I have a roll of 8 mesh hardware cloth (screening) and can share 4" or 6" squares (or whatever fits in a mailer).
It is pretty coarse but will hold back debris larger than 1/10th" or 1/8th" and pass most kinds of seeds.
(Or it would hold back Zinnia seeds but pass fine chaff and dust)
Would anyone like some? I think postage + the cost of a mailer + 50 cents works.
I also have a few 4" squares left of 6 mesh, 10 mesh, and 30 mesh. 30 is too fine for any seeds I handle! But those are mostly spoken for, at least until I get home and count what's left. I also have some 16 mesh, but that's the same as most kitchen strainers.
I hope that Sherman99, Steadycam3, merrymath, deejay and FOTV find this thread and make their wants known ... I'll post what I have left tomorrow.
(Some day I'll buy some 12 or 14 mesh, and 20, 22 or 24 mesh, and share those. I posted in other forums about how to find these at MSC direct, try searching on "hardware cloth".)
One thing I have found about trying to clean seeds only by screening them. Seed sizes vary, and chaff comes in all sizes. So all screens can do is get rid of the too-big and too-small chaff (which might be 80-90%). After that, a screen just "enriches" the seeds, or pulls out "some of the chaff and some of the seeds".
So I think that seed screens are just an aid to cleaning, not the entire answer. But they speed up the first step, and might produce something clean enough to trade, if you aren't fussy. .
Corey
CLOSED: Hardware cloth offer (mesh screens) for seed-cleaning sieves
Karen: OK, I'll see what I have at home.
BTW, here are some related links inside DG:
Saving Seeds: An inexpensive set of durable seed sorting sieves (Katlian)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/939757/?hl=seed+sieves
. . . . . . . . http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/Katlian/10997/ (GREAT idea)
Post #8063729 (how to order from MSC Direct)
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNPDFF?PMPAGE=1806&PMITEM=52431277&PMCTLG=00
Saving Seeds: Cleaning Small Seeds
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/761803/
Saving Seeds: help cleaning small seed
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1057981/?hl=seed+sieves#top
Corey
I use this mesh - available, by the roll, from box stores, for about $7 - in the bottoms of all my pots - it keeps the soil mixture IN THE POT - LOVE IT! It doesn't rot and lasts forever!!!
Corey
You have D-mail.
Dawn
Corey,
I'd like to get some - I could definitely use a little help when it comes to seed cleaning.
Di
Gee, all the messages are going to my Dmail where I have to type each answer 4 times.
I do have some left of 6, 10, 16, 30 and 60 mesh.
Plus I have a small roll of 8 mesh, and now some window screening (maybe around 24 mesh?)
Sherman99, merrymath, deejay and FOTV - I can send you an assortment, and maybe you would put what you DON'T want back into the Spring Robin for someone else to see or take. Steadycam, are you sure you don't wnat to try something?
Merrymath pointed out the possibility of putting a small "sample set" into the Spring Robin, and label it not to be taken. I'll do that, because an ounce or so should have no effect on the postage, and if it does bump us from one pound to the next, I'll re-impburse someone.
That was mostly what I was trying to do in the first round, hoping no one woulkd take the last one of a given size, but I guess they all got taken, though no one has commented on how they worked out in use.
Others who have Dmailed: how about waiting until I see what is left. Then I can send out 8 mesh and window screening to anyone who wants it, plus maybe some other sizes based on what's left and what sizes would be useful to you.
No one has yet said what size would be useful to them, and the range is from much-too-small to much-too-big.
I'm experimenting too, and the only size I have now in what i THINK is the most usefull range (10-22 mesh) is "16 mesh" which is unfortunately the same size as normal kitchen strainers.
It would be helpful to know something like :
"I can use a screen with slightly bigger holes than a kitchen strainer" (or much bigger, or slightly smaller)
or "I wish I had something a little bigger than window screening" (or possibly even smaller).
"Mesh" is the number of threads per inch.
6 is very coarse - not much finer than 1/4" hardware cloth
I have a lot of 8-mesh (holes just under 1/8th") but have not used it yet
10 does get rid of big chaff and would actually hold back zinnia seeds
16 is the same as a kitchen strainer and seems to me only usefull for small seeds, or to get rid of dust from bugger seeds
Now I have a roll of window screening, "mosquito size" and I'm guessing wildly it is around 24 mesh (didn't measure it yet. Is this actually useful?
I think 30 and 60 mesh are too fine for any seeds, but someone who cleans Lobellia or dust-like seeds might correct me.
Corey
Corey, I would like to examine all the various mesh sizes ... gladly will reimburse you for time, materials and postage.
Would appreciate hearing (dos & don'ts) from others who have used various mesh sizes to clean seeds.
MARY
would love some of each corey,let me know how much to send you if thats ok,sue
I guess it's "all sizes" for Mary, Susie, Sheman99, and GardenSeeder. I probably don't 4 of everything, but I'll see how far they go.
Just please tell me after you have time to try them, what you find usefull for what kind of seeds, OK?
But there will be extras of some sizes, especially 8 mesh, window screening, and the VERY fine 30 & 60 and also the coarsest 6-mesh.
(The 6-mesh was inexpensive so I bought an extra square way back when. I was thinking I might use it to screen soil. But 4 mesh is fine enough for that, unless I'm trying to REMOVE fine soil particles to improve drainage for a contrainer.)
Beofre I get to these mailings, I have a Robin to fluff up and set flying again, and work has become stressfull. Oh well, that's why they pay us!
Corey
Corey ~ "Me too"! Please. Maybe you could put some small samples in the robin, or would that make it too cumbersome? Then everyone could look at it and decide. Especially if you label each one and what size it is. It might be a bit much if we all get some from you and then we don't really need all those different sizes.
~ Evelyn
Evelyn, that's what Corey intends to do .... they will really be for DJ .... the sizes will be marked on each piece ... they will be in a baggie marked For DJ .... OK for others to examine. Hopefully, everyone can contribute comments about them.
MARY
Yes, and I tried to label them last night. Works fine for the fine mesh, but it's hard to read on the coarse mesh sizes.
But if you say "the coarsest one" I know "6".
"The second coarsest" is 10
"The big 6" square" is from the big roll of 8-mesh
The it gets more readable.
I'll send screens to anyone in the Robin until I run out, if they say which sizes would really be usefull to them. That will also help me know what to re-order from MSC, maybe in a larger size than just 12" square.
What's left over are spoken for by several people who saw this thread but replied by Dmail, thoguh I have to guess which of 6 sizes would actually be usefull to any one one person.
Corey
karen,
Yes! I'll make sure you get 16, window screen and 30 mesh. If 30 is actually usable at all, I'll also send you 60.
You'll see all four in the RR. I would particularly ask you, after you try them, whether something finer than window screening seems likely to be useful.
Hmm. You're right after Evelyn in the Flight Path, and Evelyn's right after me. How about if I send both of you a full set, and if you DON'T want something, pass it along in a "for everyone" bag.
Then, if no one downstream uses the etxras beofre someone objects to the weight, they can keep it and maybe I'll ask them to mail it for 44 cents to one of the non-robin people who've asked for a sample.
It finally occured to me that the 6 and 10 mesh may be useful even if NOT as screens. The fine screens are so limp that most ways you might use them would benefit from a thick, stiff mesh just to SUPPORT the fine mesg. (I wish I had thought of that long ago.)
I'm now planning to weigh some of the PVC adapters when i mail the Robin out, so i can see how much THEY would cost to mail around. I am guessing "almost as much as they cost".
Corey
Yes, thank you!
This message was edited Mar 11, 2011 6:39 PM
So it shall be!
Corey
your so awsome rick ! suzi
you send to me? and tell me what to send back please?? sue
Thnaks for the reminder - work got busy and I got behind. I'm puttin g together addresses now and will split up what i have left.
Corey
I sent out what I had left. Postage was mosstly $1.29 or $1.56, something like that, and the mailers are 63 cents. I would say "don't worry about it", just keep on sharing seeds with people.
if one or more people really geet into the screens and wnat to get more, or difffernet sizes, just chime in. I saw that the sizes I didn't buy the first time tend to be more expensive! I might try the "plain steel" hardware cloth, instead of 'stanless steel", just to save money.
I might also wait to see just how many kinds of seeds I really will need to clean this year! I just learned that slugs like lobelia, which is not good news for my seed-saving plans.
I also tossed some 0.7 mm mechanical pencils and samples of mini-blind plastic into some of the envelopes, if I thought you might like to try those. I didn't like the "pencil-on-plastic" marking scheme when I used wood pecils - they were too blunt. And the 0.5 mm mechanical pencils were too fine-line. I hope you like 0.7 mm as much as I do now!
Corey
Do we get pocket protectors too? Oh, that's right, we don't need them with pencils! LOL!! I like pencils too and they really are more practical as we can erase them and reuse the labels.
The only thing for me is that I cannot see them so well in the garden, so I have been using tongue depressors marked with a Sharpie. I will probably throw them away at the end of the season, as I doubt they will be useful again. Maybe if I did not put the date sown on them. Still they are useful for my veggies from seed. I think that the part that comes in contact with the soil and stays damp will tell the story.
I now write a code like "L4" in large print at the top of each label. If I have time, I also write out common and/or latin names in finer print, but have to push my nose against the label to read it.
I found that "permanent" Sharpies on plastic faded too fast outdoors. On wood, I bet the ink lasts longer than the wood!
Corey
So far, the ink is still nice and bright. I will try it on the summer veggies and see if they will stand the hot summer sun. Right now the labels are doing better than the veggies. The peas, lettuce and even radishes have been very slow to emerge, due to cold temps. It has been a bit warmer, so we'll see. The garlic is doing great. Last year we had snow in April and May, so there is no predicting the future where weather is concerned.
Corey, my package arrived today and if I was in Washington State, I would hug you! This is all very handy and I can't wait to try out everything for the fall robin - thank you SO much!!
Di
You're very very welcome. Virtual hugs are appreciated! ((()))
If you find a handy way to clamp those screens to something like a jar, please let us all know. I was thinking "heavy rubber band", but I just use the PVC adapters from Katlian's article.
If some screw-on jar lid was loose enough, it might screw on OVER the mesh. Then we coukl cut a big hole into the lid and shake out chaff (or seeds) that way.
The PVC adapters were several dollars each (or was it $6? I have some question in my mind about which are 3" and which are 4", since my HD only had one size, and it has one dimension that is 3", and another that is 4").
I love mine, since I'm clumsy, and they plug together and don't leak seeds. Whichever size mine really are,t hey are big enoguh for me. I cleaned a whole shopping bag full of Alyssum vines by just scooping and rubbing and shaking many times (only to find that the seeds were 99.9% unpolinated).
Corey
thank you so very much corey! your awsome xoxo susan
You're very welcome! Enjoy!
(Please let me know if you like the big-lead mechanical pencils for marking plastic. I know everyone has their own marking method, but this worked so well for me that I can even almost read my own handwriting now!)
Corey
I never have seen the big lead kind. Where can one purchase one?
Staples, Wal-Mart, stationary stores.
I didn;'t think you would want one, but I'll send you one.
I'll also try to find a way to package the "high-polymer leads" so they don't break.
I saw no diffenrece between "HB" and "B" leads, but you might.
Do you have mini-blind plastic slats to write on?
If not, what lengths do you use for plant labels?
When I label pots, I cut the slats in half so they cast less shade.
For in-the-ground labels, I use them either full-width or half-width.
Corey
I will look for some mini-blinds. I like the idea of using pencil as ink is not practical or economical in the long run. I did use the Sharpie for some temporary labels on some bulbs in pots, sice I already had them as I don't think they can be re-used anyway. I re-use the small plastic labels for seedlings but those labels are too small for the garden as I must remove them to see what is on them.
>> I re-use the small plastic labels for seedlings but those labels are too small for the garden as I must remove them to see what is on them.
That's also a downside of the 0.7 mm pencils - from 6 feet away, the line is too fine to read.
I do have a fatter m,echanical pencil, but that lead os so hard, the line is not dark.
If I find a high-polymer, soft lead for THAT pencil, I'll be testing and proselytizing it.
>> I will look for some mini-blinds.
Or, let me know what sizes you would find usefull, and I can send a batch. I found one set of blinds, discarded, and now have a several-year supply.
(I found that around 3.5" half-width lets me label insert cells, and still fit a plastic cover over the tray. Maybe 5" or 5.5" is suitable for Dixie cups and 3.5" pots. Outdoors, it depends on how loose your soil is, but 6" full-width is OK if you can't push them in very deep!
Corey