Sterilizing Vials

[Heavy Iron]

So I got these brown spots near the top of my media bottle after in the oven. They aren't in the inside or outside... it almost looks like it's in a the middle of the glass. did 500°f for 1.5 hours and let it cool. Got a little fog so did another 30mins at 500. Any word on these brown spots?

 

[master.on]

So I got these brown spots near the top of my media bottle after in the oven. They aren't in the inside or outside... it almost looks like it's in a the middle of the glass. did 500°f for 1.5 hours and let it cool. Got a little fog so did another 30mins at 500. Any word on these brown spots?

Does it look like burnt residues?
Maybe burnt oil?
If so, that's why they advise to do a last rinse in DISTILLED water so that not even soap or hard water residues are left.

 

[Heavy Iron]

Does it look like burnt residues?
Maybe burnt oil?
If so, that's why they advise to do a last rinse in DISTILLED water so that not even soap or hard water residues are left.

Yeah kinda like a residue. But when I put my finger in the top it's clear that the residue is not on the inside. I put 91% iso alcohol and shook it real good. Then poured out and did some iso and distilled water 2x then just distilled water like 4 times then air dried for a little bit

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

It's likely one of the two most common things that cause this. Either it's a burnt-on residue of something left in the glass from a previous brew (oil) or it's a burnt-on residue of something used during the cleaning process.

With water with a high mineral concentration (hard water) the mineral got rusted during the heating and stained the glass. That's why demineralized water is a must when cleaning.

My best advice is to get a baby bottle brush and clean very, very thoroughly. Then start your cleaning process from scratch and ensure everything is free of contaminants prior to filling with any liquid.

A lot of people will use a distilled water bath, using a pot or pan or baking tray from their kitchen. They forget there is residue on these containers from being washed with regular tap water. This contaminates your distilled water, and with the combination of iso and heat and rapid drying, you get the oxidation spots that burn onto your glass.

 

[master.on]

Yeah kinda like a residue. But when I put my finger in the top it's clear that the residue is not on the inside. I put 91% iso alcohol and shook it real good. Then poured out and did some iso and distilled water 2x then just distilled water like 4 times then air dried for a little bit

It's likely one of the two most common things that cause this. Either it's a burnt-on residue of something left in the glass from a previous brew (oil) or it's a burnt-on residue of something used during the cleaning process.

With water with a high mineral concentration (hard water) the mineral got rusted during the heating and stained the glass. That's why demineralized water is a must when cleaning.

My best advice is to get a baby bottle brush and clean very, very thoroughly. Then start your cleaning process from scratch and ensure everything is free of contaminants prior to filling with any liquid.

A lot of people will use a distilled water bath, using a pot or pan or baking tray from their kitchen. They forget there is residue on these containers from being washed with regular tap water. This contaminates your distilled water, and with the combination of iso and heat and rapid drying, you get the oxidation spots that burn onto your glass.

Before or after?

I mean did you wash with said isopropyl alcohol + distilled water and still got the burnt residue?

 

[XmadXscientist]

Soaking in isopropyl alcohol will do more to get rid of oil residue than rinsing with distilled water.

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

Doesn't matter, master.on, if the container you use to wash with distilled water was at any point washed with regular tap water, your distilled water is no longer distilled water, so you're basically giving your glass a bath of tap water and iso. Regardless of the order, it's wrong.

 

[Heavy Iron]

Doesn't matter, master.on, if the container you use to wash with distilled water was at any point washed with regular tap water, your distilled water is no longer distilled water, so you're basically giving your glass a bath of tap water and iso. Regardless of the order, it's wrong.

I gave it a quick rinse with tap before the ISO and distilled the first time. It was clearly on the outside of the media bottle. I just rebaked at 500 and filtered my EQ. I mean the media bottle looked better that when it was brand new. Lol. I feel confident everything is okay.

Edit: I set the bottle on a brand new disposable aluminium baking tray

 

[master.on]

Soaking in isopropyl alcohol will do more to get rid of oil residue than rinsing with distilled water.

Doesn't matter, master.on, if the container you use to wash with distilled water was at any point washed with regular tap water, your distilled water is no longer distilled water, so you're basically giving your glass a bath of tap water and iso. Regardless of the order, it's wrong.

I gave it a quick rinse with tap before the ISO and distilled the first time. It was clearly on the outside of the media bottle. I just rebaked at 500 and filtered my EQ. I mean the media bottle looked better that when it was brand new. Lol. I feel confident everything is okay.

I meant did he first wash with iso to dissolve oil residues, then rinse with distilled water to remove any iso+oil+residues left, and still got brown spots?

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

I'd also be concerned you got "fog" inside your glass and then only heated it for a half an hour to clear that up. What are you using as a top during the process? Foil?

I'm assuming you removed the glass from your heat source before it was cool and placed it in room temp? The rapid cooling is what causes the condensation, and can also weaken your glass if done multiple times.

My point is, that "fog" is condensation from ambient temp conflicting with your interior temp in your glass, and effectively contaminates your glass if all you did was heat it up for a half hour to "get rid of it." This is the condensation we were referencing earlier in this thread.

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

I meant did he first wash with iso to dissolve oil residues, then rinse with distilled water to remove any iso+oil+residues left, and still got brown spots?

Of course you would, if you're using a container to give your glass a distilled water bath, when the container was just pulled out of the fkn dishwasher.

Besides that, the reason we use an alcohol bath then air-dry last after the distilled water bath and air dry, is because it does a better job of evaporating without leaving much in the way of residue, not to mention the sanitization aspects.

 

[XmadXscientist]

I meant did he first wash with iso to dissolve oil residues, then rinse with distilled water to remove any iso+oil+residues left, and still got brown spots?

Wash/soak with alcohol last. Water has minerals and other stuff in it. Alcohol is going to be you medium with the lowest PPM and it's better at stripping things from the glass.

 

[XmadXscientist]

Of course you would, if you're using a container to give your glass a distilled water bath, when the container was just pulled out of the fkn dishwasher.

Besides that, the reason we use an alcohol bath then air-dry last after the distilled water bath and air dry, is because it does a better job of evaporating without leaving much in the way of residue, not to mention the sanitization aspects.

Lol we must of typed at the same time.

 

[Heavy Iron]

I'd also be concerned you got "fog" inside your glass and then only heated it for a half an hour to clear that up. What are you using as a top during the process? Foil?

I'm assuming you removed the glass from your heat source before it was cool and placed it in room temp? The rapid cooling is what causes the condensation, and can also weaken your glass if done multiple times.

My point is, that "fog" is condensation from ambient temp conflicting with your interior temp in your glass, and effectively contaminates your glass if all you did was heat it up for a half hour to "get rid of it." This is the condensation we were referencing earlier in this thread.

Yes I used foil and I did take it out sooner than I should. There was mild fog just near the bottom... So I guess I should read filter all this EQ?
I got inpatient...
And I did let it cool down in the oven the second time.

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

Lol we must of typed at the same time.

Yup lol you owe me a coke!

Yes I used foil and I did take it out sooner than I should. There was mild fog just near the bottom... So I guess I should read filter all this EQ?
I got inpatient...
And I did let it cool down in the oven the second time.

The second time is irrelevant, since you did virtually nothing in the way of sterilizing, all you did was heat it long enough to evaporate.

Homebrewing is a test of patience bro, if you get ahead of yourself you can potentially fuck something up and in turn, fuck your brew up, which then fucks you up. You gotta be patient and precise. You can never "over-do" sterility, especially considering you're working out of the same oven you cook your fucking pizza in...

As far as refiltering, that's going to be a hard one for me to call, since I am admittedly anal about my sterilization measures. Obviously, I would say yes every time when asked this question when there is even a slight mistake, but that could be because of my own attention to detail. For all I know, without being there throughout all your process, your gear may be fine, but it's ultimately your call if you want to risk it.

 

[master.on]

Wash/soak with alcohol last. Water has minerals and other stuff in it. Alcohol is going to be you medium with the lowest PPM and it's better at stripping things from the glass.

Hmmm
1 Alcohol will likely contain more impurities than distilled water does. Especially true is it ain't lab grade alcohol.

2 Alcohol can burn to leave a carbon/organic residue while distilled water won't.

Reason why I'll advise to first wash with alcohol, then with distilled water.
That's what labs do, they leave distilled H2O last
How to Clean Laboratory Glassware
https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/content/dam/sigma-aldrich/docs/Aldrich/Bulletin/al_techbull_al228.pdf

 

[master.on]

For example see how impure Iso is

In Ireland and the UK, the comparable preparation is surgical spirit B.P., which the British Pharmacopoeia defines as 95% methylated spirit, 2.5% castor oil, 2% diethyl phthalate, and 0.5% methyl salicylate.[7]Under its alternative name of "wintergreen oil", methyl salicylate is a common additive to North American rubbing alcohol products.[8] Individual manufacturers are permitted to use their own formulation standards in which the ethanol content for retail bottles of rubbing alcohol is labeled as and ranges from 70-99% v/v.[9]

To prevent against alcohol abuse in the United States, all preparations classified as Rubbing Alcohols (defined as those containing ethanol) must have poisonous additives to limit human consumption in accordance with the requirements of the US Treasury Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, using Formula 23-H (8 parts by volume of acetone, 1.5 parts by volume of methyl isobutyl ketone, and 100 parts by volume of ethyl alcohol). It contains 87.5–91% by volume of absolute ethyl alcohol. The rest consists of water and the denaturants, with or without color additives, and perfume oils. Rubbing alcohol contains in each 100 ml more than 355 mg of sucrose octaacetate or more than 1.40 mg of denatonium benzoate. The preparation may be colored with one or more color additives. A suitable stabilizer may also be added.
Rubbing alcohol - Wikipedia

 

[Heavy Iron]

Yup lol you owe me a coke!



The second time is irrelevant, since you did virtually nothing in the way of sterilizing, all you did was heat it long enough to evaporate.

Homebrewing is a test of patience bro, if you get ahead of yourself you can potentially fuck something up and in turn, fuck your brew up, which then fucks you up. You gotta be patient and precise. You can never "over-do" sterility, especially considering you're working out of the same oven you cook your fucking pizza in...

As far as refiltering, that's going to be a hard one for me to call, since I am admittedly anal about my sterilization measures. Obviously, I would say yes every time when asked this question when there is even a slight mistake, but that could be because of my own attention to detail. For all I know, without being there throughout all your process, your gear may be fine, but it's ultimately your call if you want to risk it.

Yeah I know I didn't practice enough patience this time. Lesson learned. I was brewing while the glass was cooking and actually prefiltered with a .45 and a 60cc into another beaker while I waited for the glass to cool. Then used the zapcap. I might refilter in the near future.

 

[XmadXscientist]

For example see how impure Iso is

In Ireland and the UK, the comparable preparation is surgical spirit B.P., which the British Pharmacopoeia defines as 95% methylated spirit, 2.5% castor oil, 2% diethyl phthalate, and 0.5% methyl salicylate.[7]Under its alternative name of "wintergreen oil", methyl salicylate is a common additive to North American rubbing alcohol products.[8] Individual manufacturers are permitted to use their own formulation standards in which the ethanol content for retail bottles of rubbing alcohol is labeled as and ranges from 70-99% v/v.[9]

To prevent against alcohol abuse in the United States, all preparations classified as Rubbing Alcohols (defined as those containing ethanol) must have poisonous additives to limit human consumption in accordance with the requirements of the US Treasury Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, using Formula 23-H (8 parts by volume of acetone, 1.5 parts by volume of methyl isobutyl ketone, and 100 parts by volume of ethyl alcohol). It contains 87.5–91% by volume of absolute ethyl alcohol. The rest consists of water and the denaturants, with or without color additives, and perfume oils. Rubbing alcohol contains in each 100 ml more than 355 mg of sucrose octaacetate or more than 1.40 mg of denatonium benzoate. The preparation may be colored with one or more color additives. A suitable stabilizer may also be added.
Rubbing alcohol - Wikipedia

Are you really this stupid? Regular isopropyl has no additives. Don't buy the one with wintergreen obviously? If you can't read they're 2 different colors. Also the distilled water people have access to is nowhere near reagent grade lab water. We're not using ethanol rubbing alcohols.... Why are you still in this thread?

 

[Homebrew Homeboy]

Yeah I know I didn't practice enough patience this time. Lesson learned. I was brewing while the glass was cooking and actually prefiltered with a .45 and a 60cc into another beaker while I waited for the glass to cool. Then used the zapcap. I might refilter in the near future.

Are you going to transfer it to 10mL vials? If so, why not erase all doubt and use a syringe filter this time?

Next time you'll remember, trust me lol that fog had me wanting to murder kittens.