Im looking for ideas for the best, most practical, but inexpensive 1 micron filter for filtering extractions. I'm curious what people are using and would like to see the choices available before making my purchase. Ideas please
where to get a 1micron filter?
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True 1 micron filtration would likely require vacuum or positive pressure equipment to move solvent through the filter. I currently use 2 micron "absolute" rated cellulose filter paper for my final pass and at that level of filtration gravity alone will do the work albeit very slowly. 1.5 micron is the highest level of filtration I've found that uses inexpensive cellulose material in "absolute" rated filters. Best deal I've found is on 10.5" diameter 1.5 micron cellulose filters that cost $0.13 each when purchased in quantities of 100. Ahlstrom 6100-2700 Qualitative Filter Paper, 27cm Diameter, 1.5 Micron, Slow Flow, Grade 610 (Pack of 100): Science Lab Qualitative Filter Paper: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
For higher levels of filtration, filters are made from different materials like glass microfibers and become higher priced. The best deal I've found is on 6" diameter 1.1 micron glass microfiber filters that cost $0.46 each when purchased in quantities of 100. Ahlstrom 1610-1500 Borosilicate Glass Microfiber Filter Paper, 1.1 Micron, Medium Flow, Grade 161, 15cm Diameter (Box of 100): Science Lab Glass Fiber Filters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Also available are "nominally" rated filters like filter felt. I use filter felt that is rated at 1 micron retention but it doesn't truly filter particles that small, not even close, so I use it as a pre-filter.
For higher levels of filtration, filters are made from different materials like glass microfibers and become higher priced. The best deal I've found is on 6" diameter 1.1 micron glass microfiber filters that cost $0.46 each when purchased in quantities of 100. Ahlstrom 1610-1500 Borosilicate Glass Microfiber Filter Paper, 1.1 Micron, Medium Flow, Grade 161, 15cm Diameter (Box of 100): Science Lab Glass Fiber Filters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Also available are "nominally" rated filters like filter felt. I use filter felt that is rated at 1 micron retention but it doesn't truly filter particles that small, not even close, so I use it as a pre-filter.
What is the reason you selected 1 micron?
Filter ratings are not equal. Ratings of absolute, nominal and mean have different meanings and different results. Even filters with the same absolute rating, but different manufacturers, can vary in final filtrate.
As Str8 advised, very fine filtration may or may not gravity feed and need vacuum or pressure assistance. Your best bet is to start with the filters people have had experience with here (Ahlstrom or Whatman) 2 to 2.5 micron and then purchase a 1 micron from the same manufacturer to do a test with. That way you can be pretty much assured of getting a good juice (with the 2 or 2.5 um) and have a baseline to compare greater filtration to. When you then experiment with a small sample at a finer rated filter and (if) it goes south, you aren't as frustrated or out much when it gets tossed.
Filter ratings are not equal. Ratings of absolute, nominal and mean have different meanings and different results. Even filters with the same absolute rating, but different manufacturers, can vary in final filtrate.
As Str8 advised, very fine filtration may or may not gravity feed and need vacuum or pressure assistance. Your best bet is to start with the filters people have had experience with here (Ahlstrom or Whatman) 2 to 2.5 micron and then purchase a 1 micron from the same manufacturer to do a test with. That way you can be pretty much assured of getting a good juice (with the 2 or 2.5 um) and have a baseline to compare greater filtration to. When you then experiment with a small sample at a finer rated filter and (if) it goes south, you aren't as frustrated or out much when it gets tossed.
You are right soignee. It is for the vanilla. I plan on doing several stages of filtering but I read where someone had filtered down to two microns and was still gunking coils bad. He had stated he would try down to 1 micron next attempt
I've seen those posts also, but I don't think there has been any follow-up. You'd be the first using a lab filter at that rating. Go for it and please post back.
Sorry for the lack of follow up, WAY too many things IRL right now, I'll be posting an update Monday. Not much going on with it...flavor's moving around in the Ball jar.
So far the only 1 mu's and below are in the links that I posted last week, but like I said...way too much going on. I promise I'm not slacking just trying to keep that thread uncluttered...
Was this the post you are referring to?
It will be several months before my next round of vanilla bean extracts are ready, I have Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexican varieties going this time. I use this vanilla extract exclusively to flavor NETs, not as a standalone flavor and add "Holy vanilla" or French vanilla concentrate from DIYflavorshack to complete the flavor profile. The batch of Madagascar extract I currently use was filtered at 2 microns but it isn't what gunks my coils up, the NET it's mixed with is. NETs are inherently harder on wicks and coils than are synthetic flavors, even after 2 micron filtration. While I do plan to experiment with higher levels of filtration (I have the vacuum equipment needed), I can't be certain the results will be any better. Won't know till I try. The 1 micron "nominally" rated filters I bought failed to filter particles anywhere near their retention rating and I have not yet ordered "absolute" rated filters to replace them. When I do, I will likely use 0.7 or 1.1 micron borosilicate glass microfiber filter papers.
Maybe these go small enough? Does require equipment and vacuum source. Used years ago analyzing radiological samplings from river below Los Alamos labs.
EMD Millipore Microbiological Analysis Membrane Filters - Fisher Scientific
New to all this so I dunno.
EMD Millipore Microbiological Analysis Membrane Filters - Fisher Scientific
New to all this so I dunno.
I assumed that the OP was asking in reference to NET filtration and I was referencing posts where people had mentioned trying finer filtration than 2-2.5 micron. I know nothing regarding filtering vanilla. Never-mind my posts.
Str8, you say you currently use the 2 micron "absolute". My original post was misleading because I posted in the tobacco extraction sub-forum, but this is for vanilla extraction. I'm assuming when you posted about the 2 micron you were also talking about NET. Do you use the same ones for your vanillas? My extraction is in PG solution with only a small amount of alcohol. Do you feel the 2 micron absolute would work on the PG with just gravity? Sorry for all the questions, but you've been here and done this, and it's my first time. Myself and Soignee are kind of winging it, and trying to figure things out as we go. There's just not a lot of info on vanilla extraction out there that I can find. Not in PG anyway.
One of the things I enjoy most about this extraction forum is there are no "wrong" questions. In fact, I only began using high retention filter paper after it was recommended by Johni, one of the regular contributors on this forum.
I use the same filters for all my "flavor" extractions. I selected my filters based on the solvents I would be using, not on what I would be extracting flavor from. I use PG, PGA (and blends of the two), for all my flavor extractions. Note that when using PGA you want to avoid cellulose "nitrate" filters as there is a compatibility issue, all other cellulose base filters work just fine.
PG, PGA (and blends of the two), will gravity flow through 2 micron filter paper but takes a very long time to do so. Warmer ambient temperatures speed up the process (by reducing the solvent's viscosity), as does increasing the surface area of the filter (using larger diameter filter paper). The flip side of this equation is that the larger the filter, the more extract loss there will be due to absorption/saturation. Under ideal conditions, when filtering a PG based solvent through 2 micron filter paper, a single drip every few minutes is the typical "gravity" flow rate.
Wow. That is slow, but then again, it's not like the soaking of the beans is a fast process either lol. I'm going to check on the 2 micron filter paper. Thanks for being so helpful. The time it takes to make a batch is one of the reasons I'm wanting to gather as much info as I can before This first batch is done. It's not like if I screw it up I can have another batch ready in a week. I'm 41 and would like to make a decent vanilla base for my mixes before I die. I may have started too late haha, but I'm going to work on it until I get it right.(or die trying)
I made and use the vanilla extract to flavor NET and even then had to add "Holy Vanilla" or French vanilla concentrate to obtain the overall flavor I was seeking. Mine soaked in PG for six months because I stashed it in a drawer (away from my macerated tobaccos), and simply forgot about it. Adding 10-15% PGA should speed things up, pull a few drops (unfiltered), every few weeks and mix up a sample, best way to determine when it's ready. I mix/keep a 30ml dropper bottle of 16mg 50/50 VG/PG unflavored nic base just for in process sampling. To sample at 20%, I mix 2 drops of "extract" solvent with 8 drops of my16mg nic base, makes just enough to saturate a freshly wicked micro-coil.
Thanks. I'm going to do it just as you suggested as far as testing. I don't think I have 10-15% PGA in mine.I'm guessing somewhere between 5-10% probably. I put 100ml of PG into a 120ml bottle, cut up and scraped 7 beans, then filled it the rest of the way with PGA leaving just enough room to be able to shake it effectively. I figured I would end up having to add some extra vanilla flavoring to get the flavor I'm looking for and I have PLENTY of them to try in it. I shook it and took the lid off to smell it the other day, and it doesn't smell like vanilla to me. The beans didn't have a vanilla smell to them when I got them. Hopefully it taste a lot better than it smells
Hi,
I have a suggestion. I'm doing just 100% unflavoured tobacco nets, so haven't tried this. Along with the way you are doing it now, I would make a strong vanilla extract in just the PGA, then use the result as the PGA in the tobacco extraction. This might give you greater control over the degree of vanilla flavour. May even work to add the vanilla extract after the tobacco extract is completed, if more flavouring is wanted. And you'll have some extra vanilla extract for baking
I have a suggestion. I'm doing just 100% unflavoured tobacco nets, so haven't tried this. Along with the way you are doing it now, I would make a strong vanilla extract in just the PGA, then use the result as the PGA in the tobacco extraction. This might give you greater control over the degree of vanilla flavour. May even work to add the vanilla extract after the tobacco extract is completed, if more flavouring is wanted. And you'll have some extra vanilla extract for baking
Hi,
I have a suggestion. I'm doing just 100% unflavoured tobacco nets, so haven't tried this. Along with the way you are doing it now, I would make a strong vanilla extract in just the PGA, then use the result as the PGA in the tobacco extraction. This might give you greater control over the degree of vanilla flavour. May even work to add the vanilla extract after the tobacco extract is completed, if more flavouring is wanted. And you'll have some extra vanilla extract for baking
There are several high-end retail vanilla extracts that are PGA based and have no additional added ingredients (like sugars). I tried adding PG to several of them and then evaporating off the PGA but never got an acceptable flavor that way. That's when/why I decided to play around with extracting my own.
I first tried just adding vanilla beans to a tobacco maceration but found that vanilla requires a much longer soak time than does tobacco. I then considered doing a 90/10 PGA/PG vanilla extraction and (when done), evaporating the PGA off leaving a concentrated PG based vanilla flavoring. Ultimately, I decided to go a in different direction. I wanted to first try a simply PG extraction just to see if it produced an acceptable flavor, and if it did, I planned to use all or part of the vanilla flavored PG as the solvent in certain tobacco macerations. I've delayed this planned "experiment" until my current, larger, batches of Vanilla are ready. This time around I'm soaking several varieties of vanilla beans in 90/10 PG/PGA solvent and will monitor their progress.
I'm actually a bit disappointed that I have to add a retail vanilla flavor concentrate (like Holy Vanilla), in order to achieve the "total" flavor I'm after but am grateful that it is obtainable. No doubt before I'm done I will have tried many different approaches, including a pure PGA vanilla extraction as crafting homebrewed NETs that suit my taste has become an enjoyable pastime.
Just reading this thread gets me all excited. I think soigee's vanilla extraction is in all PGA. I cant remember for sure but if theres any pg it isnt much. He's trying in alcohol and I'm trying in pg hoping that one of us ends up with atleast something good enough to build on. We both like the vanilla thats in nicoticket juice and they extract their own somehow. I havent ventured into NET yet but I find myself coming full circle and missing tobacco vapes again. For now I've ordered some hangsen and inawera tobaccos, but I like the experimenting of diy so I know eventually I'll end up doing some NET also. A good vanilla tobacco flavor obtained from tobacco and vanilla extraction youve created yourself sounds AWESOME!
So, I'll finally update my thread tomorrow, but I'm working 200 ml 100 proof Vodka with 50 ml added PG due to absorption (not evaporation)...
Thanks for getting this thread going Stacy, I may just move my experiment over here since NET's are where we're headed in the long run...
Ahlstrom 6420-1100 Qualitative Filter Paper Circle, 2 Micron, Medium Flow, Grade 642, 11cm Diameter (Pack of 100)
Ahlstrom
Is this what I need to order str8?
Ahlstrom
Is this what I need to order str8?
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