Do it yourself tennis ball pressurizer

[LGQ7]

I don't have the tools. But I am thinking.

Something that can hold water can hold air, I presume. Use a water bottle with a mouth big enough for a tennis ball.

https://www.amazon.com/Your-Water-Approved-Reusable-Container/dp/B01D13YG70/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1519283274&sr=1-4&keywords=5+gallon+water+bottle+big+mouth&th=1

Use bicycle valves.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E0KYFHA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Drill a hole in the cap and stick the valve in.

Use a bicycle pump with a built in gauge, set for 15 psi.
https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Gaug...519284590&sr=8-30&keywords=bicycle+pump+gauge

There you have it.

Can someone try this?

If the cap is not airtight, maybe line it with a plastic grocery bag folded a couple of times with a hole cut in the middle.

Who wants to be Wile E. Coyote?

 

[krisdrum]

Like the concept.
1) How will you know you can get a ball in the opening of the container before purchasing? It looks like it is big enough, but that measurement is going to be critical to determine if it will work
2) Not sire you need 10 valves. I'd look for a bicycle "tubeless" valve set up. Much sturdier and easier to attach to the cap
3) You are going to want a bigger pump. Those little hand pumps are a WORK OUT. Even to get them up to 15 psi in something that size. I think a floor pump would be a better bet. Big box stores usually have cheap ones.

I have the valves and pump, so maybe I'll bite the bullet and give the container a try.

 

[krisdrum]

Looks like the cap measures 120mm diameter. That should be sufficient to get a tennis ball in there.

 

[Wolfie1]

When you can't get a replacement o-ring for your Revive (wish you could just order a batch of five) .....

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=UzdOcm94Q21sUUFtd29nc09YZ19YNlJUMDdyTUVn

Just standard 3" DWV fittings from HD. Fit on the narrower Revive cylinder was better as the clean-out adapter sat better on the top. The larger one required the coupling, and lots of caulking since it was somewhat larger. There's also a pressure release 'hole' that had to be plugged about one-quarter of the way up from the bottom on the larger half.

Could have used a short chunk of 3" DWV stock instead of the Revive canister. There's that video of a guy crazy-gluing a similar fitting to the top of a tennis ball canister. You'd think a person would break the seal quite quickly after getting tossed about in the racquet bag.

The pump you show will work just fine. Takes me 12 pumps on average. I got a pack of two of the same valves.

All in all, it doesn't work that well. You cannot rely on just hand tightening the top to get a good seal. Hence the strap wrench. I just use it to keep a tin of Penn Marathons or ATP's for a second match if the felt is still good. If I lived in a place where balls were $2 a tin, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Wolfie1]

Note I have a 'Pressureball' as well. It seems like rather stiff plastic and not that durable, so I baby it and just leave it at home. I use it as incubator to revive dud regular Extra duty Penns bought by the case that have only 85% bounce coming right out of a freshly opened tin.

 

[JEDI MASTER]

Note I have a 'Pressureball' as well. It seems like rather stiff plastic and not that durable, so I baby it and just leave it at home. I use it as incubator to revive dud regular Extra duty Penns bought by the case that have only 85% bounce coming right out of a freshly opened tin.

I have the Pressureball as well..works great! I take my to and from the court all the time and it's been holding up pretty good.

 

[LGQ7]

3) You are going to want a bigger pump. Those little hand pumps are a WORK OUT.

That's just for conceptual purpose, and precision of psi.

Black & Decker ASI300 Air Station High Performance Inflator

https://www.amazon.com/Decker-ASI30...sr=8-2&keywords=black+and+decker+bicycle+pump

 

[Wolfie1]

I take my to and from the court all the time and it's been holding up pretty good.

Don't get me wrong. I like it as well. With a life expectancy of two years, I'm trying to get a little extra out of it before it may leak from a seam or the valve.

Black & Decker ASI300 Air Station High Performance Inflator

That would be overkill for this purpose. You've only got to get to 14 psi. Not pumping up a bicycle tire with this. The one shown in my photo is the one bought with my Pressureball, and is more than adequate for some other homemade device. Fits easy in my racquet bag as well.

 

[jason n]

Will that container even hold 14psi? I tried with a Home Depot 5 gallon pail and it was bulging with only 3psi.

 

[krisdrum]

Will that container even hold 14psi? I tried with a Home Depot 5 gallon pail and it was bulging with only 3psi.

I got mine last night. Not sure. It is pretty thin walled, but the shape might provide a bit more structure than the pail you tried. I'm more concerned with the seal at the cap. The cap is thin/flimsy. Think I am going to do a layer of Gorilla tape on the bottom after I drill the hole for the inflation valve, similar to what you might do to the rim bed of a tubeless bike set-up. That should help reinforce and improve air retention.

I will say it is pretty large and easy to fit balls into. I counted 67 balls fitting comfortably in it. I could have probably fit another, but didn't want to overstuff. So it easily fit the majority of my hopper.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

lol, almost a year to date...
i'd go this route: https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/corny-keg-tennis-ball-pressurizer.584390/

 

[krisdrum]

lol, almost a year to date...
i'd go this route: https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/corny-keg-tennis-ball-pressurizer.584390/

Yeah, I looked at that, but I'm too cheap! Maybe I'll regret not going that direction first. We'll see.

 

[Maximus XXIV]

Corny kegs can be had for about $50 each and just work. You could spend more on experiments and will never get close to their ease of use and longevity. I use a floor pump and it takes about 90 strokes to get to about 22psi.

 

[dennis]

A Hozelock garden sprayer is a good solution. Lower quality sprayers don't work as they leak too much. Standard pressure gauges conveniently fit the sprayer's wand so no modification is required. The only problem I've had is after a couple of years of use, my 10l sprayer's seals don't work as well as they used to, I tried servicing them with silicone spray but had no luck. It used to be that the sprayer would lose a few psi over a day but now it goes flat over the course of a day. A keg would be nice as I believe the seals are better but I can never find any for sale near me.

 

[krisdrum]

Well, no dice with the 5 gallon water jug the OP mentioned. I got the cap to valve stem airtight no problem. Unfortunately the cap leaked air around where it contacted the jug itself. Tried a few things to close the gap and was able to get it to pressurize, but it wasn't sustainable and even with a small amount of pressure the bottom of the jug popped out. So I guess it will become my new change collection vessel. Corny keg here I come.

 

[Maximus XXIV]

A Hozelock garden sprayer is a good solution. Lower quality sprayers don't work as they leak too much. Standard pressure gauges conveniently fit the sprayer's wand so no modification is required. The only problem I've had is after a couple of years of use, my 10l sprayer's seals don't work as well as they used to, I tried servicing them with silicone spray but had no luck. It used to be that the sprayer would lose a few psi over a day but now it goes flat over the course of a day. A keg would be nice as I believe the seals are better but I can never find any for sale near me.

Just look up corny kegs online. Lots of options. Used is fine if rebuilt .

 

[dennis]

Just look up corny kegs online. Lots of options. Used is fine if rebuilt .

I meant I can never find any used ones for a good price near me in the UK

 

[LGQ7]

Well, no dice with the 5 gallon water jug the OP mentioned. I got the cap to valve stem airtight no problem. Unfortunately the cap leaked air around where it contacted the jug itself. Tried a few things to close the gap and was able to get it to pressurize, but it wasn't sustainable and even with a small amount of pressure the bottom of the jug popped out. So I guess it will become my new change collection vessel. Corny keg here I come.

Thanks for trying. Wile E. Coyote would have been proud.