Shilala Beads

[weak_link]

Scott can you suggest a way to keep the bags from splitting? The large bags that sit at the bottom of my vino are fine but the ones that get moved around from time to time in the desktops have some issues. Two or 3 of the small bags have split on me. I tried to melt the bags back together with a torch with varying degrees of success. Actually not much success, just a lot of fail.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by SaltyMcGee

Yes they are definitely 65%. The hair dryer idea is a great one!

Make sure they are contained somehow, like putting them in some nylons. Unless ofcourse you just really like picking up small beads or really want to vacuum. Ofcourse if they are in tubes or closed containers, the suggestion is moot.

Originally Posted by weak_link

Scott can you suggest a way to keep the bags from splitting? The large bags that sit at the bottom of my vino are fine but the ones that get moved around from time to time in the desktops have some issues. Two or 3 of the small bags have split on me. I tried to melt the bags back together with a torch with varying degrees of success. Actually not much success, just a lot of fail.

Just transfer them into panty hose (new) and knot the end off.

Originally Posted by Mindflux

Just transfer them into panty hose (new) and knot the end off.

Yup, this is what I do as well. Works fine.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by Mindflux

Just transfer them into panty hose (new) and knot the end off.

Originally Posted by Brad

Yup, this is what I do as well. Works fine.

I think he is asking Scott how to re-seal the bag they come in or a preventive measure to keep them from splitting, not what else he could put them in.

Originally Posted by chippewastud79

I think he is asking Scott how to re-seal the bag they come in or a preventive measure to keep them from splitting, not what else he could put them in.

Why bother re sealing them at this point. We are giving him a working alternative.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by Mindflux

Why bother re sealing them at this point. We are giving him a working alternative.

Because the original question was about the bags they came in, not what else he could put them in.

[jonumberone]

Are these beads as easy to use as the web site claims? When they arrive don't do anything to them, just place in your humidor and wait?

[weak_link]

I'll try the pantyhose, seems obvious but didn't even think of it.

[mithrilG60]

That's about it, assuming you like your cigars at 65%. If not you can either pay the extra to have them pre-conditioned to your preferred RH or just raise/lower them yourself. I'm in the process of raising mine to 70% along with the contents of both of my humidors. The beads were easy to get to 70, just followed the instructions on the site, but of course since the humidors have been at 65% for a couple years as soon as they went in they went back down towards equilbrium closer to 65 so I've also got green foam in at the moment to provide an outside source of moisture. It's taken a month or so but it's now starting to get close so I expect the cigars and wood are close to reaching 70% themselves and I'll be able to pull out the foam.

[jonumberone]

I think i'm gonna give em a try.

I think i will give the beads a try at some point, but anything that creates such a violent reaction when in direct contact with water is a bit scary to me.

[mithrilG60]

There shouldn't be any liquid water in your humidor so you'll be safe

[shilala]

Originally Posted by weak_link

Scott can you suggest a way to keep the bags from splitting? The large bags that sit at the bottom of my vino are fine but the ones that get moved around from time to time in the desktops have some issues. Two or 3 of the small bags have split on me. I tried to melt the bags back together with a torch with varying degrees of success. Actually not much success, just a lot of fail.

Eric, all you have to do is use an iron. Set it on it's highest setting and fix the seams. When you iron them, you want to lay the bag on a piece of fabric, but NOT a towel.
Press down with the iron and hold it until you know the bag has come to temperature. Pressing is important. It pushes the blue around and makes it stick good.
The other option is to just sew the edges.
The fabric is tricky to seal. I can tell if it's right by squeezing the bags after I make them. At a time, I had a crappy iron and had a lot of fail that I didn't catch. I got a new super fancy iron and it alleviated the fail.
I have a couple two ounce sticks in my travel humi that I made a long time ago, the ends are splitting on me. I need to fix them. They're one of the million things I have to fix around here.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by weak_link

I'll try the pantyhose, seems obvious but didn't even think of it.

Don't do that, Eric. The beads will fall right through. They're too small for pantyhose. Plus if you put them in a ball, you lose the surface area that's working for you. I tried pantyhose. It makes a huge mess.

[OLS]

I was thinking that, too. I had a bag split on me the other day, and I just took
some packing tape and sealed the edge that way. I lose about 8 percent of my air
exchange area, but now I have a handle to grab. The beads will not all go through
the nylons, but enough will that you will be sorry you did that.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by OLS

I was thinking that, too. I had a bag split on me the other day, and I just took
some packing tape and sealed the edge that way. I lose about 8 percent of my air
exchange area, but now I have a handle to grab. The beads will not all go through
the nylons, but enough will that you will be sorry you did that.

I stuck a tiny piece of duct tape on my one on the roof of my travel humi. That worked up until this past weekend.
If you stretch the nylons taught, it's kinda like they aren't there. More like a sieve than a bag. When I was finding a fabric to use, I tried almost everything. I can't remember how I came across the fusible knit. I think I was looking for something else in the fabric store and was gonna use fabric glue or this iron-on glue strip they have. When I saw that stuff, I was all like "Dood. Nice."
It wouldn't come apart when I got it ironed right, although it is delicate. The delicate is a tradeoff because it's so sheer, doesn't stretch, and it allows a perfect transfer of water to air.

I am a little confused on how to recharge the beads. Usually I would put them in a bag with a small dish of warm water and let the beads slowly recharge. Reading the site it says that is exactly how you should raise the PH of the beads. I have noticed that my humidor now stays around 68.

How do you charge them without raising the RH?

[lbowles2]

Originally Posted by Trouble

I am a little confused on how to recharge the beads. Usually I would put them in a bag with a small dish of warm water and let the beads slowly recharge. Reading the site it says that is exactly how you should raise the PH of the beads. I have noticed that my humidor now stays around 68.

How do you charge them without raising the RH?

You don't recharge the Shilala beads like you do the Heartfelt beads. Once they achieve the rh you want that is where they stay until you remove them from that environment. Once you move them to another environment they will try to achieve that ph level. That's why they say to store them in a ziplock back when not in use.

Originally Posted by shilala

Don't do that, Eric. The beads will fall right through. They're too small for pantyhose. Plus if you put them in a ball, you lose the surface area that's working for you. I tried pantyhose. It makes a huge mess.

how small are the beads? they'd have to be almost microscopic to fall through panty hose?