make sure to also check the heat rating for the hose. I have seen some discharge hose that has a max temp of 150 degrees, and if you are pressing above it than I would be a bit concerned.

You can always buy new fire hose too.

I am currently using fire hose. Current hose is great, but one before it leaked and delayed stuff for sure.
 
Just thought i would post an update as to how this stuff worked. The spiraflex i posted above blew out 3 times on me. I lied, it's rated for 100 PSI, not 150. Like iggy said, discharge hose is susceptible to heat and lowers it's strength. I just got and pressed with a 150 PSI discharge hose from capitol rubber corporation. (look it up on google, it pops right up). I got the high pressure PVC discharge hose. Runs about 4.50 a foot, i think it was. Very similar, as in, almost the same as the stuff they're selling on skibuilders.com right now, but for half the price. Works very well, couldn't be happier. Happy building.
 
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