4 inch glass perforated plate build

[orcy]

ok guys. definitely building a glasser. they just look too good.

95% sure I wanna go perforated plate to keep costs down compared to building bubble caps.

question is, what size holes should I drill, and what sort of plate open space should I aim for? from my reading, im getting anywhere between 5 and 20% open. I was planning on around 7.5% just to hit some sort of middle ground. and holesize is completely up in the air. from 1.5 to 6 depending who you read, and some even suggesting different sized holes on each plate (which im open to)

are there any hard and fast rules. initially i'll only be making neutral.

cheers

[TasSpirits]

I'd go 1.5mm and keep the the same on each plate, I add a new section to mine, didn't realise that it had 2nm holes, couldn't get it to load :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[orcy]

I'd go 1.5mm and keep the the same on each plate, I add a new section to mine, didn't realise that it had 2nm holes, couldn't get it to load :handgestures-thumbupleft:

awesome. exactly what I was looking for. what open percentage are you running? and what size downcomers? at 7.5% open, I need 330 holes in a 100mm plate. thats one every 4mm or so from a quick grid paper exercise. maybe i'll move to a triangular grid and see if I can pack them a touch tighter.

either way, i'm getting excited. gonna use BCF primus glasses with silicone mat seals, and I think i'm going to make pentagonal plates, simply cause I havent seen any done that way yet. the first 5 plates will be a single piece. and if I need more i'll make them modular with 4 inch triclover seals. 4 inch shotgun RC and i'm considering trying to use a glass graham condensor to add to the glasser look. if not i'll make one from copper.

[P3T3rPan]

these are 1.5mm on a 4mm grid.
no point covering the whole surface as the mating areas don't need holes.
Count them if you like. :)) (around 227)

IMG_3671 (480x640).jpg

[tipsy]

Count them if you like. :)) (around 227)

IMG_3671 (480x640).jpg

I think you'll find there's 229 ;-)

:))

[woodduck]

Sounds great mate, good luck with the build.

Just something to think about when building a glasser with primus glass is that it’s not the strongest stuff around and care should be taken with them, you don't want to crack one mid run or even worse have to unthread all those nuts to replace one :laughing-rolling: . Plenty of blokes are using them and are having great results so I'm not trying to put you off just reminding you of the safety aspect that's all.

There are some great threads around on the perf plates with sizes and I recon someone even had a print out grid patern if I remember correctly (not 100% sure on that one). There's some good tips on them aswell in regards to how best to drill them so you don't break so many drill bits or end up with RSI :laughing-rolling:

[orcy]

thanks woodduck. all taken under advisement. I have a drill press, and some nice shiny inox drills, so i'm hoping I can make light work of the actual drilling aspect. i've decided on a 4mm triangle grid to get me up around 350 holes. now I just need to work out my downcomers and mark it all out and start drilling.

[woodduck]

Drill presses are great but I'm worried that it might not have enough "give" for really small bits and they might break. I would have a couple of spares just incase.

I hope it’s a winner cause it will save the rsi, good luck :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Doubleuj]

Just throwing it out there, caps aren't that much more expensive and apparently much easier to run( I've never run perfs) my caps were modelled from woodducks build and I'm soo happy with how she runs.
Good luck and enjoy the build one way or another :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Dig Brinker]

As above, I bought my plates from Five Star complete with caps. Easier & cheaper than RSI lol.

[P3T3rPan]

Sounds great mate, good luck with the build.

There are some great threads around on the perf plates with sizes and I recon someone even had a print out grid patern if I remember correctly (not 100% sure on that one). There's some good tips on them aswell in regards to how best to drill them so you don't break so many drill bits or end up with RSI :laughing-rolling:

Printing a grid and glueing it to your plate makes drilling easy

IMG_2101.jpg

[db1979]

Do one plate at a time, don't try to stack them to save time as the turnings will bind up the bit and it will snap. I also found that annealing the plate stops the bit snapping too. It doesn't take that long, I didn't use a drill press, just got a comfortable chair, a saw horse and supported the drill front with my left hand while I controlled the drill with my right. I swapped hands if they got tired. I've done caps as well and I think there's a bit more work involved in caps and more to stuff up.

[orcy]

made my templates today, and i'm about half way through drilling my holes. centre punch and a dremel and it seems to be going OK. I did stack them up, cause although Im a sadist, I dont have infinite time :). broke two drill bits trying both the drill press and my battery drill. The dremel seems to be a winner, its just a bit tough to get it to really hold the small bits. the extra speed seems to be the key. it doesnt have time for the swarth to stick in the hole. either way, with the wastage of drillbits I could almost have bought bubble caps :)

I havent taken any photos yet, I always get stuck doing stuff and forget that i'm meant to be documenting it.

[woodduck]

Have a read of this one, might help with some ideas on drilling and building.

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3015&start=40#p47158