The new dip tube is finally up and running. It's been in the works for months. Not that it's all that complicated. It just takes a while to find parts at the flea market. I bought the model train controller at the flea market for six dollars. But gave up on the motor and bought one on E-bay for twenty dollars including shipping. So I've got a 12vDC 4 RPM variable speed gear motor and a 14vDC variable speed model train controller. Jimmy Chang recommend this setup on the Rodmakers List.
I went up instead of down with this rig. It was easier to cut a hole in the sheet rock ceiling than to drill a hole in the concrete floor. SWMBO ruled out an ideal location in the kitchen, so I put it in my drying closet out in the garage. I used an eight inch diameter round concrete form made of cardboard for the enclosure in the attic. It was a little pricey at eight dollars (from Lowes), but it had a slick waxy coating on the inside that should be easy to keep clean. The inside diameter of the dip tube is one inch with a two inch PVC adapter at the top. The cap for the tube has a rubber ring that expands by turning a wing nut on top to seal the tube when it's not in use. Harry Boyd mentioned the expanding cap. I think he said John Channer recommended it on the List. Can't remember for sure. There are golden nuggets on the Rodmakers List if you take the time to sort through the pile of posts.
I started out finishing rods in a drain tube. I figured it would be less expensive, easier to use and easier to set up than a dip tube. Besides, I only make two or three rods a year. I didn't want to over engineer it. I still don't make very many rods, but I was wrong on every other point.
It was actually more expensive to use a drain tube because of the wasted varnish. A gallon of Varmor R10 was good for one year after pouring it into a couple tubes and draining it several times a year. I suppose it was exposed to way too much air and started to prematurely gel. So that cost about fifty dollars a year...for two or three rods. That alone was enough to rule out a pair of drain tubes. I've got about sixty dollars invested in the dip tube setup before adding varnish. The one inch tube will hold about a quart of Varmor. And hopefully it will last a couple years in the sealed dip tube.
The dip tube is much easier to use than the drain tube. No pouring, spilling, draining, pouring, spilling, draining, pouring, spilling, draining, pouring, etc... And I can pop the varnish in the guide loops if I need to. That was nearly impossible in the drain tube.
Maybe it was easier to setup the drain tubes, but not by much. The only real effort that went into the dip tube was cutting the whole in the ceiling and installing the enclosure in the attic. But that wasn't a big deal. I just didn't want to do it.
Now that I've made the transition to a dip tube, I'll never go back to draining. Thanks to Alan, Lee, Harry and others for encouraging me to change. And yes, you can say you told me so.
David
