California Air Tools 255C 2.5 Gallon Pressure Pot for Epoxy Resin Casting, Coated Steel Tank, Portable, Blue

I bought the larger version of this years ago, and found I needed a bit more space, so I added this one to my army. It’s very durable and holds pressure like a pro so no leaking. Worth every penny. It’s pretty light weight and easy to move around if needed.

I, like many other dicemakers, started out with a pressure paint sprayer from harbor freight. Sadly I had a horrible experience with it and when it was rendered useless by hardware failure I bit the bullet and got a CAT. I will never look back. This thing is perfect. It just.. Works. Straight out of the box it had no leaks, needed no modifications and took my dicemaking to a whole new level. The gasket is solid. I fill it to 40psi and it stays at 40psi until I release it. The swing style bolts are so much easier and more secure than the c clamps on the harbor fright pot. The wing nuts are large and turn smoothly, I can even use two hands on them. The adjustable rubber feet assure it is not going to slide off my table and I can always have a level pour, even if the table is unlevel. The bottom of it is not rounded but flat so you can even put your work directly on the bottom of the pot without an insert. All of the input and gages are positioned on top and not in the way of any of the screws. The list goes on. I loved it so much that I got a second one for doing molds and dice at the same time. I will never use any other pot.

After trying a vac chamber, I opted to experiment with a pressure pot for resin casting. I have some electronics I want to cast & having air bubbles with high-voltages don't blend to well! So this looked like a solid option to do the job. Was packaged pretty well. I hooked it up and filled it to 40PSI as a test and left it for 24 hours. It doesn't even look like it lost a single PSI of air. Very solid! Even though I set the air pressure on my air compressor, the regulator on the pot does work fairly well, lets you dial it in. Both valves ( Safety and outlet ) work when manually activated. The super oversized wing-nuts make it really easy to tighten. I didn't go crazy tight on them either and it still held the pressure just fine. You don't need to put all your muscle on them. Only extremely minor little detail I could complain about - When you take the nuts off, the threaded rods swing down and slam the tank pretty hard. Though this didn't harm the paint or anything, I sorta with they had a little rubber pad there. But again, minor details. I just like keeping stuff essentially as new-as-possible forever-always!

This pressure pot is built in such a sturdy and great way. It is high-quality all the way around some of the pressure pots I’ve owned in the past. I had to really torque down the wing-nuts to hold the top in place this one just a good snug and we’re good to go, this is absolutely the best built pot. I think I’ve ever owned. no problem whatsoever. Super easy to deal with they have multiple sizes. Prices a little high yes but the quality makes up for that. What are can say is is that even with the price. It is a great value for the money that you pay. I recommend this product and to be honest I will be buying their larger pots very soon. I am nothing more than perfectly happy with this.

I’ve only used it twice so far, but both times I’ve pressurized it, disconnected it from the air compressor, and let it sit for 24 hours with no noticeable drop in PSI (maybe 1-2 PSI due to temperature change). I also rubbed a tiny bit of Vaseline on the seal after watching some YouTube videos that said that helps maintain the seal. It’s basically ready to go out of the box, but you might want to watch a quick YouTube tutorial to understand how to adjust the regulator - it’s not absolutely necessary but it’s a nice safety feature that can keep you from over pressurizing the pot if you’re not paying attention while you fill it up.

I use this for curing resin. There's no issues with it and it is sturdy and well made. Just a note unrelated to the craftsmanship; the bottom is convex, so you will likely need a flat solid base if you want your resin to be level. (I used a 9 inch round wood circle).

I first want to address the complaints of air leaking. This pressure pot literally has a 60 PSI safety valve. It's not leaking, it's functioning as intended. You do not need more than 60 PSI for resin casting. This is a perfectly fine in fact exceptionally nice pressure pot for resin casting. Setup is super easy, it's durable, it holds pressure as intended. It does not leak. Enjoy your bubble-free resin projects.

So yes, California Tools has a great reputation and makes quality air compressors. This pot is nothing less. Everything feels premium on this and even is better than my CA Technology pressure pot. Here are my negatives: 1st: this did arrive damaged but nothing severe. Poor shipping with pressure pots is common as I’ve had this happen with a 5 gallon pot and it did effect its performance. Thankfully what was damaged was A single lid latch was bent and had to be pried back to place. 2nd: A release valve WILL have to be installed if you want to release your air fast and quietly. This is my main reason for removing a star. It was almost perfect! Now I just have to purchase some 1/4 fittings and adapters. Otherwise that’s it! This thing is fantastic! Absolutely worth your money. Almost plug n play

Great product very easy to use sturdy construction used for resin pores would buy a gain

I LOVE my pressure pot! I’ve been making resin dice and other resin crafts for a few years now, and they always turn out absolutely beautiful in this pot! It’s incredibly user friendly, and easy to fill. I moved into an apartment recently and can’t have a proper air compressor, so I got a few pieces and makeshift fitted a manual bike pump to it. It works well, and is surprising easy to fill up even manually! Fantastic product, easily portable and storage friendly. Recommend for all hobby users!!!

I use the California Air Tools 255C pressure pot for casting epoxy resin knife scales, and it’s been fantastic. It holds pressure consistently, which is crucial for achieving bubble-free casts. The build quality is excellent; it feels solid and well-constructed, giving me confidence it’ll hold up over time. It’s also easy to operate, with straightforward setup that make setting and maintaining pressure simple. For anyone working with resin or similar casting materials, this pressure pot is a reliable, high-quality option that delivers great results every time. Highly recommended!

Perfect for smaller castings

It was nice not having to modify a pressure pot for resin casting. The pot seems to hold the pressure well enough. I have a couple concerns and complaints. The regulator looks like it’s sitting quite crooked. I don’t really want to mess with it because it’s holding pressure right now but it worries me a little. This may be irrational. I don’t know. Also, it came with a chip in the enamel on the inside just below the lid. It was packaged quite well so I’m guessing it wasn’t inspected properly or whoever did the inspecting didn’t think it was worth fixing. I’m gonna have to fix it because I don't want rust happening and sending it back seems like a little much. California Air has a really good reputation from everything I’ve read about them. I think I was just the unlucky person to get a sub par product. But I’ll live with it.