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Thread: Time to seal mylar bag with O2 absorbers?

  1. #1
    Senior Member Cypher's Avatar

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    Time to seal mylar bag with O2 absorbers?

    How long should it take for O2 absorbers to seal a 5 gallon mylar bag? I sealed a few up about 12 hours ago and they still aren't vacuum sealed. I think I heat sealed the bag fine, it looks sealed and I doubled sealed it but the bag has not sucked in. From what I understand it should vacuum in like a brick of coffee you buy at the store.

    The O2 absorbers were bought about 1.5 years ago but were in a sealed bag the whole time so I don't think that was a problem.

  2. #2
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    If you want that you'll need a vacuum sealer.
    O2 absorbers work by attracting and bonding oxygen to iron powder- essentially tying up O2 so it won't be available to aid in deteriorating your food. There will be no significant net change in the amount of air in your container
    CHOOT UM!

  3. #3
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    NOPE!

    O2 absorbers will not make a vacuum!

    The only thing O2 absorbers do is "rust" or oxidize the particulate iron in the absorbers, thus using up the O2 in the mylar bag.

    If your 5 gallon buckets are mostly filled, you do not need to vacuum unless you are anal retentive like me... I fill my bags while they're in the bucket, leave enough room to fold the excess mylar and screw the lid on (gamma lids for me). Once fill level is checked, I toss in two O2 absorbers (1 is probably enough, you cant hurt anything by putting extra in) then seal the Mylar bag with an iron by ironing the edge over a 3ft plastic level I got from home depot. But leave about 2" unsealed, then use a vacuum hose to suck the air out and tighten the bag down, then I fold and iron the last corner.

    ------------

    As for the "O2 absorbers", I bought a bunch of them labeled as such, buckets, and gamma lids off amazon.com... later, I learned that you can also use those "hand warmers"...

    The hand warmers contain the same elements that are in the "O2 absorbers" and are about 1/3 of the cost!

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    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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  5. #5
    Senior Member Cypher's Avatar

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    Ah, thanks guys, that makes more sense. And yes Mark, I am a little anal retentive with stuff like this, next time I will vac out air to pack it tighter and put O2 absorbers in.

    I can't see your second post but will check when I am off the Nazi network.

    Does anyone know if storing the absorbers in a sealed up mason jar will work OK to keep them fresh? From what I understand the mason jar would actually work better than a clear seal a meal bag.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    When I bought my O2 Absorbers, there were 10 in a vacuum bag already sealed, so to get one out, the others would have been exposed too. So I didn't start bagging my rice and beans until I was ready to fil 8 5 gallon buckets (I used 2 absorbers in each one).

    I didn't think about putting the others in a mason jar... I think that's a great idea! Sure, they'd be activated a little using the O2 that's in the jar (probably better to use as small a jar as you can (pt. vs. qt., use pt.)... but once the O2 is used up to oxidize the iron powder/shavings, the reaction process would stop until the jar is opened introducing more O2.

    Those heat packs I use are individually wrapped.

    FWIW, I bought one of those battery powered "mylar sealer" irons (As seen on TV)... for $10 bucks, I got two... they actually do work, but takes too long to seal the mylar. Your wife's iron works great and is faster. And with my 3 ft. plastic level that has two ridges on it, I get two beads of seal.

    If you choose to buy those hand warmer packages, I am now carefully opening them with a knife/scissors and keeping them. In future, I plan to re-seal them and put cotton balls in for tinder and matches, nice little water tight package for the backpack/camping.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Cypher's Avatar

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    I vacuum sealed the mason jar with a hand pump so that should help too.

    How many CC capacity do the hand-warmers get? Do you just take it out and activate it and place it in the bag and seal?

  8. #8
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    Cypher, I don't know that there is an official recommendation for how much handwarmer/O2 absorber "CC's" are indicated for a 5 gallong bucket... But from what I've observed, it seems that 1000 CC's is enough to take care of the O2 in a 5 gallon bucket. With that said, I put two 1000 CC packs in thinking that they're cheap enough and more would not hurt, as I said before, once the O2 is used up for oxidation, the reaction stops and the material cools down and becomes inert again.

    Hope this info helps... I'm no expert, but I've read a lot on this particular subject.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Cypher's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Ducati View Post
    Cypher, I don't know that there is an official recommendation for how much handwarmer/O2 absorber "CC's" are indicated for a 5 gallong bucket... But from what I've observed, it seems that 1000 CC's is enough to take care of the O2 in a 5 gallon bucket. With that said, I put two 1000 CC packs in thinking that they're cheap enough and more would not hurt, as I said before, once the O2 is used up for oxidation, the reaction stops and the material cools down and becomes inert again.

    Hope this info helps... I'm no expert, but I've read a lot on this particular subject.
    Do you use that to help determin all the O2 is used up? Like place the warmer where you can feel it through the bag, if it is rated for 4 hours and it cools in 2 you know it used up all O2 ect.

  10. #10
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cypher View Post
    Do you use that to help determin all the O2 is used up? Like place the warmer where you can feel it through the bag, if it is rated for 4 hours and it cools in 2 you know it used up all O2 ect.
    No, I don't... I placed one warmer in the middle and one on top. But since our discussion, I am not putting 4 warmers in... bottom, lower 1/4, upper 1/4, and top now... I bought a case of these hand warmers, there wre like 50 in this case. And they were only like $24 bucks... about 50 cents each. I figure, 4 warmers is over kill, but it makes me feel better (although I have no scientific justification for this). And even if I only put 1 warmer in, and there was still "some" residiual O2 in there... I think just getting rid of most of the 02 is fine, I don't think we've got a super critical science experiment on board the space shuttle going.

  11. #11
    Moderator & Team Gunsnet Platinum 07/2011 O.S.O.K.'s Avatar

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    I should get some bags and absorbers and seal up my rice, beans, etc. - makes them last 10 years? That's the ticket. I planned on just rotating the food but we don't eat beans all that often...

    Found this at walmart - I think it would work fine to seal up the mylar bags and it's only $17 vs the $129 for the heat sealer... http://www.walmart.com/ip/iTouchless...-Pack/10247581
    ~Nemo me impune lacessit~




  12. #12
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    OSOK,

    Save your money! I bought those already... Yes, they do work... but the Mylar bags like this:



    These are pretty heavy duty! The little battery operated thing will work, but takes a long time to seal... trust me, just as I said, get your wife's iron, put it on the highest temp setting (turn off the steam) and use the side of a 3 ft. level or even a piece of wood to iron against. The laundry iron works better and gives a broad seal...

  13. #13
    Senior Member Mark Ducati's Avatar

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    Once you try the hand held sealers, then your laundry iron you'll ask yourself why you even bothered! Like digging a hole with a TableSpoon vs. a Shovel. The only thing those little sealers are good for are the thinner potato chip bags

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