homebrew - filtering is not fun

[kataklysum]

just did my first homebrew of test E 60ml @ 200mg/ml

i pre filtered the gso with a whatman .45 and then filtered the final product with a .22

all i can say is by the end of it my my forearms were trashed. i used a caulking gun when filtering through the .22 but it still took ages. gear came out superb tho so im happy.

is there an easier method? or is this the best way if your only doing small batches.

 

[Buttman3]

If you don't mind waiting for a few days, this is the method I used:

1. Put powder into a glass beaker and add Isopropyl (rubbing) Alcohol, 90%, to dissolve and to disinfect it
(Use 1.5-2ml of alcohol / 1gram of powder)

2. Boil some water and use it to heat the glass beaker to dissolve the powder completely.

3. Filter the powder-alcohol solution, using a 0.2 micron filter. The dissolved power will be very easy to filter.
(Some powder might get clogged in the filter; use some extra ml of alcohol to flush it out)

4. Finally, use a paper coffee filter, fold it into a cone, and use it to cover the mouth of the beaker. (The tip of the cone should be at the top, like a pyramid. This create an upward draft.) Then, secure it with a rubber band.

It would look something like this here, except the bottom of the cone should be covering the mouth of the beaker.

Let this beaker sit in a dry, clean place until the alcohol evaporates completely. This should take a few days. Once the alcohol evaporated completely, your powder will be sterile, and you can add your oil into it.

Hope that helps. If any part is confusing, please let me know, and I'll try to explain it better. Cheers.

 

[kataklysum]

looks interesting. might have to give it a shot for my next brew.

how many times have you done it this way? and i take it you just buy pre filtered oil and add your sterile gear straight to it?

 

[Buttman3]

looks interesting. might have to give it a shot for my next brew.

how many times have you done it this way? and i take it you just buy pre filtered oil and add your sterile gear straight to it?

I have done this method around 3 times when I used to brew Tren from Finaplix pellets. This method was called the "crystal tren method".

As for brewing with powder, I have done around 2-3 times using this method. Because I don't have a caulking gun and have to use my fingers to press on a syringe, this method has been EXTREMELY helpful and painless! The only downside is that I have to wait a few days for the alcohol to evaporate.

I don't buy pre filtered oil. I buy cooking oil (canola oil) at the food store, which is pretty clear already, and I warm it up and then filter it using the 0.2 micron syringe filter. The oil is very easy to filter when it doesn't have the powder dissolved in it.

So basically, this is what I do now:

1. Filter oil separately
2. Filter powder+alcohol separately; let the alcohol evaporates
3. Add the oil to the powder and heat them, and I'm done!

 

[Buttman3]

By the way, if you want to try this filtering method, I'd suggest you do an experimental run with just 1gram, or even 0.5gram, of whatever you're using. This will give you some practice.

 

[kataklysum]

thanks mate. i agree id definitely do a trail run. hate to mess up a full batch.

 

[ZacharyG]

If I were you I would purchase .22 or .2 size 250 ml or larger "bottle top filter" from millipore or nalgene. These are disposable sealed and sterile filters. Then acquire a vacuum pump or a brake bleeder pump from an online sight or pay cash at your local auto parts store. you can pour your oil into the top of the bottle top filter and plug in your vacuum pump and pump it up to about 8 lbs and 60 ml will typically take less than an hour. This is still slow for large scale operations but they make more industrial parts for this. For personal consumption this method costs around 60 dollars and will not leave your arms and thumbs in pain for days.

 

[kataklysum]

i have been looking at that method also. im just curious as to how you keep the receiver glass sterile. with syringe filters you can filter straight into a sealed sterile vial. with the bottle top method do you filter the gear then suck it out of the receiver glass and then into vials? or how do you do it and whats the best way to keep it as sterile as possible?

 

[ZacharyG]

I've just poured straight from the vial in the past now I use a 10 ml pipet with a hand vacuum pump for accuracy sake but for personal I would just pull ten ml with a sterile syringe then transfer into a vial then use the oil level in that vial as a guide to fill the others By just pouring directly from the bottle in order not to contaminate the oil by sticking foreign objects into it. Honestly sometimes I still pour, it's the most effecient and sometime I overfill but no one minds getting 11ml when they pay for 10ml. Then just throw the disposables away and if you purchase glass media bottle just sterilize them with an alcohol rinse and an autoclave or an oven, about 275 for an hour the same way you do the unsealed vials. Hope this helps, let me know if it doesn't and I will go into greater detail where it's needed

 

[CowboyClimaxxxWarrior]

You can transfer oil easily to another sterilized sealed container. Preferably glass, stainless steel or BPA Free Plastic Container. Make sure your air-con and all fans are off.

 

[CowboyClimaxxxWarrior]

Is this method guaranteed bro cos that will make things so much easier.

You may want to go this link be worth the price. Answer's your ? regarding safe transfer.

sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sigma/z290408?lang=en&region=TH&cm_sp=Customer_Favorites-_-Detail_Page-_-Text-Z290408

 

[kataklysum]

thanks for the input guys.

ive been searching through the forums and see some people use the bottle top filters and once the gear is filtered into the sterile media bottle they replace the filter unit with a cap with a silicone septa and then just pin through that like the rubber stopper on a vial and transfer into their vial of choice.

heres the caps im talking about - medical-and-lab-supplies.com/33mm-caps-with-attached-silicone-septas.html

 

[delcapone]

I keep my gear in a hot water bath wen filtering, I have near boiling water on the stove at all times so I can keep water hot, I use a 10ml syringe and have no problem pushing through, I would use another method, but don't make a whole lot.

 

[James S]

Stericup filter bro, it works like a charm

 

[bmays]

PSI, pounds per square inch. A 10ml syringe will take way more force to pump it through the filter then a 3ml due to the plunger surface area. Bigger then 10ml? LOL don't even try.