Shilala Beads

To the folks using these: Did you have heartfelt beads before and find this to be better or was this your first go around with beads? I'm using the HF beads in my vinotemp and a a cooler and they work fine, but I find the claims of total RH stability from these intriguing. Might have to give some a try.

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by Jack1000

To the folks using these: Did you have heartfelt beads before and find this to be better or was this your first go around with beads? I'm using the HF beads in my vinotemp and a a cooler and they work fine, but I find the claims of total RH stability from these intriguing. Might have to give some a try.

I've Only Used Scott Shilala's Beads & They Work Great In My Crazy Climate of 100* Temps & 100% RH. I Have Them In 3 Coolidors & 4 Humidors.

[SaltyMcGee]

Originally Posted by Jack1000

To the folks using these: Did you have heartfelt beads before and find this to be better or was this your first go around with beads? I'm using the HF beads in my vinotemp and a a cooler and they work fine, but I find the claims of total RH stability from these intriguing. Might have to give some a try.

On the flip side of this, I have a set of 65 % heartfelt beads that are having incredible trouble keeping the RH in my cooler below 70%. Is there something I should do with what I have or is my only recourse to buy these new beads?

[G G]

Originally Posted by Jack1000

To the folks using these: Did you have heartfelt beads before and find this to be better or was this your first go around with beads? I'm using the HF beads in my vinotemp and a a cooler and they work fine, but I find the claims of total RH stability from these intriguing. Might have to give some a try.

I had a tube of hearfelt beads in a desktop humi for over a year, and was contuinually having to recharge them with distilled water. I bought 1.5 lbs of the HCM beads from Scott for my vino when I bought it almost 2 years ago, and have only had to put a dish of distilled water in there maybe 2 times and it has now been at least a year since i had to do it and the humidity doesn't fluctuate. I also have two travel humis and bought what I thought was going to be one two ounce tube of HCM beads to go in my 36 count, and Scott sent a 2 ounce and a 1 ounce for the price of the 2 ounce. I now have to 1 ounce in my 15 count. I know that the comparison between a desktop and vino isn't apples to apples, but for my money as long as the HCM beads are available I will spend my money on them.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I certainly do not want or need an argument, but Scott Shilala is a stand up guy. When I was trying to figure out what to put in the vino for humidification I called him on the phone and he talked to me for an hour explaining how they worked and why they were better than anything else that is available. So even if Scott has an "interest" in the beads I will still buy them.

[stewshi]

You can just click on the link in Shilala's sig that is 4 posts up it will lead you to the site. Under "About Us" there is a link on the bottom on how to care for your beads. I would post a direct link but still dont know the rules on that here.

Originally Posted by SaltyMcGee

Could someone point me to the thread that explains how you can control the RH with these beads? Is it a matter of using more or less water? ME = Stupid.

[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.

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.

[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.

[CigarNut]

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.

If you think the packaging for your beads is getting worn and will leak, let me know and I will send you out a replacement and then you can return the worn out one (placing it in a ziplock or the like before shipping it ). No charge for you except the postage to return the old one.

This applies whether you purchased the beads from either me or Scott.

[kelmac07]

Originally Posted by CigarNut

If you think the packaging for your beads is getting worn and will leak, let me know and I will send you out a replacement and then you can return the worn out one (placing it in a ziplock or the like before shipping it ). No charge for you except the postage to return the old one.

This applies whether you purchased the beads from either me or Scott.

+1 for that customer service!!

[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.

[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?

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?