# sterile hood ideas for flasking



## ehanes7612 (Mar 18, 2012)

curious what ideas people have for a hood to do flasking. Was thinking about building one of plexiglass , window fan and a HEPA filter. I also heard of using an oven


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## TyroneGenade (Mar 19, 2012)

See http://www.ukorchidforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1292&start=25#p14808 . You don't really need a hood nor a pressure cooker/autoclave. I use H2O2 to surface sterilize plastic tubs for flasking and the contamination rate is very low (and can always be traced back to sloppy forceps technique rather than unsterilized tubs).


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## ehanes7612 (Mar 19, 2012)

TyroneGenade said:


> See http://www.ukorchidforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1292&start=25#p14808 . You don't really need a hood nor a pressure cooker/autoclave. I use H2O2 to surface sterilize plastic tubs for flasking and the contamination rate is very low (and can always be traced back to sloppy forceps technique rather than unsterilized tubs).



nice..thanks


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## ehanes7612 (Mar 19, 2012)

i found a site that shows how to sterilize media with the oven ..300 degrees F (150 C)...of course , cant use plastic


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## tim (Mar 19, 2012)

make media, pour however much you want into one of these, put in microwave until media boils + 1 minute...http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=35993


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## ehanes7612 (Mar 19, 2012)

tim said:


> make media, pour however much you want into one of these, put in microwave until media boils + 1 minute...http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=35993



i would have to buy a microwave oven..dont like microwave ovens ...but maybe


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## Kyle (Mar 19, 2012)

I made my own laminar flow hood for about $400. The major cost was the filter and the fan. The wood was about fifty and fifty for the glass. Let me know if yo want more info. If you are serious about this, a laminar flow hood and pressure cooker are the way to go.


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## ehanes7612 (Mar 19, 2012)

Kyle said:


> I made my own laminar flow hood for about $400. The major cost was the filter and the fan. The wood was about fifty and fifty for the glass. Let me know if yo want more info. If you are serious about this, a laminar flow hood and pressure cooker are the way to go.



thanks, i found a link to how to construct a laminar flow hood


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## Dido (Mar 20, 2012)

http://www.orchideenvermehrung.at/deutsch.htm

In this link you can find a construction plan


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## TyroneGenade (Mar 20, 2012)

ehanes7612 said:


> i found a site that shows how to sterilize media with the oven ..300 degrees F (150 C)...of course , cant use plastic



This is not needed. Fill the tubs (use the hard heat resistant plastic used for warm foods like soup etc...) with the medium (with agar added), and heat to 80 oC (176 oF), snap on the lid and allow to cool and stand for a day. Repeat this 3 times. This is a method which was publishes in the AOS journal many moons ago but I forget the exact name. I haven't tried this myself but it should work.

The thick plastic tubs can take temps in excess of 100 oC (212 oF).


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## Candace (Mar 20, 2012)

I made my own with a filter using a plastic box. Tried very hard, but it was a miserable failure. Just too small and everything was contaminated. I've also heard about using an oven, but I know I would spill inside of it and I really don't want to buy a new oven. If I ever got serious, I'd probably buy a used laminar flow unit and keep my eye on the local college/university surplus. I've seen them within a couple hours drive of me.


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## ehanes7612 (Mar 20, 2012)

Dido said:


> http://www.orchideenvermehrung.at/deutsch.htm
> 
> In this link you can find a construction plan



thats the one i found, thanks


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## polyantha (Mar 22, 2012)

I built a clean bench myself. For +- 80 Dollars and it is working perfectly. I used the e-motor from a vacuum cleaner. The cheapest HEPA's are the ones used in vacuum cleaners for people who suffer from pollen allergies. You will probably get one for 10 to 20 bucks.
I plan to make a Homepage for non-commercial orchid breeders. From the beginning to building a cleanbench over sowing techniques to replating. But in German  It is absolutely possible to make the whole sowing process at home, the only problem could eventually be the available space for the young plants ;-)


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## Dido (Mar 22, 2012)

Please keep us updated polyantha. 
I am thinking on built something for my own. 
Do you have a pict of your clean bench.


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## cnycharles (Mar 22, 2012)

polyantha said:


> ... It is absolutely possible to make the whole sowing process at home, the only problem could eventually be the available space for the young plants ;-)



 it could be quite possible that the offhand surplus of associated flasking stuff would overwhelm your storage area. each time you try new bottles, or sterilizing equipment, new filters light bulbs and such, you will have to store it somewhere. when i just moved, much of my stuff (read 'junk') was orchid-related, often types of potting or mounting media, old s/h pellets and cork mounts, pots, various fertilizers and old things from former growing shelves etc etc etc

good luck and have fun!


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## polyantha (Mar 23, 2012)

Here you are:











It is quite small (not much larger than a microwave) and weight is around 15 kg. It is very solid and good for carrying around, but still big enough for a hobbyist.






For more pics and info, please visit my homepage when it is up. I will post the link soon.


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## Marc (Mar 23, 2012)

That's an interesting setup! 

Thanks for sharing these plans.


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## keithrs (Mar 23, 2012)

Nice!!!!


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## biothanasis (Mar 23, 2012)

Great work polyantha!!!! :clap:


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## Dido (Mar 25, 2012)

Great setup I have to start to built one, do do my own seedlings. 
Thanks for the pic


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## TyroneGenade (Mar 28, 2012)

Hello,

the process I was referring to is called Tyndallization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndallization .


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## ehanes7612 (Apr 29, 2012)

TyroneGenade said:


> Hello,
> 
> the process I was referring to is called Tyndallization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndallization .




can you do the tyndallization process with the seeds in there or is that dumb question? will it kill the seeds?


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## TyroneGenade (Apr 30, 2012)

Yes, it will cook the seeds.


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## ehanes7612 (May 7, 2012)

ok, screw it..i tried flasking (mold mold mold) but i dont have the patience for it..good news is, i found a flasker in ohio so i will let the experts handle it


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