More Macgyver-ing

Think I figured out why HF quit selling the little red blowers: They don't last.

I've had great luck with the bigger versions, but my little red blower, all of 2-1/2 years old and used maybe once a week on average, was running fine last week then just started slowing down, slowing down, till I just shut it off in case it was throwing sparks- the thing is up in my garage attic. I have a green blower I can replace it with, but I'm not sure it'll fit thru the attic opening, and to do it requires shutting the garage door, which is about an hour's job in itself since I have to move a ton of stuff out of the way.

So today I had to have the BIL start a 200 plate job on the fiber, done on outdoor stable trophy aluminum- 90 seconds each of engraving thru whatever paint this stuff is coated with, and between that paint and the engraved aluminum the smoke is plentiful and rank. And I have no fume extractor now! If it was warm out I'd just open the door and have a fan or small blower push the smoke outside, but it's COLD out there!

SO, I had at my disposal: a bunch of 3" dryer vent I'd been using previous, a couple of small blowers, and a path to the outdoors via my portable AC's vent pipe. Took about 15 minutes--

-and while I was at it, whereas this lovely ductwork used to just hang out near the scan head,
I thought I'd make a quickie plenum to if it would catch more smoke--
Attachment 375347

turns out, it does! Although there wasn't much smoke for the camera to see...
Attachment 375341

I hang more stuff off the ol' garage door... ;)
Attachment 375337

and my lovely blower connection setup. It actually works quite well!
Attachment 375339

So well in fact I want to hook it up with 4" ducting, it'll probably draw a lot better!
The nice thing is, it's dead quiet, can't even tell it's on.

It would never draw enough for a boxed laser, but for sucking up fiber smoke, I may just put one of these blowers up in the attic! (I have 3 of 'em)

I really like the plenum thing too, need to design a permanent one :)

May look tacky, but it works, and we can breathe! :D

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Duct work's never pretty, but a success as long as you can breath while the equipment's running...Attachment 375353

Blower just needs new brushes. HF stocks them. Part number 94029 Large Carbon Brush 21 x 11 3 pk.
Cost me $12 a couple years ago. (No idea why they are a three pack)

Howard Garner