[Hole_Puncher]

Hi Folks,
We are going to start storing some dryed goods (rice & beans) in mylar bags.

Where are you guys getting the bags? And what are you using to seal them.

I have made some investigations of my own but I would like to know what other have found.

Thanks

 

[SOCOM42]

hi folks,
we are going to start storing some dryed goods (rice & beans) in mylar bags.

Where are you guys getting the bags? And what are you using to seal them.

I have made some investigations of my own but i would like to know what other have found.

Thanks

best place i found is called ULINE

If packing rice, use oxy eaters, DO NOT TRY TO VAC! Grains of rice will punch holes in bags.

Beans ok to vac, still use oxy eaters.

 

[Earthquake]

I think this place is cheaper then Uline and you can get free shipping...
http://yhst-128734754815186.stores.yahoo.net/mylar-bags.html
I just ordered a 100 Gallon size bags and OXY absorbers and got free shipping on my order, as for sealing them you can do it in a vacuum sealer but not under a vacuum. I am working on making a chamber style sealer that I will use my compressor and seal the bags with a iron. I will post pictures if it works.

Casey

 

[huntinghawk]

I've noticed more products being sold in mylar bags like some crackers.

HH

 

[RandyB45]

Got mine from Amazon.com along with O2 absorbers and diatomaceous earth.

Buckets from Lowe's.

 

[tmcfalls]

I have seen people post on some survival sites that they use a woman's flat iron (its a hair fixing device that heats up two ceramic pads so women can straighten their hair). You can probably find a cheap one at Wal-mart that will do the job.

 

[CharlieEcho]

Explain please;

Casey[/QUOTE]

"I am working on making a chamber style sealer that I will use my compressor"

I believe the sight you suggest is pretty reasonable. Would you explain how you intend to make your sealer?

 

[Earthquake]

CharlieEcho
I'm going to use two "Hotel pans" [stainless buffet or steamer pan] as the chamber by put the top edges together with some kind of rubber seal between them. one pan will have a air hose fitted into it. you put the Mylar bag inside the pans with about two inches sticking out one end and clamp the pans together and turn on the compressed air [keep the pressure low] this will push the air out of the bag because of the pressure on the out side of the bag that is inside the chamber. I will use a regular Iron to seal the bag closed on the two inches that is sticking out, I will make some form of platform to iron on. if it works I am going to make a 1/2" Plexiglas lid so you can see inside the chamber. I will have to play with the pressure to make sure not to crush the food or put holes in the bag, it wont be as fast as a vacuum sealer but most of them will not vacuum seal a Mylar and I should be able to make one for less then $30.00. I will post pictures and my results when I make it. Does any of this make sense, if not let me know.

Casey

 

[CharlieEcho]

I see;

CharlieEcho
I'm going to use two "Hotel pans" [stainless buffet or steamer pan] as the chamber by put the top edges together with some kind of rubber seal between them. one pan will have a air hose fitted into it. you put the Mylar bag inside the pans with about two inches sticking out one end and clamp the pans together and turn on the compressed air [keep the pressure low] this will push the air out of the bag because of the pressure on the out side of the bag that is inside the chamber. I will use a regular Iron to seal the bag closed on the two inches that is sticking out, I will make some form of platform to iron on. if it works I am going to make a 1/2" Plexiglas lid so you can see inside the chamber. I will have to play with the pressure to make sure not to crush the food or put holes in the bag, it wont be as fast as a vacuum sealer but most of them will not vacuum seal a Mylar and I should be able to make one for less then $30.00. I will post pictures and my results when I make it. Does any of this make sense, if not let me know.

Casey

I see what you mean. It does make sense. Be good to see what you come up with.

 

[SOCOM42]

charlieecho
i'm going to use two "hotel pans" [stainless buffet or steamer pan] as the chamber by put the top edges together with some kind of rubber seal between them. One pan will have a air hose fitted into it. You put the mylar bag inside the pans with about two inches sticking out one end and clamp the pans together and turn on the compressed air [keep the pressure low] this will push the air out of the bag because of the pressure on the out side of the bag that is inside the chamber. I will use a regular iron to seal the bag closed on the two inches that is sticking out, i will make some form of platform to iron on. If it works i am going to make a 1/2" plexiglas lid so you can see inside the chamber. I will have to play with the pressure to make sure not to crush the food or put holes in the bag, it wont be as fast as a vacuum sealer but most of them will not vacuum seal a mylar. Does any of this make sense, if not let me know.

Casey

you do not need more than 25-30 pounds.
That pressure works for me, any more than that you will be stressing the bag.
On the plexiglass top, i would suggest making only a 2" or 3" window. plexi the size you intend could shatter.
i do use a gating system to allow the chamber to vent along the bag side then close the gate when pressure reaches set point.
Gate mechanically seals the bag while operating impulse sealer.

COPYCAT!!! LOL

 

[huntinghawk]

If you have a vacuum sealer like a foodsaver & don't want to use the vacuum with it, just fold the edge of the bag over & put in the sealer. Machine should quickly think the air is drawn out & apply the heat.

But I've never worked with mylar bags.

HH

 

[Hole_Puncher]

Thanks to everyone for their input.

 

[tmcfalls]

If you have a vacuum sealer like a foodsaver & don't want to use the vacuum with it, just fold the edge of the bag over & put in the sealer. Machine should quickly think the air is drawn out & apply the heat.

But I've never worked with mylar bags.

HH

The model of food saver I have has a separate seal button on it. I can either draw all, some, or no air out of a bag and seal it.

 

[leonardc]

Not an expert, but here are our experiences:

Not all bags are the same size. I like the medium sized bags. These hold +- 12 cups of rice and 4 or 5 bags take care of a 25# bag of rice. I'd rather have 4 bags to open than one big one, if one bag is bad I won't loose it all.

Not all bags are the same thickness. Seems like we have a few bags from almost every where we bought food from. We liked the bags the LDS sold us.

Our VAC-SEALER did not do a good job of sealing the mylar bags we tried it with. Many of the bags we have would not even fit in the sealer.

I use a clothes iron with a nonstick bottom and a round piece of wood, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in dia.

I fill the bag, drop in two O2 absorbers (and quickly seal the O2 absorber bag in the VAC-SEALER as quick as I can), and then curl the top edge of the bag around the wood and slowly lay the bag down. Might be able to do it with the bag up, but for me it works better to slowly lay it down and flatten it a bit. Then I run the hot iron the length of the open bag to seal. I roll the bag/wood slightly and run the iron again to double seal. There's usually plenty of trapped air in the bag so I can squeeze the bag and check the seal. By the next day the O2 absorber has "sucked" the air out of the bag and it looks and feels just like it was Vac-sealed. The sealed bags are labled and put into a plastic bucket for storage.

We've done several types of materials including rice and beans. Never had a poke through.

 

[huntinghawk]

Opened a bag of cheesy nips & then resealed with my vacseal. Didn't use the vacuum.

HH

 

[huntinghawk]

I like the idea of using my dehydrator to do some fruit then seal in mylar bags. Some light weight food for when have to go afield.

HH

 

[Earthquake]

I wonder how long home made jerky would last Vacuum sealed with a OXY absorber and a desiccant pack?

Casey

 

[tmcfalls]

What size mylar bag would hold a full bag of flour or corn meal? I am thinking that one would fit in a 1 gallon bag but there wouldn't be enough room to get a good seal on it, especially if I wanted to vacuum some of the air out first.

 

[huntinghawk]

I have seen full bags of flour at 1lb, 3lb, 5lb, & 10lb. And that doesn't include the big bags.

Get flour, pack in mylar bag what the bag will hold, & the rest of the bag into your pantry.

HH

 

[tmcfalls]

I have seen full bags of flour at 1lb, 3lb, 5lb, & 10lb. And that doesn't include the big bags.

Get flour, pack in mylar bag what the bag will hold, & the rest of the bag into your pantry.

HH

I was thinking about dropping a "regular" sized bag of flour, bag and all in a mylar bag, putting in an O2 absorber, pulling a slight vacuum and sealing the whole thing up. I thought it would be less messy and less time consuming to do that.

What thickness of bag should buy? Most of the stuff I pack in mylar will probably be put in buckets or plastic totes and stored in my basement, some sugar and flour will be stored on a shelf.