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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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My SAB (Still Air Box) * 53
    #20048771 - 05/27/14 08:21 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

This is part of my series "The Basics"

Why an SAB?
A very important part of cultivation is a clean work environment. Once you sterilize most things such as agar, BRF/PF Cakes, grains, and others, they must remain sterile until 100% colonized.

But, you need to inoculate this stuff? How do you do it without contaminating your sterile stuff inside?

There are two main trains of thought on this: Make your lids with SHIPs or create a sterile work environment so you can just open the jar without contaminating it.

I'm in the later category, make a sterile environment. If you are interested in SHIPs, use the search feature to find out what they are. I don't use them.

Most people use a SAB because they are cheap and easy to make. Flowhoods are nice, but expensive and take more skill to build.

I'm here to describe my SAB

The most important thing about a SAB is still air. If the air is still, then it can't blow contaminants in to your work.

Having gloves attached means you can't flame sterilize outside the box. It also means your hand movements create strong vacuums that result in dirty air getting sucked in and moving around inside. Wear the gloves instead.

A SAB does not need to be sterile, just clean and still.

Here's my SAB (Still Air Box)



I made it from  a Sterlite 1478 from Wal-Mart.

It's 108quarts. Plenty of room to get things done.



The process is simple:

Don't get too caught up in exact measurements. You mostly want to go by feel. Every SAB will be slightly different based on your body size.

I simply put the tote in to the position I would mostly be using it in. I sat it on my table and sat in my chair. This is where I'll be doing my sterile work.

Then, I put my arms straight down to my side and then just bent at the elbows so my hands were straight out in front of me. I eyeballed were my middle finger lined up with the tote and made that my holes' center. This is the best way to figure out what the most natural place for the holes should go.

The 2 armholes are shoulder width apart. Some people don't realize how important it is to make the center of the holes about shoulder width apart. This gives it a nice comfortable feel.

I cut the holes with a 5" hole-saw on my cordless drill. If you lay the tote down on a piece of wood while you drill and go slow, you can prevent cracking.

Notice the lid is missing? That's because I turn the SAB upside down on a towel. When I spray the inside, the towel gets damp and traps contams. The towel also serves as a gasket to prevent drafts.



The holes where the handles were have been tapped.



Getting Ready For Doing Work

I lay the towel down on the table. I have large bath sized towels, so I fold it over. Then, I spray the towel with soap water. I usually use Dr Bronner's Almond Scented Magic Soap. It's what I shower with, but any soap will do. It doesn't take much, just a couple of drops per liter of water. The soap just keeps the water from evaporating too quickly and gives it a little stickiness. I don't see the point in sanitizing the table because it's going to have a towel over it, but do it if it makes you feel good.

Then, I clean the walls of the SAB with 70% IPA. After that, I give a spritz of soap water on the walls and turn the SAB upside down on the towel. Contaminants will stick to wet surfaces. I find soapy water works best. Bleach irritates my nose and lungs. Alcohol dries fast and is flammable.

You can either have the jars or whatever on the towel and cover with the box or feed everything through the arm-holes; it doesn't matter at all.

Once my stuff is in, I let everything just settle for a few minutes, maybe 2-5 minutes. Then, I wipe all my jars or whatever with 70% IPA.

Tips


    As Already mentioned, the point of a SAB is to have a place of still air to do sterile work. We call it sterile work because you want to keep your sterilized stuff sterile. The inside of the SAB is not sterile, just still. I put the SAB in the least drafty room, close the door, and turn off anything that creates drafts or air circulation.

Let things settle before wiping down jars in your SAB.

    I wear nitrile exam gloves and tyvek sleeves. I actually wear the top half of a tvek suit with the legs cut off. You can just wear a clean long-sleeve shirt though. When not in use, I keep the tyvek in a plastic bags just to keep the dust off. I actually keep a lot of stuff wrapped up in bags or totes to keep the dust off.

    Do all flame sterilizations outside the SAB. Heat from the flame creates enough current inside the SAB to cause contams to float around and get in to your sterile work.

    It's a fact, attaching gloves to your SAB turns it in to a Glove-box. Attaching the gloves causes more air to move around so therefore, by definition, it is no longer a Still Air Box. I'm sure there are all kinds of ways to prevent contaminated air from coming in to your GB, but you better make sure the inside is already sterile or it will be pointless. Good luck getting it sterile.

    Do your work toward the back of the SAB to help prevent contams from getting in your sterile work via the arm holes.

    Work diligently. Don't get in a hurry or work at a snails pace. Make all your movements deliberately. Getting in a hurry can stir up the air inside. Working too slow leaves you open for higher potential of getting contams.

    Crack the lids on jars before you put them in the SAB. A stuck lid is a bitch to open inside it. What I mean is, barely unscrew the metal ring or plastic lid so you don't have to fight it inside the box. If using the 2 piece metal lids, don't try to break the seal on the lid part, just barely loosen the ring. Once they are all wiped down and I'm ready to actually start working, I like to loosen all the lids so that I can finish removing them with one hand.

    You don't have to shower the walls. You just want a little spritz. Too much, especially in front, will make it hard to see what you're doing. If you are doing much work or working with warm agar, you'll notice condensation building up on the walls anyway. There shouldn't be many contams floating around and it doesn't take much to trap them.

    Keep movement over open sterile containers at a bare minimum. I don't like to sit anything dow. This takes a little practice, planning, and dexterity. Try dry runs without any media or anything to see how it feels. Just use some empty jars, bottles, and petris.

    To practice and test your SAB skills, try using plane agar plates and grains. Don't inoculate them or anything. Just make some agar and/or grain jars, do some transfers of plain agar, and see if they contaminate. You can do agar to agar, agar to grain, or whatever. You can also practice your G2G this way. If you don't inoculate and you get growth in any of it, then you know it's a contam and you know it's your technique. Without any competing culture, contams should be much easier to see. I've practiced this myself because I got tired of spending money on spores and wasting a lot of time.

One last thing: Always flame sterilize outside the SAB



***Modification Update***
Optional. (I'm fascinated by magnets)

Today, I added a magnetic arm-hole cover to my SAB.



Normally, I cover my arm-holes with a piece of Suran-wrap. I do this during those short periods when I'm kind of in between tasks or taking a break. Some people use those PVC screw on things.

I made these of those magnetic vent covers. It was $6.49 for a pack of 3. They seem to come in different sizes, so, get the size that covers the holes well. It only takes 2 out of the 3-pack. Because my arm-holes are 5 inches, I had to use the 8x15 vent covers.

One side is white, and the other side is bare magnet. I noticed the magnetic sides stick together the best. I also noticed the magnetic force is stronger depending on how you orient the magnets. So, if you just cut them in half, play around with the orientations to see which way is strongest before you make any holes and trace you lines.

Here's what you do:

Cut two of your magnetic vent covers in half. Cut it so it looks closer to being a 2 squares than being 2 long strips.

Tape them over your arm-holes and trace out the arm-hole circle on the magnet. Also, mark the SAB where the edges of the magnet is. This is where you need to sand a little to scruff u the plastic so RTV will stick better.

   

Once you get them cut out, RTV them to the SAB. Before you use adhesive, lay the magnets on the SAB to make sure they line up. It's a bitch to cut with wet RTV. Make whatever adjustments you want.

One of the things I like about this is it requires no special tools. It can be done to any existing SAB that doesn't have arm-hole covers already. You can make the arm-holes any size and this will still work because you don't have have specific hole sizes.

Edited by SpitballJedi (11/16/14 10:08 PM)

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InvisibleCitizen X
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 4
    #20048942 - 05/27/14 09:09 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

Good write up


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OfflineJot
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: Citizen X] * 3
    #20049281 - 05/27/14 10:41 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

I dig it
How much did the drill bit cost


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The goal of spiritual life is not altered states, but altered traits


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Offlineamungus
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 3
    #20049314 - 05/27/14 10:46 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

I use that exact same tote for my SAB :thumbup:
Works like a charm ,good write up man.


--------------------
:penis::penis:
"Seems so sick to the hypocrite norm Running their boring drills But we are an elite race of our own The stoners, junkies, and freaks" - Layne Staley

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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: Jot] * 2
    #20049330 - 05/27/14 10:51 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

I don't remember. I've had it for years. I think you can get them for less than $10 in a kit at those cheap places like Harbor Freight and Northern Tool. You only need a cheep one.

I've heard of some people heating up a coffee can on the stove, but I've never tried it.


--------------------
The Basics
A little civility goes a long way

The Noob Forum
The Hammock Hangers' Forum

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Offlineamungus
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 3
    #20049337 - 05/27/14 10:53 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

That's how I cut my holes.
I used my stove to heat the bottom of a coffee can and melted holes out.
When I'm using my SAB I use a pair of tyvek sleeves to stuff in the holes.


--------------------
:penis::penis:
"Seems so sick to the hypocrite norm Running their boring drills But we are an elite race of our own The stoners, junkies, and freaks" - Layne Staley

Edited by amungus (05/27/14 10:57 PM)

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OfflinecronicrFacebook
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: amungus] * 3
    #20049366 - 05/27/14 11:02 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

nice stuff brutha! glad to see ya back:bongload:


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

It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn

I'm tired do me a favor

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Invisibleblindingleaf
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cronicr] * 3
    #20049420 - 05/27/14 11:23 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

i gotta get me one of those.  I'm still using a 66qt tote for g2g :frown:


--------------------
A few thoughts on cultivation
MICROBIAL HUSBANDRY!!!!

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

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OfflinecronicrFacebook
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: blindingleaf] * 3
    #20049435 - 05/27/14 11:28 PM (9 years, 9 months ago)

i say tag this man, spitball deserves it...or rather the community does:super:


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

It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn

I'm tired do me a favor

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OfflinecronicrFacebook
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cronicr] * 2
    #20236797 - 07/07/14 11:44 AM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

cronicr said:
i say tag this man, spitball deserves it...or rather the community does:super:



:whathesaid::takingnotes:


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

It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn

I'm tired do me a favor

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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cronicr] * 3
    #20236803 - 07/07/14 11:46 AM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Not really. I know the basics. I just seam smart because I only talk about what I know. But I do appreciate the gesture.


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The Basics
A little civility goes a long way

The Noob Forum
The Hammock Hangers' Forum

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OfflinecronicrFacebook
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 3
    #20236812 - 07/07/14 11:48 AM (9 years, 8 months ago)

:laugh2: i just needed an excuse to bump some of your shit lol, lots of people need teks these days:hehehe:


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

It doesn't matter what i think of you...all that matters is clean spawn

I'm tired do me a favor

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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cronicr] * 2
    #20236816 - 07/07/14 11:49 AM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

cronicr said:
:laugh2: i just needed an excuse to bump some of your shit lol, lots of people need teks these days:hehehe:



:like:


--------------------
The Basics
A little civility goes a long way

The Noob Forum
The Hammock Hangers' Forum

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Invisibletoxetel
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 4
    #20237332 - 07/07/14 02:07 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

SpitballJedi said:
I only talk about what I know.




:seriousthankyou:

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OfflineAttainment
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: toxetel] * 3
    #20237677 - 07/07/14 03:36 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Your write up are all very well done Spitball. Your's and Frank's How I get Stuff Done are 2 of my favorite bookmarks on here

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Offlineaww
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: Attainment] * 2
    #20239568 - 07/07/14 09:24 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

When using the SAB, do you put stuff through the holes or do you lift it up?

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InvisibleSpitballJedi
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: aww] * 2
    #20239595 - 07/07/14 09:33 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Sometimes I do G2G and agar in the same sitting. I may lift it and put my grain jars in, then lift it to get them out. Or I may leave them in so I can use them kinda like a shelf and just slip a few already poured agar dishes through the holes.

It just depends on how many things I need to put in it.


--------------------
The Basics
A little civility goes a long way

The Noob Forum
The Hammock Hangers' Forum

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Offlinecinderblock
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cronicr] * 2
    #20307248 - 07/21/14 06:19 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

cronicr said:
i say tag this man, spitball deserves it...or rather the community does:super:




Agreed, he makes the best teks, hands down.

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InvisibleTheChief
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: SpitballJedi] * 2
    #20307260 - 07/21/14 06:22 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

Thanks man!  Going to walmart tomorrow to get me a SAB!


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


jcbowling1985 said:
"Additionally I did one Armageddon jar with all of the types together."

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Offlinecinderblock
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Re: My SAB (Still Air Box) [Re: cinderblock] * 2
    #20307276 - 07/21/14 06:25 PM (9 years, 8 months ago)

You recommended doing all your work towards the back of the box. Do you wear tyvek sleeves?

Also, do you rub everything that goes into the SAB before AND after? Or just after it enters the SAB?

Do you use Dr. Bonner's for a specific reason? Or can I just use aerosol like Oust? Thanks.

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