Shop Vac question

[Minelson]

Hubby got me a Shop Vac for my birthday The instructions say that to get fine dust you need to attach a bag (sold separate of course) on the inside to collect the dust. I suppose because it would clog up the filter. I'm wondering, do I need to purchase the bag that is made for it or can I use something else....like a stocking or a plain paper bag?
Thanks!

[J-jay]

I use my dw's old panty hose.

[plowjockey]

I've got a newer Shop-vac that uses the expensive filters - what a drag.

I've had another old shop-vac for 15 years that uses this setup -

http://www.shopvacstore.com/product/...2-90585-7.html

http://www.shopvacstore.com/product/...2-90107-1.html

For dry - use the disks over the foam filter - take off and shake to clean - I've gone throught (2) disk filters in 15 years. One was because I forgot to remove it before vacuuming wet stuff.

For wet, just take the ring and the dry disk filter off and use the foam filter. Make sure the foam filter is dry before -reinstalling the dry filter/ring.

Simple and effective

This the best, hassle free setup for shop-vacs, IMO. I'm going to convert the newer model to this setup. I still use the old model more often and it's smaller and less powerful. It gets old cleaning the newer filters.

[meanwhile]

We use the bags most of the time but if we run out of bags, then we just use clothes pins and pin a damp rag or dish towel over the out-going-air hole and it collects extra dust and keeps it out of the air. We try to remember to vacuum out the inside of the collection tank from time to time ( We use shop Vacs in the house as regular vacuum since we are messy and dogs are messy) and we vacuum off that filter thing too.

[jross]

We have a ShopVac from Lowes. Fine dust bags are expensive, but I used them on cold ashes and sheetrock dust with no blowout. The bags hold a ton of stuff though. To me, the expense is worth the price because more than once I forgot which bag was in the vacuum and vacuumed stuff too fine for the regular bag blowing it all over the place.

[Jan Doling]

When the bag is full, I pull stuff out bit by bit and reuse the now empty bag.