Vacuum sealers...

Discussion in 'Functional Gear & Equipment' started by Equilibrium, Jan 7, 2011.


  1. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    Hand warmers, like Dragon there said are O2 absorbers. Cheap as dirt and easy to get @ $1.00 a 2 pack.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  2. Equilibrium

    Equilibrium Monkey++

    Oopsie.... I understand what you were trying to convey now. We actually use these and the sock/foot warmers from Gander Mountain too. I don't know how economical it'd be using them in anything but a 5 gallon bucket when we can pick up 100 100cc absorbers for under $10 and.... then what would we use keeping our fingers and toes warm (smile). I use a brand called EZHeat shipping specimen plants to friends in styrofoam boxes. I've got a half full box I can use once I get buckets going so thanks for helping me make the connection I had something on hand I could activate and toss in a bucket.
     
  3. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    just wait, the "hand warmers" will be on clearance pretty soon. I got a case of them, for get how many, for just a couple of bucks at Lowes last year.
     
  4. Gator 45/70

    Gator 45/70 Monkey+++

    Question,Could Nitrogen be used in this process...
    Example: a shot of nitrogen in the bag displacing the oxygen and then vaccum sealed...
     
  5. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    The Short Answer is YES, Nitrogen is often used as an Oxygen displacer, in food storage.
     
  6. Hispeedal2

    Hispeedal2 Nay Sayer

    I think we tend to overkill our food storage. I realized this when I watched:
    YouTube - Long Term food storage results pt1
    YouTube - Long Term food storage results pt.2

    Those buckets are over a decade old, were stored in sealed milvan, and were still "good enough" without mylar, O2 absorbers, or vacuum sealers.

    This really made me think about how much time we waste worrying over the best procedure to store food. If you put forth the least bit of additional effort, I am confident the food will be fine. Hell, there was grain found in the pyramids that was still viable. You think they used mylar, vaccum sealers, or O2 absorbers? (I'm not advocating not using the above methods. Just pick one or two and don't lose sleep over it.)
     
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  7. Equilibrium

    Equilibrium Monkey++

    I've decided to run with smaller pre-packaged quantities in my 5-gallon buckets... not a whole bucket of say.... rice or beans. 1 gallon mylar bags with an O² absorber tossed in each one should be fine. The buckets are more to protect the mylar bags from any house mice that come in starting around the beginning of November. For my glass mason jars that I'm using for dehydrated foods.... I bought this, Pump and Seal food saver vacuum sealer is better than Tilia FoodSaver and added an extra roll of 1000 tab seals to my order. That should hold me for a while (smile). I did get the chance to try one of these pumps and they do work just like they say they do.
    I'm storing jars on shelves in my basement and just stacking the 5-gallon buckets with what's in them printed on the front with the date I packed it. It's cool down there and dark. That should help.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  8. survivor44

    survivor44 Monkey+

    Careful you don't unseat the lead

    Not a good idea to vac seal 22 ammo. The bullets aren't crimped all that tight and you could unseat them. If you still want to seal them just don't pull too strong of a vacuum on them.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  9. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    oldman11 likes this.
  10. Equilibrium

    Equilibrium Monkey++

    The only problem with that Instructables gadget is the end cost. We'd need one of these in a regular and a wide mouth size, Amazon.com: FoodSaver T03-0023-01 Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer: Kitchen & Dining. Then there's the cost of the pump from Harbor Freight and all the other little things to get up and running. I did buy that pump and seal brand. I think I paid like $35 with shipping and handling. What I've found is that it can do any glass jar with a lid without the expense of anything like the FoodSaver caps. It also sucks air out of bags. My only mistake was not ordering extra tabs when I bought it but at the time I didn't know it would perform as advertised. Now I'll have to go back and order more tabs and pay another shipping and handling fee... bummer. Something else I learned and researched is that this device removes 92% of the air in a jar negating the need for an oxygen absorber for dehydrated foods stored in mason jars.... actually any jar because I've been experimenting with using Prego Traditional pasta sauce jars and lids as well as Classico Sauce and the Smuckers Concord Grape jars that we go through a lot of offering grape jelly to cedar waxwings that won't eat at a traditional bird feeder. This means I can re-use glass jars and lids (they do need to be sterilized) for dehydrated foods saving traditional mason jars for canned goods. The cost savings alone of not having to buy any more mason jars for storing dehydrated foods by re-using glass jars I'd been tossing in the recycling bin was worth the purchase alone.... to me at least.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  11. kckndrgn

    kckndrgn Monkey+++ Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    A couple of thoughts about the "pump & seal". While the tabs are reusable, how many times can they be reused? What about washing the lid after it's got the tab on it will that damage it any way? Not owning one I do not know how strong the tabs are with the P&S.

    One problem I have with the P&S vs the FoodSaver, is that with the P&S you have to put a hole in the jar lid, you now have 2 points of failure of your seal. The rubber ring on the lid and your "tab". With the FoodSaver there is only one point of failure, the rubber seal on the lid. Just a thought.

    I have seen on another forum where a member used the P&S to pull a vacuum on metal ammo cans, he reported that it worked great.

    Since I already have a FoodSaver unit I wonder if the tabs from the P&S unit could be use with it? All I would need is to form a seal around the tab and hook the hose to the FoodSaver.

    Anyhoo, it's all just food for thought.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  12. Equilibrium

    Equilibrium Monkey++

    I don't know but I'd like to. Would you feel comfortable calling them to ask that specific question? They've got engineers on staff... I spoke to one then turned around and verified his information before placing my order. I just ordered some tabs I think it was yesterday. It was my understanding the tabs weren't re-usable. Do you want me to send you some to play with so you don't have to invest in any to learn if they could work for you? I've been sorta learning as I go since I've been dehydrating everything I can get my grimy little paws on..... using glass jars other than mason jars is new to me. I'd been throwing the lids out and tossing the glass in recycling bins until just recently. Rings are pretty much always re-usable but I'm sure you knew that. The dome lids for mason jars come in packs of 12 cheap enough end of season. Most of the screw tops to say salsa.... also fit on the Smucker's jars so I just started saving those and running them through my dishwasher. One thing though... not all dishwashers get hot enough to take care of most pathogens just like not all compost piles get hot enough to take care of E. coli so if you don't have a Bosch or similar brand.... I'd drop the lids into water that's 180-190° before using them. I've got to go.... my dehydrator is calling out to me to unload it.
     
  13. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

  14. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    My feelings are this,
    My rice and beans are first bagged in portion size bags with an 02 absorber in each then they are bagged together in another gallon bag with another 02, then placed in the 5 gallon bucket and another 02. No vacuum.
    Reasoning .
    The 02 takes care of any oxygen in the bag or that might accidentally get in through either a failure or say a bullet passing through. And, because they are portioned I can open the bucket at any point and retrieve what I need and re close it and nothing changes.
    no need to try an reestablish a vacuum again.
    Now I have, when I began, set up way to put a vacuum on the bucket, but getting it apart after it's established is a bit of a trick unless your willing to compromise the bucket at that point.
    BUT ,
    A trick I learned on a survivalist forum was to make a small hole with an ice pic smooth and slightly caved inward, and take a 1/4" diameter piece of electrical tape that is just enough to cover the hole and and lay it on but only applying a fraction of the tape to the hole so that it acts like a flap valve.
    I put my vacuum device over it and draw the air out and when it is done the tape locks down against the rest of the surface and seals it leaving it's self slightly caved in giving a good indicator it is functioning.
    Simply removing the piece of tape relieves the vacuum so the bucket can be opened normally .
    I only did this on the first bucket, but after word reasoned that the 02 was going to do the job with out all that hassle .
     
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  15. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    For small vacuum sealing jobs a cheap method
    Here's what you'll need
    • Ziplock (Freezer) Bags
    • Clear packaging tape
    • 1 x Syringe
    • 2 x aquarium check valves
    • 2ft aquarium air line tubing
    • 1 x 3 way aquarium air line 'T' connector


    $2 vacuum sealer Life hack
     
  16. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    Been sealing .22s in the boxes for the 24 years I've had a sealer. Never had this happen.
     
    oldman11 likes this.
  17. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    I've had a sealer for a long time. Cost me a bundle at the time, but my return on investment has been over 100:1. Not an issue buying one from my point of view. I also use it to seal a pair of socks,tee shirt, and pair of underwear in a bag that becomes 1/2" thick. Keep them in the cars, in my pack, even one in the desk at work. I've been glad to have them on more than one occasion.
    I also seal documents, the plane manuals, and old photos (O2 kills photos).
    Now if they just made Democrat sized bags, we could get rid of them without destroying the environment.
     
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  18. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    In reality o2 absorbers accomplish more in the long run, seeing that if there is some compromise to the seal the 02 absorber continues to work.
    On a survivalist forum one of the first videos I watched was a comparison of the two and with rice , the o2 absorber was significantly better.
     
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  19. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

     
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  20. arleigh

    arleigh Goophy monkey

    The 02 absorber is superior IMO because ,IF the vacuum seal fails, all is lost , the 02 absorber continues to work.
    If the nitrogen escapes all is lost, the 02 absorbers continue to work .
    I portion my foods and each portion gets an 02 ab , and those go into a larger bag with another 02 ab and then into the bucket with another 02 ab. If the bucket get's compromised what is inside is still safe, by several layers.
     
    Ganado likes this.
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