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InvisibleYarry
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Registered: 01/04/04
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Silica Gel as desiccant?
    #4976815 - 11/24/05 04:03 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Well i managed to get my hands on a bunch of silica gel and am wondering if i should keep this as desiccant for any future projects i may have. Its my understanding this shit will keep for years, so no big deal there.


My question is, does this shit work?


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OfflineJoeyShmoey
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4976827 - 11/24/05 04:07 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Home Depot has some in a box that Painters use to dry small rooms like closets.. I would guess if you used it right, it should work.

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InvisibleYarry
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: JoeyShmoey]
    #4976833 - 11/24/05 04:10 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

anyone know for sure? im just gonna toss it in tupperware then paper towel, then shrooms on top, assumin i ever use it. either way i can store it in my closet for awhile anyways.

does anyone have actual experience with this? and how much faster would desiccant drying be this way, as opposed to say blowing a fan over them?


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OfflineJoeyShmoey
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4976858 - 11/24/05 04:24 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

I read a tech quite a few years ago that dried the shroomies the traditional fan way, and then removed any remaining moisture in them with the silica gel. Like you said, I think a papertowel was used in-between the two or there was a screen over the silica, to keep the shroomies from coming in contact with the silica.

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Offlinehyphae
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4976888 - 11/24/05 04:42 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Yes it works very good for me.


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InvisibleYarry
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: hyphae]
    #4976935 - 11/24/05 04:56 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

how long does it take? and how often do you have to bake it to get all the water out?


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OfflineESanceOfCyan
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4976972 - 11/24/05 05:10 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Go to Pay-less Shoes or Ross, try on a bunch of shoes.....take the silica gel packs from each box and pocket them.(Easiest & free way to get it)

Alternatively, you could go to the grocery(pet food isle) and buy Fresh-Step Deodorizing crystals(silica).

^^^One of these things and some Newspapers and your good to go.
It drys your shrooms fast!! Adding a oscillating fan helps too.


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Invisiblebackupwards
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: ESanceOfCyan]
    #4977011 - 11/24/05 05:22 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

*cough*seeing as you already have some*cough*, it will work fine for finishing them up after doing some fan drying first. It will only absorb so much water and then you would have to change it probably to finish them up. remember ~90% water.
fan drying will get rid of alot of that water before hand and then allow the silica to suck that last bit of moisture out of them.

I use the little tyvek packets of the silica in storage jars too, helps to keep them very dry.
Check at your local thrift stores for a food dehydrator, they do work the best for drying.

good luck

:peace:

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InvisibleYarry
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: backupwards]
    #4977017 - 11/24/05 05:23 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

yea but all the food dehydrators ive seen use heat, and thats not a good idea. so i havnt got one. well i got an old one and tried unplugging the heater but when i plugged it in it shorted out and shot a huge blue spark and died. ah well


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Offlinejohnjohnandjamal
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4977568 - 11/24/05 07:28 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

I tried using silica gel and had very poor results...I've now switched to over drying at about 120F and it works great!

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Invisiblemusher_420
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: johnjohnandjamal]
    #4977708 - 11/24/05 08:00 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

I've been drying with silica gel for a while now.
You can keep re-using it by putting it in a shallow pan and put it in the oven at 250 degrees ferinhight for at least 5 hours. That will get the moisture out of it.
Like backupwards said you can't just dry fresh shrooms with it with out changing the gel or baking it a few times. Your best to put fresh mushrooms in front of a fan or better even put a black T-shirt over the mushrooms. And put a light over top. Have a fan blowing accost that. After about a day then use the silica gel in a sealed container.
Good way to get them really dry for long term storage. I also make little packets of it using coffee filters and put them in my jars.


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Offlinelordoftheshroomz
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4977934 - 11/24/05 09:04 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Quote:

Yarry said:
yea but all the food dehydrators ive seen use heat, and thats not a good idea. so i havnt got one. well i got an old one and tried unplugging the heater but when i plugged it in it shorted out and shot a huge blue spark and died. ah well




actually i'd probably have to say using a heated food dehydrator would be the best way to dry shroomz. if ure using one that goes way too hot then thats bad news but ive heard drying at 90-120 farenheit would be essentially harmless. also you want to use heat and a fan too. heat will do some good a fan will do some good, but the two working together will work wonders. then even better would probably be storing the cracker dry shroomz in a jar with a few silica gels until ready for consumption

just keep in mind you'll probably need a lot of silica gels. they put a small package to take care of a shoe box which wont have much moisture to begin with. but damprid and the likes (calcium chloride im not sure if its lik anhydrous or something but yea...) are much more powerful. small ammounts relative to the space its trying to dry, will dry entire rooms and also it can handle a lot of moisture. so either use a lot of silica gels in a smaller box, or use a small ammount of calcium chloride in the same smaller or if u must a little bigger of a box. i still believe using a space heater or food dehydrator are the best way to dry them and dessicants and oxygen removers should be used for storing them. in any case whatever the state of the mushrooms, you dont want them touching wutever desiccant you use. find a means of doing that. also ive heard using dessicants alone (and they were referring to the much more powerful desiccant calcium chloride) will give poor results. they should be fan dried as much as possible first then put in a desiccant chamber. ive heard of rottign occuring if this isnt done. and last but not least, i've seen calcium chloride based snow melting salt mixtures. vchances are you wont want to use those. they often contain other wierd salts that you don't want. i'm unsure of potassium chloride but i do know magnesium isnt somethign you want. well at the very least ive heard using dolomitic lime(contains magnesium) for casing mixes is bad news. i dont actualyl know abot what it would do for drying. but i'd stay away from anything i don't know about unless i was willing to and prepared to take the loss if it came to that.

good luck, happy growth!


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MY Glove Box, Automated Terrarium, and Incubator
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THE PATRIOT ACT MAY BE THE DOOM OF US ALL! THEY CAN GET THINGS LIKE YOUR MEDICAL/LEGAL RECORDS, YOUR INTERNET HISTORY, YOUR GOOGLE SEARCH INFORMATION, ALL WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE OR A WARRANT! ALSO NO ONE CAN LEGALLY TELL YOU. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE, THIS ISN'T EXACTLY A FREE COUNTRY ANYMORE NOW IS IT? THEY ARE DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY SO THEY CAN GET RICHER! THE WAR IN IRAQ ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING! HELP GET THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING-NUTS OUT OF POWER, MAKE AN EDUCATED VOTE!

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InvisibleLouiseLouise
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: Yarry]
    #4977951 - 11/24/05 09:09 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

I harvested a couple today, the are on the back of the tv set right now. By morning they will be just about cracker dry.
Warm, dry air  :thumbup:


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"That's why you get in close to them, and then take the picture!! Don't be a pussy!" ~CC

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Offlinelordoftheshroomz
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: LouiseLouise]
    #4977989 - 11/24/05 09:20 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

hopfully well dusted and not a well dusty tv! lol


--------------------
MY Glove Box, Automated Terrarium, and Incubator
Lil' Wyte, Three Six Mafia, Project Pat will bring it to ya door if theres ana on ya chest.
THE PATRIOT ACT MAY BE THE DOOM OF US ALL! THEY CAN GET THINGS LIKE YOUR MEDICAL/LEGAL RECORDS, YOUR INTERNET HISTORY, YOUR GOOGLE SEARCH INFORMATION, ALL WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE OR A WARRANT! ALSO NO ONE CAN LEGALLY TELL YOU. YOU'LL NEVER KNOW UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE, THIS ISN'T EXACTLY A FREE COUNTRY ANYMORE NOW IS IT? THEY ARE DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY SO THEY CAN GET RICHER! THE WAR IN IRAQ ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING! HELP GET THE CONSERVATIVE RIGHT WING-NUTS OUT OF POWER, MAKE AN EDUCATED VOTE!

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OfflineEl_Flying_Mohawk
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Re: Silica Gel as desiccant? [Re: lordoftheshroomz]
    #4978178 - 11/24/05 10:09 PM (18 years, 3 months ago)

Here is the way I dry my shrooms, or at least the way I use to...

A pix is worth a thousand words...

1- A piece of wood that will fit your room window opening
2- A processor fan (20$ Radio Shack)
3- A 120v=12v transformer (3$ Radio Shack)
4- A dryer flexible hose (5$ Home Depot)
5- Tape, staples, misc stuff...



You cut a piece of wood that you can jam in your window not leaving any cracks. Cut a circular hole in it to fit the PC fan. On the intaking end of the fan, nail, staple or glue the flexible hose. Cut the wire at the end of the transformer and connect it with the fan. The fan sucks the air from the room going trough the shrooms in the hose and shoots it out by the window. No smell, very quiet and yet efficient. Sorry If the explanation sounds like I'm taking everyone for dummies, but I just want it to be clear. Most of you guys probably got it just by looking at the pics.

I was living in a basement at my parents, my unaware parents... So the whole thing was happening in my closet, and I had that in my window pretending it was for when I had friends over and they smoked cigarettes (up north, it's a pain when you got to get out at -30 to have a cig). You just stuff it in the hose and leave it there. The shroomy air gets out trough the window, and without a trace, you have a 1/2 lbs drying in your room.

If you don't care about parents, just plug the end of the hose to the top of a food dehydrator filed with shrooms. FD will heat the air going trough the hose, and the hose sucking the air will act as the fan. Air circulation and source of heat in a clever/cheap lil' device. And you can still use it (when it's empty) to get the smoke of whatever you're having out of your room.


My two cents. I'm probably not the first guy to do that, but there you go anyway, the PC fan/Food dehydrator tek.

N.B. It's a shame I sold my food dehydrator, now I can't take pictures of the whole setup, but hey, when you're on a skydiving binge, anything worth a dollar is worth to sell....


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Forever noob

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