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Proposed DIY Bubble Bags

bounty29

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
Disclaimer: I have not done this, as of July 7th, 2006, this is an idea.

The 7 bag 5 gallon Bubblebag set costs $250. The 1 gallon set costs $125. I always thought this was a very high price to pay for such a low tech item. I've never tried bubble hash, or hash of any kind, and I always wanted to. So I went about trying to find a way to make my own Bubblebags.

The 7 bags consist of screens of different mesh sizes. They go, from least fine to purest, 220u, 190u, 160u, 120u, 73u, 45u, and 25u.

At this site, they sell different sized meshes of varying fineness (don't really know how to word that, oh well.)

After thinking about it, I decided that the 6" x 12" pieces would be the best fit for this project. You could cut the rectangle in half so you have two 6" squares, and make circles out of those. That would leave you with two sets of each size. So here's a breakdown of the costs. These are all for 6" x 12" strips of the mesh. They didn't have the exact same numbers, so I used what I thought was closest, you can change it however you like.

250u - $04.30
185u - $05.30
165u - $05.30
120u - $05.25
080u - $08.25
048u - $10.20
020u - $15.85
Shipping - $7.95
Total - $62.40

That's enough material to make two complete 7 bag sets. After you get your materials, you'd need to sew them to some type of waterproof material, some tarp or something, whatever you have or can get. Then, put that over the bucket, and you can use a large rubber-band or something to secure it. The total cost for each set should be under $50, that's quite a savings compared to buying them pre-made.

I haven't done this yet, but as soon as I near the finish of my first harvest I'm definitely going to give this a try and post a guide, with pictures. What's everyone think?
 
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M

mushupork5

Member
i like the idea, seems like a great DIY solution. the different in numbers isn't that big of a deal because they are just filters. the 20u and 25u, im not sure about though. 20u might be too small. but, as you said, those aren't the only sizes

nice work
 
G

Guest423

Active member
Veteran
i thought about it once, but by time you get all the materials and try making them your better off just buying them, you better be damn good at stitchin. i know the original bubblebags are made super tough.
 
Verite

Verite

My little pony.. my little pony
Veteran
Imo the one gallon buckets are too small and when many mfg's make 5 gallon buckets it makes the 5 gallon so much easier to work with when you add up all the extra working space. Even if you only have a few plants you can still modify a 5 gallon bucket to use half the space easier than it would be to take a one gallon kit and have to do 6 or 7 runs when you decide to upgrade the grow to more than a few plants.

The screen measurements of a 5 gallon bag will be a hair under 12". The screens you selected look to be high quality so if you do sew them into something it should be as good a quality as the screens. Im thinking material like parachutes, rain coats, umbrellas, etc.
 
Keefhead

Keefhead

Active member
When you're lifting a bag fulll of water, and a layer of trichs filling the screen, you're lifting about 30 lbs or so. That's a lot of weight for a homemade seam to take. All the commercial ones use double and triple seams. You'll have to do that to keep them together. But I wish you well in your effort. Not too many folks would be willing to try that.

However...

I agree with Verite, anything smaller than a 5-gal size will simply be a hassle. I have the 5-gal set and the 1 gal set from bubbleman, and I only use the 5-gal set - even for small runs - unless theyre very small, like a single plant trim.

JMHO.
 
Chiefsmokingbud

Chiefsmokingbud

Slap-A-Ho tribe
Veteran
Wasn't ther a guy on OG that basically put a screen in a 5 gal bucket so several buckets for several screens? If i remember correctly his DIY worked real well and seems a bit less complicated than all that sewing.
 
Keefhead

Keefhead

Active member
Chiefsmokingbud said:
Wasn't ther a guy on OG that basically put a screen in a 5 gal bucket so several buckets for several screens? If i remember correctly his DIY worked real well and seems a bit less complicated than all that sewing.
Click to expand...
I tried a setup like that myself, but using 5-gal hydro buckets. I abandoned it. It was more difficult to get to the screen and get it clean because of the hard sides of the bucket.

That's when I bought the bubblebag set, and I haven't looked back. Forward with the bubbleator though. Just use bubblebags with it.

P.S. I got my 90 micron 5-gal bag today. Nylon instead of canvas. I can't wait to do a run through them.
 
Chiefsmokingbud

Chiefsmokingbud

Slap-A-Ho tribe
Veteran
Yeah i can see where that would be a problem but i was thinking more along the lines of mounting the screen to the lid. Essentially you would have 2 buckets and a separate lid for each screen size. So you would mix the trim in a bucket, remove trim, pour that bucket through the first lid mounted on a bucket, remove that lid, put a lid on the bucket you just poured from and pour the water you just filtered through that bucket, so on and so forth.
 
Keefhead

Keefhead

Active member
Yer brilliant.

Yer brilliant.

:yeahthats The LID! What a great idea, a set of lids, one for each size of screen.
 
G

Guest

Did you end up making your bags? I'm looking to make some DIY bags too. I already got the mesh, I just need to know what material to use for the sides of the bags.
 
bounty29

bounty29

Custom User Title
Veteran
No, haven't made them yet, haven't even started my grow yet. I'll be moving in a few weeks, things should start happening then.
 
E

Eazyman

Member
Great thread, Bounty! i'll be watching too as I have long been wanting to make my own. i'll buy a set eventually, if i dont get one made. I've had the screens for a while now, i'm just not sure how and what to attatch them to/with. If someone can justify the high cost of bubblemans bags ( difficult to obtain materials or a sewing process that incorperates some special manufacturing tooling or application) it would help me with understanding the pricing. Maybe "bubbleman" charges what "he" does because the original design is his. Anyway, thanks man!
 
kurlyq2g

kurlyq2g

Member
nice find, and clever idea bounty, would love to try it out some time

i would but the big sheets and make some bags for friends personally, then keep the best set for myself hehe {for all the hard work, you know..}
just what does he use for the sides of the bags?.. seems very stiff so it will stand up on its own in the bucket, a good idea
you could even design it with shoulder straps so that people with arthritis could us it without all the hassle of a pulley system hooked up to the roof. just my $0.02

Kq2g
 
Keefhead

Keefhead

Active member
Bubblebuckets

Bubblebuckets

A suggestion for your consideration.

As the photo shows, a 5 gallon bucket and a hydro store lid, make a perfect hash "bag". Lay the screen in the lid, making sure that it comes all the way up the sides. It now forms a screen lining in the lid. Pour your water bag through it, and voila, HASH!



Use a 220 screen for the first "pour". Pour the water through the screen into the first bucket. The water in the lower bucket will now contain everything under 220u. Remove the screen and clean it. Now place the 190u screen in the lid, and place it over the now empty first bucket. Pour the water through it and now you have 190 hash on the screen, and everything smaller is in the bucket under it.

Repeat this process until you have gotten to the 25u screen.

You now will have lumps of hash from every size screen you used.

Another source of screen is http://www.dickblick.com/zz434/05/ . This table will help you determine which of his part numbers correspond to both inch count and micron opening. Micron opening is what bubblebags, and others, are rated in. And notice the size of the piece and the price. You could share with friends....



They aren't bubblebags, but they do work. I was using this before I bought the bubblebags. Bags are better, but this works.

I hope these suggestions have helped or given you some ideas. Good luck.
 
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BabyHughie

BabyHughie

Member
HAHA yep I got some mesh printing screen on ebay for $5 that Ive been using.

Not a bubblebag by anymeans, but for the price it works for me.
 
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