DNA Container?

[Christopher Hunter]

Anyone have a good idea for a container for my DNA...?
I thought about an old 5 gallon that has a lid but I found out that it wasn't completely air tight -- I only want to store about 2.5 gallons but that may even be over doing it...
I only plan on drying one piece at a time so I need some suggestions...
thanks
--Chris

[Jim Ketron]

The first one that I used for my DNA soak was a 5 gal Bucket with a rubber O-Ring in the lid. I have had no problems with evaporation using it.
Jim

[Ron Sardo]

I use a 5 gallon bucket with a lid.

I also have a round piece of plastic (PVC sheet) that I float on top of the DNA. Works well as a barrier.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Chris, I guess it would depend on what it is you plan on soaking but for bowls 8" or less I have been using a 1 gallon plastic ice cream container and have had no problems with it. Once done with soaking I pour the alcohol back into it's original metal can for air-tight storage.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I went to Wal-Mart and bought a plastic pot with lid kinda like tuperware that was 2 1/2 gal. Works good and cheap.

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Chris,go to your local swimming pool cleaner and ask them if you can get one of their discarded chemical buckets with a sealing lid. Most of these places will be more than happy to give you a few. The smaller ones will hold a 12 inch bowl and the larger ones will hold about a 14 inch bowl. I have had my DNA in mine for over 9 months without any recognizable evaporation. It is hard to beat the product and it is a great price...FREE:D

[Mark Pruitt]

Because most of my wet turnings have been small enough to fit in a gallon paint can, that's exactly what I've been using. Bought an empty can at the BORG. When I've needed something bigger I've used a 5 gallon bucket and covered it with clear wrap--taped it to ensure a seal--and just poured it back into the sealable container when done.

[Christopher Hunter]

Well Chris, right now in Illinois it's about 20* with about 14" of snow
( :( ), so I may have to wait a few months to talk to the pool places but I will sure find something soon...
Thanks guys
--Chris

[Brad Schmid]

I started using a 5 gal bucket, but couldn't get anything big in there. Bigger containers took too much alchohol to fill. So I gave up on containers. I don't have enough room to keep a 30 or 55 gal drum full of alchohol around anyhow. So, now I use the heaviest mil trashbags I can find, put the object in, stick it in a pile of sawdust/shavings, and pour in the alchohol, twist and tie shut. Takes alot less alchohol on hand since you can eliminate the dead space around the object. I probably don't use but 1, maybe 2 gallons at most with even the biggest of bowls.

[Ron Sardo]

I started using a 5 gal bucket, but couldn't get anything big in there. Bigger containers took too much alchohol to fill. So I gave up on containers. I don't have enough room to keep a 30 or 55 gal drum full of alchohol around anyhow. So, now I use the heaviest mil trashbags I can find, put the object in, stick it in a pile of sawdust/shavings, and pour in the alchohol, twist and tie shut. Takes alot less alchohol on hand since you can eliminate the dead space around the object. I probably don't use but 1, maybe 2 gallons at most with even the biggest of bowls.

Brad, I've heard other do the same, but I have always been nervous that the bags will leak.

Have you ever had this problem?

[Christopher K. Hartley]

Brad and Ron both make good points about the amount needed; however in my smaller bucket I only use 3 gal and it is more than ample to cover the bowls.:)

Chris if it were me I'd check anyway. You might be very supprised what you are able to find.

[Brian McInturff]

I use a plastic cat litter container. Not sure how air tight it is but I haven't loss any to evaporation yet. It's a square 5 gallon container not round so I think it works better as it's a little bigger but shorter.

[Dave Smith]

Chris there isn't much I can add to the answers. When I needed to soak a plater I put it in one of the heavy plastic bags I use with my dust collector. However, just to be safe I put the whole thing into the deep sink in the garage. If I hadn't done that I am sure it would have leaked.

An other thing I do is use a large stainless steel bowl. Put a piece of heavy plastic over it and wrap clear packing tape around the rim. If you stretch the tape it will produce a tight fit. Don't tape the plastic to the bowl and the cover can be reused many times. I have only made 3 covers in four years that I have used the stainless steel bowl. Some where I have written what size bowl the container will hold. The info is probably on the blog but I am too lazy to look for it. I am guessing 14". I pour the alcohol back into my storage container after I am finished.

Good luck.

Dave Smith

At least the rain is above freezing in Longview, WA.

[Brad Schmid]

Brad, I've heard other do the same, but I have always been nervous that the bags will leak.

Have you ever had this problem?

Hi Ron,

I did have problems when using the cheap thin bags. I wish I could remember the MIL thickness of the ones I use now, but I threw away the box and just kept the roll of bags. They're about as thick (but not quite) as a dust collector bag that Dave mentioned using, but cheaper. If I turn something big & knarly like a winged bowl, sometimes i'll double bag it because the sharp edges on the wings can poke a hole if i'm not real careful. I use paint strainers or a screened funnel to remove all the solids when i dump it from the bag back into a container when i'm not going to use it for a while. I like using a pile of shavings because they're relatively soft and I can leave the bag loose to minimize hole poking. One thing I would like to try is using a piece of pond (or even pool) liner If I could get my hands on some liner cheap. I'm sure it would be more durable, but maybe harder to twist off and seal to avoid evaporation.

[Jeff Myers]

Chris,
If a 5 gallon bucket is ok, you need to do a web search for
gamma seal lids,,,it's a two part lid, first part is a gasketed ring
that you snap onto your own 5 gallon bucket,,,,the second part
is the lid itself that is also gasketed and screws into the ring attached
to the bucket,,,it's airtight and screws open/closed effortlessly.
The things are less than $10 , i forget which site i ordered mine
from but they're a bunch of sites offering them for around $7-$8 a piece.

[Lloyd Stahl]

I turn a lot of pretty big bowls so I need large capacity, ease of use and
lots of DNA.

I use empty mineral tubs from my cattle operations (known as PVM tubs here in Texas). They hold something on the order of 15 to 20 gallons (if I need that much) but I only require around 10 gallons at a time since the fluid level rises as I add additional bowls. They also have pretty tight snap-lids so I just store the DNA in the same containers between uses.

I buy DNA by the 5 gallon containers for around $30. Main problem is water-dilution of the DNA and build-up of colorful solids in the bottom. Dave's recent post on determination of alcohol content in a used solution helped with the dilution problem and was well appreciated. And, who needs to dye wood when you can have Mesquite-colored DNA as part of your process!!

Lloyd

[Dennis Peacock]

If you turn large pieces and need to DNA soak them? Use a Contractor Grade Garbage Bag. Much thicker than any garbage bag I've ever seen and I have reused a couple of them several times and not a single leak. I used a 5 gal bucket with a standard snap on lid for a long time. Works good.

[Lee DeRaud]

Because most of my wet turnings have been small enough to fit in a gallon paint can, that's exactly what I've been using. Bought an empty can at the BORG. When I've needed something bigger I've used a 5 gallon bucket and covered it with clear wrap--taped it to ensure a seal--and just poured it back into the sealable container when done.I'm kind of in between those two: two-gallon plastic paint bucket from Home Depot, plus the plastic lid they sell to fit it. It might not be perfectly airtight, but it's doing well enough to fool me: no discernable odor and no evaporation loss, even in this climate.

And anything that won't fit inside sure didn't come off my Jet Mini. :p