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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! 1
#26645204 - 05/03/20 04:45 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Hoooooly shit brov, let my mistake be a lesson to all. Just had a full 500mL bottle of agar media blow up in my face. Was doing my normal agar rutine, listening to some loud music (my first mistake, I put it on to mask the sound of the LFH tho) and I sat my agar media into the microwave to melt, clearly I wasn't focused and accidentally put it on full blast. I heard the pressure build up in the bottle, but by that time it was already to late. I rushed to stop the microwave and just as i opened the microwave it blew up, all over my face, legs, arms and ALL OVER MY FUCKING ROOM. Holy shit gents, sounded like a god damn gun shot. Im fine tho, no burns or nothing I have no idea how, lucky as hell I guess. Not to mention, in the panic I rushed to clean everything up and slipped on the agar like a god damn Tom and Jerry cartoon haha.
MELT YOUR GOD DAMN AGAR SLOWLY, PLEASE!!!
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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FrankRhizo
Interdimensional Travel Agent

Registered: 11/28/17
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Heard that. Glad to hear you are doing okay.
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: FrankRhizo] 1
#26645249 - 05/03/20 05:35 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Second of all why was the lid tight well you were heating it ?
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Sockadin



Registered: 01/03/10
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: bodhisatta]
#26645269 - 05/03/20 05:56 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I feel you bro.
I don't use the microwave at all. Just mix dry ingredients and pour in boiling water from a kettle and shake the shit out of it before PCing.
Nevermind I'm guessing you mean remelting agar that has set up in your media bottle. Yeah man you gotta always loosen that lid.
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Ovoidhunter
Buttery Crescent



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: Sockadin]
#26645298 - 05/03/20 06:25 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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I've been making up my agar and storing it in the freezer in a liquor bottle. When I need to use it I take it out and run warm water over the glass to bring it to room temperature so it doesn't break. Then I use the microwave to thaw it out. I always make sure to have a hole to vent out the pressure tho.
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bodhisatta 
Smurf real estate agent


Registered: 04/30/13
Posts: 61,889
Loc: Milky way
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: Ovoidhunter]
#26645305 - 05/03/20 06:32 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Its a Pyrex bottle you could slam it in a pot of boiling water right from the freezer.
Nvm see you're using a liquor bottle.
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brikogen
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: bodhisatta]
#26645372 - 05/03/20 07:35 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
bodhisatta said: Its a Pyrex bottle you could slam it in a pot of boiling water right from the freezer.
Even this has to be done with care, had some lab grade beaker break on me due to bubbling of the water under and around the beaker, it sliced the bottom right off.
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: brikogen]
#26645378 - 05/03/20 07:39 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Did you get hit with glass shrapnel? Or was it more the lid shot off?
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



Registered: 08/07/18
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: bodhisatta]
#26645380 - 05/03/20 07:40 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
bodhisatta said: Second of all why was the lid tight well you were heating it ?
I was doing it after the sterilization period. I left it in the PC for a day or two, had other things to do. And I thought if you unscrew the cap a bit it would send the contams in it via pressure regulation? I usually I just slowly melt it down.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645382 - 05/03/20 07:42 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
oculodextro said: Did you get hit with glass shrapnel? Or was it more the lid shot off?
Nah, luckly I use the Pyrex bottles for my agar so the top just blew up.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
Edited by HoneyBadger9321 (05/03/20 07:43 AM)
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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Quote:
HoneyBadger9321 said:
Quote:
bodhisatta said: Second of all why was the lid tight well you were heating it ?
I was doing it after the sterilization period. I left it in the PC for a day or two, had other things to do. And I thought if you unscrew the cap a bit it would send the contams in it via pressure regulation? I usually I just slowly melt it down.
Don't loosen the lid completely just a small turn to allow some gas to escape.
You could also place the agar in a pot, slowly bring it up to boil. This is a longer process, but you have more control.
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645400 - 05/03/20 07:52 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
oculodextro said:
Quote:
HoneyBadger9321 said:
Quote:
bodhisatta said: Second of all why was the lid tight well you were heating it ?
I was doing it after the sterilization period. I left it in the PC for a day or two, had other things to do. And I thought if you unscrew the cap a bit it would send the contams in it via pressure regulation? I usually I just slowly melt it down.
Don't loosen the lid completely just a small turn to allow some gas to escape.
You could also place the agar in a pot, slowly bring it up to boil. This is a longer process, but you have more control.
Thank you oculodextro, I acctualy just finished cleaning up the mess, so im going to melt another batch as we speak. Ill be well careful now.
But just to be clear, I can unscrew the cap just a little bit, yeah? I was thinking of putting a filter on it maybe?
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Also good friends could use help with this. Im pretty new to agar as u can probably tell I've done maybe 10 batches now and the last 2 had the same problem of not completely solidifying, they stay half melted even when left in the fridge for hours.
I use: 10g agar + 10g potato detroxe + 7g dextrose to 500ml (+ 10 drops of food coloring)
Usually the whole thing solidifies, so it seemed weird that the agar would only solidify half and set on the bottom/side of the bottle.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
Edited by HoneyBadger9321 (05/03/20 08:04 AM)
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Sockadin



Registered: 01/03/10
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What kind of agar. 10 Grams should be enough. I do 7 LME- 10 agar agar. No food coloring.
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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Are you boiling everything, occasionally I don't get the whole solution boiled so it won't gel the whole way through. My latest batch of agar says to use 15g, so I've been using about 12g of agar for 500mL.
I unscrew like just enough so I can tell it's not cranked shut. It's just slightly released from being fully screwed on.
I use foil for my PC cycle, after that I tend to just microwave it.
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645540 - 05/03/20 09:07 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
oculodextro said: Are you boiling everything, occasionally I don't get the whole solution boiled so it won't gel the whole way through. My latest batch of agar says to use 15g, so I've been using about 12g of agar for 500mL.
I unscrew like just enough so I can tell it's not cranked shut. It's just slightly released from being fully screwed on.
I use foil for my PC cycle, after that I tend to just microwave it.
Yeah i might need to bump it up to 12g. I used to boil the agar before sterilization and filter it (I went step by step following the c10s post: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/24330957 ). But the last batch (the photo i posted) wasn't filtered or boiled. Since the last batch was watery I thought not filtering it or boiling it would help, but it produced the same results if not worse.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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Does it say the gel strength on the packet? My shitty agar that I can't wait to get through says 900mg/cm2
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645627 - 05/03/20 10:10 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Honestly I do not know, my agar packging doesnt have that specification. But I know for sure it worked like a charm the last 5 times I used it.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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gizmo1



Registered: 06/15/11
Posts: 3,831
Loc: FREEDOM
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Quote:
HoneyBadger9321 said: Also good friends could use help with this. Im pretty new to agar as u can probably tell I've done maybe 10 batches now and the last 2 had the same problem of not completely solidifying, they stay half melted even when left in the fridge for hours.
I use: 10g agar + 10g potato detroxe + 7g dextrose to 500ml (+ 10 drops of food coloring)
Usually the whole thing solidifies, so it seemed weird that the agar would only solidify half and set on the bottom/side of the bottle.
Is this before or after sterilization?
-------------------- Trade List πππ 6 hole Mini Monos
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: gizmo1]
#26645658 - 05/03/20 10:34 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
gizmo1 said:
Quote:
HoneyBadger9321 said: Also good friends could use help with this. Im pretty new to agar as u can probably tell I've done maybe 10 batches now and the last 2 had the same problem of not completely solidifying, they stay half melted even when left in the fridge for hours.
I use: 10g agar + 10g potato detroxe + 7g dextrose to 500ml (+ 10 drops of food coloring)
Usually the whole thing solidifies, so it seemed weird that the agar would only solidify half and set on the bottom/side of the bottle.
Is this before or after sterilization?
This was after sterilization and poped into the fridge for 12h. (15psi for 17min then left to cool)
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
Edited by HoneyBadger9321 (05/03/20 10:37 AM)
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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How long do you sterilize for?
Did you ninja edit on me!!!!
I'd maybe bump that sterilization up to 20-25 minutes and see if it gels better. I do 40 minutes, but maybe that's overkill
Edited by oculodextro (05/03/20 10:44 AM)
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645667 - 05/03/20 10:45 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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15psi for 17min then let cool.
Haha yeah i did , gotta type faster boi
Ill try bumping it to 25-30min. see if it makes a difference.
Edited by HoneyBadger9321 (05/03/20 10:46 AM)
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oculodextro

Registered: 04/10/13
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Just found on a scientific website they recommend 500 ml @ 18 min.
I do 40 minutes because I'm using an Instant Pot, and i can only set it to max pressure. Which I believe is closer to 12PSI. Did some janky math when I first started and came up with that time. I should probably redo my math.
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HoneyBadger9321
Mushroom Bookie



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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: oculodextro]
#26645686 - 05/03/20 10:52 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Id do 20min, sounds perfect for your case haha
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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gizmo1



Registered: 06/15/11
Posts: 3,831
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Your agar isn't being heated enough to dissolve for some reason are you are you venting the PC well before putting the weight on? Try predisolving the agar before pcing mix well. If you aren't having issues with contamination then your PC cycle is plenty long enough the way it is but predisolving will fix your geling problem.
-------------------- Trade List πππ 6 hole Mini Monos
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LREAM
Registered: 11/13/19
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: gizmo1]
#26645800 - 05/03/20 11:45 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Microwaves are just convenient for lazy people. I can't think of anything I would ever want to microwave, it makes food gross, and overall just a waste of money. I've had the same iron skillets, and 3 pots from my grandparents and can't imagine ever needing another one, unless a handle broke off. Side story I went out to grab some food months ago, and watched the lady turn around and microwave the breakfast sandwich in a plastic container, I laughed and walked out without saying anything. I'd rather be hungry for a few hours. Sorry for the rant.
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HoneyBadger9321
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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: LREAM]
#26645812 - 05/03/20 11:50 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Quote:
LREAM said: Microwaves are just convenient for lazy people. I can't think of anything I would ever want to microwave, it makes food gross, and overall just a waste of money. I've had the same iron skillets, and 3 pots from my grandparents and can't imagine ever needing another one, unless a handle broke off. Side story I went out to grab some food months ago, and watched the lady turn around and microwave the breakfast sandwich in a plastic container, I laughed and walked out without saying anything. I'd rather be hungry for a few hours. Sorry for the rant.
My man, sure... why not. I get your point I dont microwave any of my food (except of that delis delis buttered popcorn ), but for mycology purposes a microwave has some uses.
-------------------- βToday a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather.β β Bill Hicks
 
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oculodextro

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Re: MELT YOUR AGAR SLOWLY!!!! [Re: LREAM]
#26645815 - 05/03/20 11:51 AM (3 years, 8 months ago) |
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Wrong place for a rant about microwaves...They have their uses, low power works wonders for agar. Just have to be present and make sure it doesn't boil over.
Works great for reheating tea/coffee, or even boiling the water for hot beverages. Also you can nuke food then crisp it up in the oven, pan, toaster, etc.
But yea, we're talking agar here.
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