HELP! My Wave machine has a leak!!!

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

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I found it, stored with misc. crap from my last move (3 years ago!), which means I didn't pack it, all my Lava is supposed to be together!! It had a crystalized bit of yellow on one end (Black cap with plug) & a little leakage. I'm not sure how long it's been leaking, but I've got a 2 inch air gap now! DOH!

So, has anyone attempted to add anything to their waves? I'm gonna attepmt to find the leak site, doesn't look like any cracks...
I found this, but it really doesn't help....

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[Kris]

I would say keep tilting it and see where it's leaking from. I would also tell you to submerge it in water to find the leak, but that won't do any good as water would get in and nothing would come out since the thing does not have any air in it to begin with.

More than likely the leak is at on of the ends. That's where the "connection" is made. The middle part should be one solid piece.

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

I've cleaned it & spotted a highline crak on the underbelly... so, since I used to do my acrylic nails & still have plenty of product, I've sealed the crack.

I do have air in it... but I've placed it on paper towels to sit, just to check for any end leakage.

And of cousre, there is.. so, I'm gonna seal the ends with silicone, since it seems my gaskets are shot!

[Kris]

As a previous salt water aquarium guy - I can tell you silicone and acrylic don't mix well. Acrylic needs "glue" for a proper seal. Are you able to remove the ends? That would be your best bet. Remove the ends and reseal. If not, you need to "weld" all around the end caps.

Glad you found the crack. I think the plastic these guys are made of is going to get brittle with age. Good luck.

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

I'm afraid to attmpt to remove the endcaps... might crack the bit@#! They won't budge.... Maybe a Resin to seal them, what do you think?

[Kris]

Probably the best thing is anything that can bind plastic. Plastic weld or something like that. The more liquidy - the better. You can put the thing on end and get it down between the body and the end cap so you will barely notice the fix when your done.

The more gloppy it is, the harder it is to apply and you will notice it more. Just make sure it's not so strong that it melts through the existing plastic. Lol.

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try using toothpicks to smear the inside of the endcaps.

[João Roberto Gabbardo]

Hello,

Repair the cracks will be difficult if they are on the edges of the container, but if they are on the flat sides you can glue small sheets of acrylic using the proper glue. Also depending of the size of the cracks you will need somewhat big pieces of acrylic and will have an ugly sight… Of course you will need remove the liquids from the container open it can be somewhat difficult, especially if the glue used to fix the end caps is not flexible so when you force the end caps the acrylic can crack. Once you repair the container you surely will wish fill it completely, but how are the liquids inside it? Well, I find 2 links explaining how to make wave machines. They are:

http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/moving/wave.html
http://www.iit.edu/~smile/ch9601.html

The formula on the first link uses water and mineral oil and the second informs this combination and others suggesting the petroleum based solvents. As you container is plastic made, avoid use any kind of petroleum based solvent!!!

Kindest regards,

João Roberto Gabbardo

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

Ummm... not very helpful. The idea of adding more acrylic to the bottom, off setting the balance... it's just too much to deal with! :( On a down note, the acrylic bonding product gave an undesired effect... I didn't take into account that the chemical combination "heats", so now I have 2 extended cracks from the original & a couple baby cracks that appeared from nowhere!!! DOH! So, I'm attempting a Liquid Nails for plastics. It's waterproof & has a s-l-o-w set time, but at least it doesn't heat up! I'll be filling the end caps, probably Monday, assuming that the cracks are cured & sealed by then. I'm really fighting on scrapping it... If this fails, I may look into having a "fabricated" plexi copy made & do a transfer. Ho-hum.

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

Okay, the Liquid Nails dissolved what was left of the original gasket & I was forced to pop the ends off...

So, I pulled the stopper, and pulled each cap corner a bit & it gave within minutes!

She's been drained & stored in an airtight container... Now I gotta find someone to fabricate a new housing.

Here's a close-up of the intact (didn't fall apart when I removed it, though very brittle!) rubber seal from the air chamber end... I think I can replicate it.

[HughesWaveMotionMachinesLLC]

I just won this exact model on eBay the other day. I plan to custom build a much larger one of my own based off the design. I have a couple sources for short order acrylic suppliers that will machine any parts you need like tubing and endcaps.

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

The end caps are in terrific shape! Just gotta get the housing & gaskets... I'd love to contact your sources, if you're willing to share? PM me.

[HughesWaveMotionMachinesLLC]

Well, this isn't exactly a parts distributor. I am custom building a massive 4 foot wave machine and the only reason I bout the one I won on Ebay is to study the mechanics of it. You may be able to get the dimension of acrylic box tubing that you need here:
http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Plexiglass-Cast-Acrylic-Tubing



Here is the one I won on eBay: