Hi Guys:
I just made my first sleeve and it works great! I will share a few tips on the mold. I used a bigger set-up because of my size (7.5 BPEL x5.8 MSEG ) and I have had no problems today. Could not imagine something tighter.
I used a 1 ¼ PVC plastic pipe and non threaded end cap from Home Depot for the outside mold. I cut the pipe at 3.0”. I then used a table top band saw I own to cut the 3.0” pipe section into two pieces, length wise. The band saw cut is easy and makes a clean cut for the two halves. I drilled a small (0.150 diameter) hole in the end of the cap for a # 6 x 1.0” wood screw. This is for attaching the inside sleeve of the mold.
The inside sleeve is a 3/4” PVC pipe form HD. I then glued inside the ¾ pipe a wooden dowel (also purchased at HD) that filled the pipe nicely. This now gives me a solid inner sleeve for the mold. I cut that piece of pipe (with the wooden dowel glued inside) at 2.90” long. I when took the ¾ pipe to the belt sander and put a cone shape on one end, leaving a flat of 5/8 with a tapper down the side of about ¾ or so. The wood will be exposed as you grind (about ¼ inch from top toward bottom) and this surface will need to be treated. I used finger nail polish to seal the wood. This is required or the silicone will stick to the wood. The tapper one the one end is important in my view because it matches the head of the “unit” and make the fit a bit better at the head.
I the drilled a small starter hole in the full end of the ¾ pipe (opposite the tapper) and centered as best I could. I then placed a ¾ thin rubber washer on the end of the ¾ pipe and put the 1 ¼ pipe cap over the top and attached with the screw. I now had the inside of the sleeve and the outside back end ready. I put the two halves of the 1 ¼ pipe together and pushed then into the cap and used masking tape to hold them together (although they stay together well without the tape). When I poured the Ecoflex 30 into the mold, I got ZERO leaks. I took the outside off after the prescribed 4 hours, removed the screw and rolled up the silicone and removed it from the inside sleeve. After letting it cure a full 24 hours, walla, a perfect ADS sleeve.
Hope this is helpful to those guys who like home projects.
All the best!