where to get a 1micron filter?

[papabogart]

The "feel" is kind of what I'm chasing in a sense. Nicoticket is the reason I'm making this extraction. I don't want to per say clone their juice, but what makes their juice so good to me is the buttery feel in the mouth that I get from vaping their juice. All the flavors that they have that I love all have the same common denominator, their naturally extracted vanilla. I know they don't achieve it by the vanilla extraction alone, but it does play a huge part in it. If I can get close to that "feel" I have endless possibilities as to what I can do for my own creations

It wouldn't matter if a cadre of taste testers said otherwise if YOU sense a change in taste that you don't like. That's why I suggested you follow a step-down process. You can always do a finer filteration, but you can't UN-filter a filtrate.

 

[Str8vision]

Str8vision, so when you did your VB extraction did you simply pass through the 2 mu filter paper and seeds were gone or did you do an initial pass through something coarser (coffee filter etc...)? I'm curious because after a week of sifting through web pages I just discovered that the VB seed diameter is .3 mm (300 microns)! So I'm wondering if you did a pre pass and saw seeds filtered or if it just went through the 2 mu filter and there wasn't an opportunity to see if a coarser paper was sufficient.

The Vanilla extract was much cleaner than a typical tobacco maceration, less worry with filter loading/clogging, however I pre-filter all my extractions as a matter of habit.

Here's how I do it. First, I insert a pleated coffee filter inside a canning funnel and mount the funnel on top of a clean canning jar. I use a canning funnel because I already had one and it sits securely in the mouth of canning jars, doesn't wobble around. I dump the entire contents of a tobacco maceration (or vanilla bean extraction), solvent, solids and all into the coffee filter. Once all the solvent has drizzled through I gather the top of the coffee filter and fold it so that the solids are sealed inside. I then squeeze the filter wrapped solids until all possible solvent has been released and then discard the filter/solids. The solvent in the jar has now been filtered at aprox. 25 microns. I then further filter the solvent through filter felt before ultimately processing it through the 2 micron filter paper. Vanilla bean extractions may not need the filter felt step but I will use it because I already have it on hand. I'm not more descriptive with the latter stages of filtering because my personal filtering setup is unique, I fabricated a custom "filter holder" that mounts/seals in the mouth of canning jars and mechanically binds/seals the filter felt or filter paper disks being used. It also has a 1/4" barbed fitting in its base for applying a vacuum inside the jar as will be necessary when experimenting with higher levels of filtration. For 2 micron filtration, all you really need is a common plastic funnel (WalMart), a clean glass container and a folded 2 micron filter paper placed inside the funnel.

 

[Str8vision]

ok. I've watched a few videos, and the filters seem simple enough which is good. Looks like I also need to invest in a glass funnel. Before I pull the trigger on these two, one last question then I will try to leave you alone haha. Doing a vanilla extraction, with the amount of small plant matter that will be present, do you think it's better to use smaller filters, and change them out after so many ml have filtered through them, or use the larger ones. With dealing in 2micron filtration, I would think that the filters won't be able to filter alot of the extraction before clogging, though I know that every time the filter is changed out more of the extraction will be lost due to saturation. Not having done this before, I don't know what the limits are on the filters. I don't want to get them too big and then after a quarter or so of the liquid has filtered it's plugged. I guess my question is, what is a good size in terms of diameter to get? The 11cm is pretty small by the time it's folded, but if they clog pretty fast I would guess the small ones would be better

An inexpensive plastic funnel would work just fine. A single small pleated filter folded from an 11cm disk should be sufficient for 150ml + of solvent easily, I've never needed to change out filters in the middle of a batch. Just don't pour to much solvent in at once and overfill the filter.

 

[Soignee]

The Vanilla extract was much cleaner than a typical tobacco maceration, less worry with filter loading/clogging, however I pre-filter all my extractions as a matter of habit.

Here's how I do it. First, I insert a pleated coffee filter inside a canning funnel and mount the funnel on top of a clean canning jar. I use a canning funnel because I already had one and it sits securely in the mouth of canning jars, doesn't wobble around. I dump the entire contents of a tobacco maceration (or vanilla bean extraction), solvent, solids and all into the coffee filter. Once all the solvent has drizzled through I gather the top of the coffee filter and fold it so that the solids are sealed inside. I then squeeze the filter wrapped solids until all possible solvent has been released and then discard the filter/solids. The solvent in the jar has now been filtered at aprox. 25 microns. I then further filter the solvent through filter felt before ultimately processing it through the 2 micron filter paper. Vanilla bean extractions may not need the filter felt step but I will use it because I already have it on hand. I'm not more descriptive with the latter stages of filtering because my personal filtering setup is unique, I fabricated a custom "filter holder" that mounts/seals in the mouth of canning jars and mechanically binds/seals the filter felt or filter paper disks being used. It also has a 1/4" barbed fitting in its base for applying a vacuum inside the jar as will be necessary when experimenting with higher levels of filtration. For 2 micron filtration, all you really need is a common plastic funnel (WalMart), a clean glass container and a folded 2 micron filter paper placed inside the funnel.

Right on, thanks for the information. I suspected that you follow your same process for all filtration's.

 

[Soignee]

The "feel" is kind of what I'm chasing in a sense. Nicoticket is the reason I'm making this extraction. I don't want to per say clone their juice, but what makes their juice so good to me is the buttery feel in the mouth that I get from vaping their juice. All the flavors that they have that I love all have the same common denominator, their naturally extracted vanilla. I know they don't achieve it by the vanilla extraction alone, but it does play a huge part in it. If I can get close to that "feel" I have endless possibilities as to what I can do for my own creations

You are correct when you say "they don't achieve the buttery feel by the vanilla extraction alone, but it does play a huge part in it."

The Butter that our palate senses is the Diketones. The Vanilla (or Vanillin esters) help 'push' that Butter flavor (and all the Custard flavor components - egg, sugar etc...) into a rounded cohesive Custard Flavor.

So what we are chasing is the BEST Vanilla flavor possible to augment the rest of our ingredients. The damn tricky part is doing it without being a flavor chemist. So one part guess work and two hundred parts practice and experimentation.

I I guess a ton of patience fits in there as well...

 

[Stacy1]

Thanks for all your help str8. I'm going to go ahead and order the filters and will find me a funnel somewhere local. My beans have only been soaking sine the 6th so I have a ways to go before I'll be doing any filtering. Thinking about going ahead and ordering some more beans. Maybe get some different varieties, and start another 3-4 100ml batches since it takes so long to steep

 

[Str8vision]

You are correct when you say "they don't achieve the buttery feel by the vanilla extraction alone, but it does play a huge part in it."

The Butter that our palate senses is the Diketones. The Vanilla (or Vanillin esters) help 'push' that Butter flavor (and all the Custard flavor components - egg, sugar etc...) into a rounded cohesive Custard Flavor.

So what we are chasing is the BEST Vanilla flavor possible to augment the rest of our ingredients. The damn tricky part is doing it without being a flavor chemist. So one part guess work and two hundred parts practice and experimentation.

I I guess a ton of patience fits in there as well...

Understanding that the vanilla bean extraction provides the "base" upon which a complex vanilla flavor can be mixed is important. Because I only use it as a flavor nuance in NETs I haven't invested much effort in perfecting the vanilla extract itself. I will follow your and Stacy1's progress looking for ideas. People's taste preferences are varied but having tried "every" single retail concentrated vanilla flavoring available I found very few that tasted good and none that were "complete". DIYflavorshack Holy vanilla and French vanilla are my favorites but Hangsen French vanilla and TFA vanilla bean ice cream are worthy contenders. I also added FW caramel and TFA Bavarian cream at very low percentages to modify the overall flavor profile.