Straining Bags
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Intheswamp
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I just looked at some paint strainer bags at the hardware store and some of the threads around the opening have the designation HDPE2 molded into them. The letters are kinda small, carry a magnifying glass. If you don't see it get one of the clerks to come over and show it to you.
Intheswamp
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You know, I just looked at the message above and I don't like it. Sorry if it seems like I was being a bit ornery or something by it while trying to pull someone's leg. I meant no harm by it.
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
Options:
10 large heavy duty bags $263.00: https://www.thecheesemaker.com/straining-draining-bags-wholesale-only-10-bags/
Make your own Cheesecloth $10.99 : https://www.amazon.com/Cheesecloth-...ords=food+strainer+bag&qid=1568677716&sr=8-90
3 yards wide and 1.6 yards long,
2 5 gallon fine mesh bags $8.00 + $2.00 Shipping: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TWO-LargeN...475543?hash=item4b69e9c657:g:1zEAAOSwmvJda6bq
Extra Large (26" x 22") Reusable Drawstring Straining Brew in a Bag $10.99 : https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Large-Reusable-Drawstring-Straining/dp/B01D53H3W6
Paint Straining bags 2 $3.98 : https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-2-Pack-Plastic-Bucket-Paint-Strainer/1008387
Whatever floats your boat.
10 large heavy duty bags $263.00: https://www.thecheesemaker.com/straining-draining-bags-wholesale-only-10-bags/
Make your own Cheesecloth $10.99 : https://www.amazon.com/Cheesecloth-...ords=food+strainer+bag&qid=1568677716&sr=8-90
3 yards wide and 1.6 yards long,
2 5 gallon fine mesh bags $8.00 + $2.00 Shipping: https://www.ebay.com/itm/TWO-LargeN...475543?hash=item4b69e9c657:g:1zEAAOSwmvJda6bq
Extra Large (26" x 22") Reusable Drawstring Straining Brew in a Bag $10.99 : https://www.amazon.com/Extra-Large-Reusable-Drawstring-Straining/dp/B01D53H3W6
Paint Straining bags 2 $3.98 : https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-2-Pack-Plastic-Bucket-Paint-Strainer/1008387
Whatever floats your boat.
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I'm trying to make sense of this - There are many folks here using paint bags for straining grape juice or wine and no one is concern that these are not food grade material.
- Someone said that he saw a label on them saying HDPE.
- Really, since when is paint food product?
JoP, you had it right the first time. You wish to avoid products that are not food grade, and acknowledge that others may do as they please. Others assess the risks that they face, and reach a different conclusion, and do "whatever they want." This is all fine. There isn't really much to "make sense of."
I use a straining bag from my LHBS (the type typically used in beer making). Fits great in my butt press and works exceptionally well. It cleans up nicely too.
It probably has a couple more seasons of use left before I replace it. If it cost me $10 I’d be surprised.
It probably has a couple more seasons of use left before I replace it. If it cost me $10 I’d be surprised.
Intheswamp
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I'm curious about something. Do the bags sold for straining fruits and vegetables have tags on them that state they are food grade? I've got a straining bag I bought years ago from either Midwest Supplies or Austin HB...no tag of any kind. Is it that just because a bag is sold at a food-canning/beer-wine-making/etc store that it is deemed food grade...without a tag on it, just packaging stating it?
We've all got our comfort zones with different things. Sometimes we have to step out of that comfort zone, but I don't think this would be one of those times. Use whatever strainer bag that you feel good about using. Personally, I'm a bit skeptical that the food strainer bags are not simply repurposed paint strainer bags or at the least sewn together out the same mesh that some paint strainers are sewn from. But, peace of mind from having someone tell you that it is food-grade could be worth a small premium over a Lowe's paint strainer bag you pull off a shelf. We do not see "food grade" emblems on plastic forks and spoons or toothbrushes, either, and most of us will use them without much thought. And, then there's the water mains that deliver water to us...we know they're supposed to be food grade but it's really hard to see beneath the ground so we take "somebody's" word for it that they are indeed food-grade. It is what it is...to each his/her own.
And, no, there was no one that saw a tag on a strainer bag, I jokingly commented about it, but again, there was no tag on a bag that I've seen.
We've all got our comfort zones with different things. Sometimes we have to step out of that comfort zone, but I don't think this would be one of those times. Use whatever strainer bag that you feel good about using. Personally, I'm a bit skeptical that the food strainer bags are not simply repurposed paint strainer bags or at the least sewn together out the same mesh that some paint strainers are sewn from. But, peace of mind from having someone tell you that it is food-grade could be worth a small premium over a Lowe's paint strainer bag you pull off a shelf. We do not see "food grade" emblems on plastic forks and spoons or toothbrushes, either, and most of us will use them without much thought. And, then there's the water mains that deliver water to us...we know they're supposed to be food grade but it's really hard to see beneath the ground so we take "somebody's" word for it that they are indeed food-grade. It is what it is...to each his/her own.
And, no, there was no one that saw a tag on a strainer bag, I jokingly commented about it, but again, there was no tag on a bag that I've seen.
Just as @jgmann67 posted, you can get these type bags from your LHBS, or order them online, and are made for just this application with both beer and wine. Like you, I'm a little picky about what touches my wine. I don't know if the bags sold as "paint strainers" are proper or not, but I'd have a greater deal of trust in the ones intended for use with beer / wine...
Scooter68
Fruit "Wine" Maker
I'm going to look at cheesecloth and unbleached muslin today at our local Hobby Lobby. I've bought muslin clothe there before to use as bucket covers. It's thin but keeps out bugs and is easy to secure on the bucket. Smaller pieces get tied around my empty carboys once they are cleaned. No worry about that material if you sanitize it.
Would be easy to stitch a bag out of muslin and the added benefit would be keeping fine seeds out of the bucket. The drawback would be slower movement of liquid through the bag. As always there's positive and negative to just about every course of action.
Mesh bags of any kind tend to develop holes or get cut by presses due to abrasions or pressure so sometimes bags have to be treated as expendable supplies not like more permanent equipment.
Would be easy to stitch a bag out of muslin and the added benefit would be keeping fine seeds out of the bucket. The drawback would be slower movement of liquid through the bag. As always there's positive and negative to just about every course of action.
Mesh bags of any kind tend to develop holes or get cut by presses due to abrasions or pressure so sometimes bags have to be treated as expendable supplies not like more permanent equipment.
