Homemade Check Valve.
One thing missng in my toolbox has been a check valve.
Boston Valves and most boad/bed valves have one built in, but most inflatables with "normal" flapper valve are a pain to stretch because I can't just run my pump all the time (far too powerful) and I lack a hand pump with one.
Fortunately I have kept a lot of scrap partss from old stuff and I found an old Boston Valve and some pump parts that would make a great check valve ... if I could put them together!
No glues I had around the house made any impression on the hard plastic pieces and I got frustrated -- I have a stretch project tomorrow (see my other recent thread) and I need a check valve now and I don't have time or motivation to order stuff with unknown results.
In a stroke of inspiration I looked up the melting point of ABS plastic (which both the valve piece and the pump piece were made of), found out it was relatively low so I simply got out my soldering iron, set it a little above that temp and just "welded" the two together into one handy piece I could attach to my bigass pump on one side and a normal inflatable on the other.
It's tight enough on the inflatable end to really plug the valve and not slip out, fully airtight and solid enough to take some abuse.
Shower stretch sessions, here we go. I got some stock to go through; just the thing to do in a hot shower on these cold days!
Boston Valves and most boad/bed valves have one built in, but most inflatables with "normal" flapper valve are a pain to stretch because I can't just run my pump all the time (far too powerful) and I lack a hand pump with one.
Fortunately I have kept a lot of scrap partss from old stuff and I found an old Boston Valve and some pump parts that would make a great check valve ... if I could put them together!
No glues I had around the house made any impression on the hard plastic pieces and I got frustrated -- I have a stretch project tomorrow (see my other recent thread) and I need a check valve now and I don't have time or motivation to order stuff with unknown results.
In a stroke of inspiration I looked up the melting point of ABS plastic (which both the valve piece and the pump piece were made of), found out it was relatively low so I simply got out my soldering iron, set it a little above that temp and just "welded" the two together into one handy piece I could attach to my bigass pump on one side and a normal inflatable on the other.
It's tight enough on the inflatable end to really plug the valve and not slip out, fully airtight and solid enough to take some abuse.
Shower stretch sessions, here we go. I got some stock to go through; just the thing to do in a hot shower on these cold days!
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