Nylon/Rubber/etc for homemade protective bellows

[guru_florida]

Hi all,

I am making some protective bellows for my cnc machine. I have made a sample one out of cardboard and sticky paper with great success based on this site:
http://www.rolandandcaroline.co.uk/h.../bellows2.html

Now I am looking for the right rubber to use for the real bellows. I am looking for oil/chemical resistance rubber. I have been researching and gortite has a nice material chart:
http://www.gortite.com/materials.html

it says buna/nylon or viton would be good. I have also been reading a lot of wikipedia pages on each of the materials. Gortite of course would do, but I think it may be expensive and I dont know if I can get it plain.

Anyone have some other suggestions?

I may use carboard as the stiffening strips, or thin metal. In the paper trial the carboard with the sticky paper, the result is suprisingly strong and rigid. I am hoiping for a thin bellow to keep as much rail travel as possible.

Thanks,
Colin

[d.dixson]

Hello Colin,

I used spray on Plasti-dip on paper bellows once. Seem to work pretty well... I am working with urethane from Goldenwest on a molding project at the moment and have been thinking that it would be a cheaper way to go. Hope these suggestions help.

Doug

[guru_florida]

I found some thin black pvc sheeting used to lay down under garden soil. I will two-ply it with probably cardboard in between. I will follow up with pictures when I complete it.

I have some flexane which is urathane based I think. I wonder if that would work too.

Colin

[neilw20]

If you can find it this would be OK.
I used heaps of it years ago on a hovercraft skirt.
A long lost friend purchased it, but I could still find him if you can't find any.
There was some special glue that worked really well too. 2 mix contact adhesive.
my email :neilw20@optusnet.com.au