Gear Homemade Vacuum Filter

[Bouldorado]

I wanted to the share the vacuum filter I made recently since some people might find it helpful. I haven't used it in an actual BHO run yet (that will change later today though), but test runs w/ sediment filled alcohol worked perfectly.

Construction is very simple; from start to finish it took less than 30 min. The plastic is 1/4" acrylic from Home Depot ($20/sheet) and is attached to the bottle with a quick set epoxy. It can probably even be sealed with tape, but I found this putty epoxy very easy to use and it cured rock-hard in <1hr:

Cutting the bottle is the only tricky part - I broke three different bottles before I cut this one successfully. This is the method I used to cut the bottles:

.

Basically you take a glass cutter and completely score around the section you want to cut off. Pour boiling water over the score line for 20-30 seconds, then shock with cold water and the bottom will pop right off. If the score line isn't clean, the temperature shock will likely crack the whole bottle.

The filter is simply hose-clamped to the bottle. I'm using a 5 micron polypropylene felt sourced from Mcmaster-Carr. To seal the acrylic to the extraction pan, I used packing sheets from Home Depot (~$5 in the plumbing section)

 

[farscaper]

I wanted to the share the vacuum filter I made recently since some people might find it helpful. I haven't used it in an actual BHO run yet (that will change later today though), but test runs w/ sediment filled alcohol worked perfectly.

Construction is very simple; from start to finish it took less than 30 min. The plastic is 1/4" acrylic from Home Depot ($20/sheet) and is attached to the bottle with a quick set epoxy. It can probably even be sealed with tape, but I found this putty epoxy very easy to use and it cured rock-hard in <1hr:

Cutting the bottle is the only tricky part - I broke three different bottles before I cut this one successfully. This is the method I used to cut the bottles:

.

Basically you take a glass cutter and completely score around the section you want to cut off. Pour boiling water over the score line for 20-30 seconds, then shock with cold water and the bottom will pop right off. If the score line isn't clean, the temperature shock will likely crack the whole bottle.

The filter is simply hose-clamped to the bottle. I'm using a 5 micron polypropylene felt sourced from Mcmaster-Carr. To seal the acrylic to the extraction pan, I used packing sheets from Home Depot (~$5 in the plumbing section)

is this simply an air intake filter?

seems overly complicated... an I missing some of its intended function?

sorry, gonna pick your brain now... a vac is all im missing to up my art.

 

[Bouldorado]

is this simply an air intake filter?

seems overly complicated... an I missing some of its intended function?

sorry, gonna pick your brain now... a vac is all im missing to up my art.

No this is meant for filtering the plant material out of the solvent. Good for quick wash hashes or BHO made with the thermos method. I just used it in a BHO run and it worked perfectly This was left in the filter (plant waxes I"m assuming):

Typically people just use a gravity fed coffee filter but that can be pretty slow. This system pulled all the liquid butane through the filter in prob <10 secs. It basically emulates a buchner funnel (where I got the idea, I just didn't want to spend 30 bucks on one):

 

[farscaper]

gotcha! my bad lol. I have no clue about vac pumps.

 

[z9]

Seems like it would be geared more towards QWISO or QWET techniques where filtration times can have a huge impact on the quality of the final product. From my experience butane seems to pass through coffee filters more quickly and easily than alcohol.

Nevertheless its very cool and is a great way to utilize those expensive vacuum pumps. I like it @Bouldorado

 

[Bouldorado]

I posted about this on another forum and a couple of experienced hash makers were concerned about the use of a dry rotary vane pump. After doing some research, ignition from the pump is certainly possible but is by no means probable.

I personally consider it very low risk, but I don't like that uncertainty, especially when water aspirators are available for ~$15:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271438723758?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

[farscaper]

since the aspirator discussion is open here and thank you @Bouldorado for opening the idea to me....

acording to this:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirator_(pump)

If a liquid is used as the working fluid, the strength of the vacuum produced is limited by the vapor pressure of the liquid (for water, 3.2 kPa or 0.46 psi or 32 mbar at 25 °C or 77 °F).

that means that a simple water aspirator can pull 32bars.... with the proper stopcock valves and a gauge would it not be possible to pull purge pressures with this simple device?

like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B003OBYNBO/R3GSR9FSPDLIX8/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=2&sort=rd

 

[Bouldorado]

since the aspirator discussion is open here and thank you @Bouldorado for opening the idea to me....

acording to this:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirator_(pump)

If a liquid is used as the working fluid, the strength of the vacuum produced is limited by the vapor pressure of the liquid (for water, 3.2 kPa or 0.46 psi or 32 mbar at 25 °C or 77 °F).

that means that a simple water aspirator can pull 32bars.... with the proper stopcock valves and a gauge would it not be possible to pull purge pressures with this simple device?

like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/review/B003OBYNBO/R3GSR9FSPDLIX8/ref=mw_dp_cr?cursor=2&sort=rd

I didn't read much into aspirators but if that's true than an aspirator should work fine for purging. I don't have a very accurate gauge but I try to purge @ 1.97" in Hg absolute. That comes out to .97 PSI, or less vacuum than the aspirator.

Works in theory so I'll definitely test it out when mine gets here. Also curious to see how much water it requires

 

[farscaper]

I didn't read much into aspirators but if that's true than an aspirator should work fine for purging. I don't have a very accurate gauge but I try to purge @ 1.97" in Hg absolute. That comes out to .97 PSI, or less vacuum than the aspirator.

Works in theory so I'll definitely test it out when mine gets here. Also curious to see how much water it requires

in the reviews for the nalgene brand the review said it pulled 23" but was boiling water at room temp which is around 28.5". another reviewer noted that they thought it took 25 or 35 min to pull "full vacuum?" and it had used 40 gallons of water.

would save me a shit ton of money to go with an aspirator with a set of stopcocks gauge and chamber. I could likely have it cost under 100$....

why are more people not doing it if it works?

 

[Bouldorado]

in the reviews for the nalgene brand the review said it pulled 23" but was boiling water at room temp which is around 28.5". another reviewer noted that they thought it took 25 or 35 min to pull "full vacuum?" and it had used 40 gallons of water.

would save me a shit ton of money to go with an aspirator with a set of stopcocks gauge and chamber. I could likely have it cost under 100$....

why are more people not doing it if it works?

I live at 5000 ft and my vacuum gauge can't go any higher than ~25". So I wouldn't be surprised if that reviewer lived at elevation as well. In this chart the "In Hg Abs" shows what the vacuum gauge will say when your pulling the max vacuum at different elevations.

You can get pretty cheap valves at home depot. I don't want spend too much money on a extraction setup so I've been reluctant to buy a premade chamber. So far I've spent 60 on the pump (craigslist), 30 on the gauge (autoparts store, would prob be half the price online), and ~30 on various items (valves, hoses, clamps, DIY chambers).

I've realized that I want a large glass chamber to blast directly into and that's something I just can't DIY. Not really excited to spend $100+ on one though. http://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Ureth...qid=1402421457&sr=8-4&keywords=vacuum+chamber

Anyways hopefully that aspirator gets delivered today so I can test it out.

 

[farscaper]

I live at 5000 ft and my vacuum gauge can't go any higher than ~25". So I wouldn't be surprised if that reviewer lived at elevation as well. In this chart the "In Hg Abs" shows what the vacuum gauge will say when your pulling the max vacuum at different elevations.

You can get pretty cheap valves at home depot. I don't want spend too much money on a extraction setup so I've been reluctant to buy a premade chamber. So far I've spent 60 on the pump (craigslist), 30 on the gauge (autoparts store, would prob be half the price online), and ~30 on various items (valves, hoses, clamps, DIY chambers).

I've realized that I want a large glass chamber to blast directly into and that's something I just can't DIY. Not really excited to spend $100+ on one though. http://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Urethanes-Silicones-Epoxies-Burlwood/dp/B00HJESEI0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1402421457&sr=8-4&keywords=vacuum chamber

Anyways hopefully that aspirator gets delivered today so I can test it out.

you and me both on the chamber.

pyrex actually makes these nifty little idk I guess they are glass tupparware...

they have an acrylic lid and a silicone seal. come in a few smaller sizes... but they have this pre made vent hole with a cover.... the cover pops right off and well heres my plan.

im gonna build a sorta manifold... kinda like the gauges on torch tanks. this will house the vacuum gauge the pull valve and release valve. that will be bolted directly to the prefab hole which also is surounded by injection silicone lol.

my only concern is the thickness of the lid. its on the thin side, but uniquely reinforce around the seal. I think that with a nalgene aspirator to drive the vacuuum it will be a slow vacuum exchange... so it may not be as likely to shatter... seeing as how I have 2 already for blasting... well its not like I was using the lid anyway.

like these:

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/no-leak-lids-3-cup-rectangle-storage-w/-yellow-lid-1112688.html

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/no-leak-lids-6-cup-rectangle-storage-w/-blue-plastic-cover-1106825.html

 

[Bouldorado]

you and me both on the chamber.

pyrex actually makes these nifty little idk I guess they are glass tupparware...

they have an acrylic lid and a silicone seal. come in a few smaller sizes... but they have this pre made vent hole with a cover.... the cover pops right off and well heres my plan.

im gonna build a sorta manifold... kinda like the gauges on torch tanks. this will house the vacuum gauge the pull valve and release valve. that will be bolted directly to the prefab hole which also is surounded by injection silicone lol.

my only concern is the thickness of the lid. its on the thin side, but uniquely reinforce around the seal. I think that with a nalgene aspirator to drive the vacuuum it will be a slow vacuum exchange... so it may not be as likely to shatter... seeing as how I have 2 already for blasting... well its not like I was using the lid anyway.

like these:

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/no-leak-lids-3-cup-rectangle-storage-w/-yellow-lid-1112688.html

http://www.shopworldkitchen.com/no-leak-lids-6-cup-rectangle-storage-w/-blue-plastic-cover-1106825.html

that should probably work out. it'd be nice to have a pan that's more square-shaped- would make scraping easier.

I'm prob just going to buy a thick piece of acrylic and make my own lid. Something like this, but it'll cost a lot less than 100 bucks. I tried doing that with some acrylic from home depot but since it's only 1/4" thick it started to crack after a couple runs.

I picked up some glass bowls from a thrift shop today and they should work as a chamber (both are tempered I believe):

Also got the aspirator today, just have to buy an adapter to fit it to my garden hose.

 

[farscaper]

im hoping that I can get an adapter that will allow the asperator to attach to my kitchen sink.... I am also totally doing the bushner filter tek. what type of filtering material were you using in the photos above? it doesnt look like coffee filters... but I could be wrong.

I have collected some atlas mason jars too. love that sauce!

 

[Bouldorado]

It's a 5 micron polypropylene felt (highly chemical-resistant). If you want to try some out, PM me your address and I'll send you a sample (I misunderstood the quantity so I ended up ordering 18 sq ft of it. )

As for the aspirator, it was a total piece of shit. Started leaking water almost immediately and then it separated at the glue joint. Good thing ebay is favorable to the buyers.

While it was working, I hooked it directly to my vacuum gauge and it pulled over 20". I wouldn't doubt a better one (like what you linked to) could pull down to purging pressures.

 

[blankrider]

@farscaper good call on moving over here so I don't derail the nail thread

I use the widest mason jar that I can fit on my candle warmer. I got it at Walmart in the candle section for $5 and believe it is 16 watts. I used to burn my oil sometimes and would try turning it on and off periodically but had to find a solution.

The solution was a plug in light dimmer switch. I got one from menards for like $9 and it is rated for up to 300 watts. I borrowed a friends temperature gun, you know the kind where you point a laser to see how hot something is. Well that candle warmer gets all the way up to about 260f which is like twice what you want. I find that when I use the dimmer switch turned half way up I get temperatures around 120 - 130 which is perfect.

I poked a hole in the top of the mason jar and use the brake bleeder with suction cup attachment to create pressure in the jar. It was about $30 in the automotive section of farm and fleet. Came with all sorts of attachments and if you know how you can even bleed your brakes with it lol.

I usually put my oil on some parchment or in a silicone container. Then put that in the jar and put lid on jar. Put jar on candle warmer plate plugged into dimmer turned half way up. Then I pump away with the brake bleeder until it goes up to like 20 - 25. The pressure will drop over time so I pump every 15 to 30 minutes. You can do this how ever long you like but I usually only go a couple hours

 

[farscaper]

I always here the hand pumps suck... they break and generally dont hold up... is there a brand that is worth while?

 

[blankrider]

I always here the hand pumps suck... they break and generally dont hold up... is there a brand that is worth while?

I cannot remember what brand mine is off the top of my head but it has blue packaging and I got it at farm and fleet. It works reasonably for my needs but I am sure an electric powered one is nicer. Just out of budget when I made my setup.

What are the best deals out there on powered pumps?

Depending on how much you hate having to hand pump it might be worth the extra money but it is not a big deal for me to use the hand pump.

 

[farscaper]

im referring to one of these as compaired to a hand pump.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003OBYNBO?pc_redir=1402541614&robot_redir=1
they have an all metal one ive seen them hooked to garden hoses and lab faucets. I would concider hooking it up to a kitchen faucet... it would also benifit in the fact that all residual butane that was being vacuumed off would be immediately dissipated into water while it pulls vacuum. thus minimizing the ammount of offgassing into the atmosphere and reducing explosion risk.

science here. some reading material if interested.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/fluids/aspir.html
you gotta give a science teacher props for crushing a 55gallon can

http://www.erowid.org/archive/rhodium/chemistry/equipment/aspirator.html

 

[blankrider]

I have not yet seen anyone using this aspirator device for Oil runs. I am actually familiar with this type of device due to the fact I used to own a water bed. It came with one of those to drain it. You hook the bed up to the side with a hose and the top part threaded right onto the sink. Leave the water running and it creates suction to empty the mattress bladder

 

[Bouldorado]

@farscaper

I usually put my oil on some parchment or in a silicone container. Then put that in the jar and put lid on jar. Put jar on candle warmer plate plugged into dimmer turned half way up. Then I pump away with the brake bleeder until it goes up to like 20 - 25. The pressure will drop over time so I pump every 15 to 30 minutes. You can do this how ever long you like but I usually only go a couple hours

Your setup sounds fine but here's a few things to keep in mind.

1. The temp of the oil on the parchment paper is less than the temp of the candle warmer. If the oil was directly on the glass it would be closer to the indicated temp, but the parchment paper/air barrier limits conduction.
2. If the pressure drops significantly (more than 1" or so) your chamber is [obviously] not airtight. I recommend installing a valve so the chamber can be isolated from the pump. The pic below is how I set up my chamber (I bought the valve at home depot for ~$6). The second fitting connects to the gauge.

I always here the hand pumps suck... they break and generally dont hold up... is there a brand that is worth while?

don't know much about hand pumps but before I got my electric pump I used a Mityvac brake bleeder. They should be pretty durable (my friend has a 10+ year old metal one that still works great) but I didn't have very good luck with my $25 plastic model.

When I was looking into vacuum pumps I found this video guide how to make a homemade manual pump. If I hadn't found my cheap CL pump I would've gone that route. It's also safer if you use it to purge liquid tane.

I cannot remember what brand mine is off the top of my head but it has blue packaging and I got it at farm and fleet. It works reasonably for my needs but I am sure an electric powered one is nicer. Just out of budget when I made my setup.

What are the best deals out there on powered pumps?

Depending on how much you hate having to hand pump it might be worth the extra money but it is not a big deal for me to use the hand pump.

I got my pump on craigslist- 60 bucks from a guy who used it to service AC units.

I think harbor freight has the cheapest new pumps. They have pretty good reviews, but harbor freight generally does not produce quality tools.

 

[blankrider]

@Bouldorado hey dude thanks a lot for the advice.

I freaking knew that it was cooler in the jar than the surface temp of the candle warmer but a friend of mine kept trying to tell me the air inside was all the same temperature.

Before I used the laser to get the surface temp I filed a mason jar with water and left it on there until it was as hot as it could get. I think it got the water up to about 165f.

How would you go about figuring out how where to set the heat for optimal temperature?

I believe that my jar is air tight. My leak is where I connect the brake bleeder to the mason jar lid. I use the suction cup attachment and just center it over the little hole I made in the lid. I thought about gluing the suction cup on but didn't want to.

Can you please provide a link to the part you speak of? If I understand correctly I install it on my lid and then connect brake bleeder to this part and air will no longer escape

 

[Bouldorado]

@Bouldorado hey dude thanks a lot for the advice.

I freaking knew that it was cooler in the jar than the surface temp of the candle warmer but a friend of mine kept trying to tell me the air inside was all the same temperature.

Before I used the laser to get the surface temp I filed a mason jar with water and left it on there until it was as hot as it could get. I think it got the water up to about 165f.

How would you go about figuring out how where to set the heat for optimal temperature?

I believe that my jar is air tight. My leak is where I connect the brake bleeder to the mason jar lid. I use the suction cup attachment and just center it over the little hole I made in the lid. I thought about gluing the suction cup on but didn't want to.

Can you please provide a link to the part you speak of? If I understand correctly I install it on my lid and then connect brake bleeder to this part and air will no longer escape

I haven't really figured out a good cheap way to control the temp. A few members on here use a induction cooker/water bath and a digital temp probe in the water. Some also use some kind of temp indicator inside the chamber, like temperature sensitive paper strips or a small digital thermometer.

You can probably find a more detailed explanation in the concentrates for noobs thread.

The way the valve works is you attach the vacuum hose (hose clamp or zip tie), pump to your desired level, and then close the valve. If you want to monitor the pressure you'll need to detach your gauge and install it on the mason jar lid with another fitting (like the pic above). The epoxy in the first post creates an airtight seal, but the bond is weak enough the valve can be usually be easily removed.

Here's the valve I used: http://www.homedepot.com/s/needle%20valve?NCNI-5

 

[farscaper]

Your setup sounds fine but here's a few things to keep in mind.

1. The temp of the oil on the parchment paper is less than the temp of the candle warmer. If the oil was directly on the glass it would be closer to the indicated temp, but the parchment paper/air barrier limits conduction.
2. If the pressure drops significantly (more than 1" or so) your chamber is [obviously] not airtight. I recommend installing a valve so the chamber can be isolated from the pump. The pic below is how I set up my chamber (I bought the valve at home depot for ~$6). The second fitting connects to the gauge.

don't know much about hand pumps but before I got my electric pump I used a Mityvac brake bleeder. They should be pretty durable (my friend has a 10+ year old metal one that still works great) but I didn't have very good luck with my $25 plastic model.

When I was looking into vacuum pumps I found this video guide how to make a homemade manual pump. If I hadn't found my cheap CL pump I would've gone that route. It's also safer if you use it to purge liquid tane.

I got my pump on craigslist- 60 bucks from a guy who used it to service AC units.

I think harbor freight has the cheapest new pumps. They have pretty good reviews, but harbor freight generally does not produce quality tools.

I really like this option. electric free... with a smaller chamber like im planning it should evacuate the chamber 1 full time or 2 per pull of the plunger.

I wonder about static build up but I think the grease will likely prevent that.

I like it @Bouldorado again thank you for additional inspiration and assistance.

I dig off grid tek like this.

 

[Bouldorado]

Vastly improved the vacuum filter- now it's all stainless steel. I don't think I posted the last version, but it wasn't that great. I switched to a wine bottle thinking the smaller opening would maybe be more efficient since the filter would absorb less butane. Turns out it did opposite and it quickly clogged (a run w/ an oz of trim) and took literally 10 minutes to filter (normally <10 sec). Anyways, here's the new setup:

 

[farscaper]

Vastly improved the vacuum filter- now it's all stainless steel. I don't think I posted the last version, but it wasn't that great. I switched to a wine bottle thinking the smaller opening would maybe be more efficient since the filter would absorb less butane. Turns out it did opposite and it quickly clogged (a run w/ an oz of trim) and took literally 10 minutes to filter (normally <10 sec). Anyways, here's the new setup:

ok... what exatly am I looking at parts wise? looks lie an ss bowl and an ss dog dish? is there a measuring cup too?

with the vacuum filter wider is definitely better!