"Roger Long" wrote in news:45a56945$0$5179
:

What does the flap do that a milk jug with the
top cut back doesn't?


You drop it into the flooded compartment, even straight down. The flap
opens and the bucket floods INSTANTLY. When you pick it up, the flap
closes and the water in the bucket is trapped. It's fantastic for
flooded cramped spaces where you cannot sweep the bucket to fill it by
side motion.

He can't have ours, either....

The technology is really old! Look at this one for mines:
http://antiques-
internet.com/colorado/ruxtonstradingpost/dynapage/IP593.htm

I can't believe noone actually MAKES this bucket! It blows Google's mind
and no wording resulted in anyone SELLING them to me!

A plan is very simple, though. Drop by any donut shop or most
restaurants and get a flat-bottomed bucket, the kind food-in-mass-
quantity comes in. They have many sizes. Some donut shops, overrun with
batter buckets even sell them by the door, here. It's plastic. Buy your
fav size.

Cut out the bottom leaving a lip about 1" wide between the cut and the
outer wall of the bucket so the hole is 2" smaller than the bucket's
bottom diameter, hole centered, of course. Save the part you cut out for
the valve!

Go by any rubber supplier and steal a piece of nice, FLAT rubber bigger
than the bottom of the bucket. Charleston Rubber Company, here, puts all
their scraps on a big pile anyone can get to 24/7 with a sign saying to
take any of it you like...it's just scraps. (I have sheets of fine
neoprene in various thickness from there.)

Turn the bucket upside down and cut the rubber to fit the whole bottom
with a 1/4" gap all the way around so it won't get stuck closed. Contact
cement the plastic you cut out to the center of it to stiffen it and keep
it from bulging outward from the force of the water when lifting the
bucket out of the bilgewater. After that sets, use 3 short stainless
bolts to bolt one side of the rubber flapper to the lip left on the
bottom. The plastic stiffener points UP, not down so it can't get stuck
in the hole when the bucket is upright. It only prevents the rubber from
bulging out of the hole when full.

Now we have to get it to SINK, rightside up!.....

Around the bottom of the bucket, around the outside, not where the valve
is located, bolt some sinkers or old zincs you don't know what they go to
left over from 8 outboard motors ago, but can't bring yourself to toss
out, something HEAVY that will sink the bucket QUICKLY and force the
valve flap to open quickly.....but not so heavy, of course, you can't
lift the full bucket out of the bilge, of course! That will make FILLING
very fast before you jerk it up, flapper closes and another 5 gallons of
bilgewater, amazing biology not yet known to science, diesel fuel, lube
oil and dead rats is on its way over-the-side...if noone is looking..(c;

Problem solved. Patent Pending, dammit! I wonder if a commercial model
would SELL? I'm sure someone's holding the patent but I can't find a
PRODUCER for this puppy anywhere on the net!



Larry
--
Extremely intelligent life exists that is so smart they never called
Earth.