Making some progress.
Found appropriate, reasonably priced filters for the job.
Also got a lot more of the components ready and did a little fabrication / assembly / fitment. Nothing is fixed in place yet. Test fit to the fermentation vessel are the thermowell, threaded rod to support the mixer, inlet & outlet for aeration & also a blank hole for the injection port (I neglected to include this in the 3D model)
Also assembled the mag-stir plate. I have not attached the magnets to the fan blades yet. I’m waiting until I finalize the impeller / mixer that goes in the jar so I can get good alignment between the two.
Filters for the bio-fermentor finally ready to ship, a week after placing the order… We’re so spoiled by AMZN Prime. Makes me think back to ordering stuff from catalogs by mailing in an order form. wow. anyway, they should be here this coming Thursday.
On another note; I’m starting to question my decision to 3D print the mixer part of the apparatus.
3D printed parts, even on the highest quality machines tend to be porous to varying degrees & also typically have large voids inside their structure.
This means that the liquid media & mycelium could intrude into this structure & also unwanted mold spores etc. There would be tons of crevices for these spores to shelter in along with dead mycelium & old media to further shelter them, to the point where they could easily survive sterilization.
Sigh… of course I already bought the relatively expensive poly carbonate filament. If I had access to a resin based 3D printer and appropriate material to print with, I might still be able to stick with this design, but I don’t. Soooo, I’ll probably have to form something out of SS sheet which has it’s own problems.
SS agitator designed in lieu of the 3D printed one. Should be ready in about a week or so. Gotta wait on material.
I didn’t bother modeling the bends in all the vertical blades.
Also got more assembly done. Bolted down the weld nut for the threaded rod and started sealing the various connections. My work with RTV isn’t pretty, but I’ll still post photos later.
I’m experimenting with different finishes to try and come up with a good water-resistant food-safe option. This one was just soaked in raw linseed oil.
Bow No.16: Rawhide-backed hickory, 60# @28", 52" Tip to Tip, hollow limb profile. Compression fractures near the fade on the lower limb render it another failure, but with each bow I am getting a little better.
I had a piece of ash that was to short to use as a billet, so I got the idea to make a 10th Century small game crossbow. Draw weight is 50# at 12", tip overlays are buffalo horn and the stock is cherry. This was a fun project; I’m working on a much heavier follow-up in hickory with a steel two-piece trigger assembly.
ETA: Made from deer antler, ebony wood, paua shell laminate, copper wire & CA glue. Polished to 12000 grit before final finish coat polished with compound. Appx 6.5mm wide & 2.5mm thick.
