Stainless Buchner funnel

WaterFarmFan said:

GW - Most appreciate your guidance on the sock filter, but I think that I am going to try and replicate a standard buchner in stainless. I finally have my process dialed in and don't really want to make any changes.

Here is what I am presently thinking about:

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Any thoughts? I plan to use this as well to hold down the filter paper and (with a 100 micron screen) provide some pre-filtering.

https://www.hardwarefactorystore.co...eel-3-tri-clamp-filter-plate-with-6mm-hole-6/

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I see no reason it wouldn't work.

Its Achilles heel will be blinding, so I would plan for it.

Prefiltering will help. I would consider wool, beads, or maybe two filter plate sections............

I use a paint brush to gently brush the filter membrane clear of deposits, so as to promote faster filtration. You have a seriously deep wrapper section, so would have to use a long handle to do so or another way to clear the membrane.

You can use a siphon to empty the wrapper section if it does blind, but might consider adding a drain valve to more easily facilitate that.

A reminder,

Generic lab filter paper is available at Amazon, but finding the equivalent product is almost impossible due to longstanding errors in the descriptions. The Amazon titles are correct, go by them!

How to buy:
If the Amazon title says Fast, it's 101, the Whatman #4 equivalent (20-25 micron)
If the Amazon title says Medium, it's 102, the Whatman #1 equivalent (11 micron)
If the Amazon title says Slow, it's 103, the Whatman #5 equivalent (2.5 micron)

DO NOT GO BY THE AMAZON 'DESCRIPTION' OR 'PRODUCT FEATURES' FOR DETERMINING EQUIVALENCY!!

Parts are ordered. I decided to go with 6" diameter to start, as the parts were quite a bit cheaper than 8" or 12" with standard 15cm filter paper. I will create a custom sleeve and lid to pre-cool the unit with dry ice prior to filter, so the longer filter times won't have any ill effects. My 1L glass buchner would have a ~5" filter cake that took 25-30 minutes to fully filter with all passes (~2L) of -50C etoh over a whatman #1.

This is my first tri-clamp gear, and I am excited to start building out a kit. Will post back when everything arrives.

Parts arrived, but still waiting on a few more mounting pieces:



Here is a test fit:

OSS

OSS

I see you already purchased a setup, but I believe Open Source Steel has a stainless Buchner funnel on sale. Last time I checked anyways...

Some progress on the mount. Having the stand welded tomorrow. This thing is no joke...

Looks cool, there seems to be a shortage of tig welders in my area. I finally found a place that fabricates truck roof racks for Can Am side by sides, so I'm guessing about 99% of their customers are Growers haha they welded on 2 quarter inch couplings on to my stainless coil, on the spot and on point for $40 just wondering where other people get there Tig welding done. are you going to pick up glass beads as well? I wish I would have gone that route, I bought stainless ball bearings that rusted after the first use. Apparently, fake stainless parts are a huge drawback to assembling your own custom system. Noted

Super Chill said:

Looks cool, there seems to be a shortage of tig welders in my area. I finally found a place that fabricates truck roof racks for Can Am side by sides, so I'm guessing about 99% of their customers are Growers haha they welded on 2 quarter inch couplings on to my stainless coil, on the spot and on point for $40 just wondering where other people get there Tig welding done. are you going to pick up glass beads as well? I wish I would have gone that route, I bought stainless ball bearings that rusted after the first use. Apparently, fake stainless parts are a huge drawback to assembling your own custom system. Noted

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Hey Super Chill! A good welder is a great friend to have! It is amazing how fast they can work with the right tools. I am going to try the filter without beads or bearings at first, as I am interested in post-processing the material for terpenes and others and do not want debris that has to be sifted. Since I made some dry ice sleeves, I am not worried about speed as long as I keep temps below -30C (preferably -50C). Material and initial etoh from soak goes in the filter about -70C to begin and it will drift higher during the process. I keep adding virgin -50C etoh at middle and end and this keeps temps inside filter more stable.

For my filter stack, this is my initial plan:

Stainless Ring
15cm Whatman #1 (11 micron) or #4 (20-25 micron)
Stainless filter plate insert
Stainless Ring
15cm Whatman #5 (2.5 micron)
Tri-clamp filter plate

I want to test and see if #1 or #4 as a pre-filter speeds up process.

The stand came out perfect and it is all starting to come together. Here are some shots with just the two dry ice jackets. It will have a lid and more foil to better insulate all parts. The stand has a rod coming off the bottom that acts as a support for lab clamps. Underneath funnel, I will use a glass boiling flask (5L or 2L) -> take-off adapter (to cold trap and vacuum pump) -> 10mm hose adapter (to stainless buchner) -> platinum-cured silicone hose.

This setup is designed to be able to easily disassemble for cleaning and storage. The funnel assembly with clamp and mounts weighs about 30 pounds and the stand is about 15. The assembly simply lifts off the stand and swivels if needed but is VERY secure on a flat surface.

I love this kinda custom stuff, very cool, well done! Looks like the whole thing could fit in my chest freezer.i guess you could also use a hose to a reviving flask in a separate location as well. I'm curious to see how the filter papers seal and hold up the the increasing pressure. I just took a look at the OSS filter and it seems like it might be a sock filter setup.


Coincidentally, today I'm working on customizing sock filters and dry ice sleaves. I may not know how to weld, but I can sew like a champ! Oops, I mean chump.

I called them but the guy I spoke to didn't really know much about it, waiting for a call back.

Flawless Victory!!!!

Flawless Victory!!!!

I don't always get it right the first time, but for this project, I absolutely nailed it! The filter stack worked perfectly, as the 15cm Whatman filters were just a tiny fraction bigger than the interior of the 6" assembly. This allowed a perfect seal under vacuum with the addition of the rings to seal the edges. Just as with the glass buchners, the trick is to prime each filter paper with -50C etoh under vacuum. I also used vaccum grease on the outside (just smeared on the outer gap between stainless and gasket) before clamping. Here is my basic process:

1. Chill flower/trim material to -70C in stainless pot sitting on dry ice slab in medical cooler. With stainless pestle, pulverize material in pot over ~2 hours.
2. Separately, chill gallon glass container(s) of etoh in cooler of dry ice.
3. When material and etoh reach temp, pour ethanol until completely covered. Cover and let sit for 30-45 minutes.
4. Add dry ice to stainless buchner sleeves and place a chunk of dry ice on main filter plate. Also, add dry ice to my BVV 1.5 gallon cold trap.
5. Once temps read -40C to -50C inside the filter with a IR thermometer, I turn on vacuum pump (with cold trap inline) to prime filters.
6. Whatman #5 filter (2.5 micron) goes in first. Air is whistling under the filter paper as you pour enough -50C etoh to completely wet the filter paper. The sound changes as it pulls vaccum against the filter paper. The first stainless ring seals any leaks around the edge of the filter paper.
7. Stainless filter plate goes on next followed by a Whatman #4 (20-25 microns). Sound will change again as you prime second filter paper with -50C etoh. Final stainless ring is set in to secure paper and seal edges.
8. Immediately pour soaked material and etoh into top of funnel. Add some fresh -50C etoh to pot to help transfer any remaining material to funnel. Cover funnel.
9. Allow most etoh to drain (a dense filter cake will form with the help of smashing from a stainless pestle) before pouring a significant volume of fresh -50C etoh into filter.
10. Repeat step 9 until solution from filter drips crystal clear.

After my first run, the bottom filter (#5) only had a tiny bit of visible material, indicating that the #4 pre-filter above worked as intended. Both filter papers held up like champs under the stress of full vacuum. This filter also (in addition to increasing capacity more than 5x) increased speed by a factor of ~2.5x over my 11cm 1L glass buchner. Another huge difference is that I actually felt safe standing next to the stainless filter versus the glass, which at very low (-50C to -70C) temps would stress the glass and crack the filter plate.

The glass receiver setup worked great, but I am exploring some options for a more robust solution.

WFF

Congrats dude. A well earned reward.

Ringodoggie said:

Congrats dude. A well earned reward.

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Thanks bro. The reward is always enjoying the finished product, and this one dabbed extra clean.