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Posted: 12/14/2016 2:13:05 PM EDT
I'm sure everybody knows here what a PITA planting carrot seeds is. They are a horrible shape, grabby, and just overall a pain, especially through my planter. I've made custom plates for my Hoss planter, still not satisfied enough. The issue has been that making the seed pocket big enough to reliably feed seeds causes too many seeds to drop.
So, I discovered that industry uses coated seeds so that they have uniformly round seeds that are easy to meter. Bingo. This is EXACTLY what I need. The only issue is that I want MY seeds coated, not an industrial carrot variety. Also, they use some chemicals in the coating process I don't like. So my thoughts here are I need to come up with my own coating solution. I have already 3D printed the parts for the panner, just need to assemble it. Spoiler: spinners are very expensive for some reason. I made one for about $20. At this point, I need to start coming up with ideas for the coating material, which is where I would value all of your input. If you don't know me, we grow everything organically, so chemical binders are out. What else could be applied to the seeds while being tumbled that will bind well, be somewhat sturdy (when dry?), and still either allow moisture through to the seed (and allow the seed to grow through it), or dissolve with moisture. I was originally thinking about something like corn starch or gelatin or something. Any ideas? Of course, if successful, a full write up will be done 
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Posted: 12/14/2016 3:33:47 PM EDT
[#1]
Tag.
Interested. Out of curiosity, how many carrots do you grow--or do you plan to grow? Also, would you plan to coat and then plant right away? or would the coating need to have longevity. Gelatin might be the closest thing you're going to get to some of the polymers that are being used in the industry. I was thinking some sort of candy-like application that is easily water soluble and won't turn into a rock. The gelatin might be what prevents the coating from becoming impenetrable. |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 3:44:22 PM EDT
[#2]
Well, this year we only did 150' worth (and I was lucky to get that, took 4 attempts to get carrots to take. Every time I tried, we would get a storm that would dump 2-3 inches of rain and wash my seeds away). Last year was about 250' worth, which is more where I like to be at a minimum. That translates to about 1500 seeds planted @ 2 inches apart and then thinned later. I would like to deposit 1 seed every 4 inches and not worry about thinning, which would be about 750 seeds planted. I may or may not supply some family with carrots all winter when I have a good crop
I have issues with my hands where I cannot grab small things over and over. Couple times is OK, but things like handling seeds or soldering, or similar work is extremely painful after not very long, and the pain lasts about 3 weeks. |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 3:53:30 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, this year we only did 150' worth (and I was lucky to get that, took 4 attempts to get carrots to take. Every time I tried, we would get a storm that would dump 2-3 inches of rain and wash my seeds away). Last year was about 250' worth, which is more where I like to be at a minimum. That translates to about 1500 seeds planted @ 2 inches apart and then thinned later. I would like to deposit 1 seed every 4 inches and not worry about thinning, which would be about 750 seeds planted. I may or may not supply some family with carrots all winter when I have a good crop
I have issues with my hands where I cannot grab small things over and over. Couple times is OK, but things like handling seeds or soldering, or similar work is extremely painful after not very long, and the pain lasts about 3 weeks. Ah. That's a good reason, and might have application even beyond you. I'm sure you're not the only person who struggles with that kind of issue. Also..I edited that post with a couple of questions. Don't know if they're all that relevant... |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 4:22:59 PM EDT
[#4]
I plan on coating them and using them right away, maybe next day or so. Nothing long term.
I'm thinking the gelatin may be key, just not sure yet. I can get pure bovine gelatin in powder form in bulk, so its a very viable option if it works. |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 4:30:10 PM EDT
[#5]
What about a clay base, with additives? you're going to have to experiment, of course...with how hard it gets. I have little experience with carrots, so don't know how vigorous or strong the radicle is, and/or what it could penetrate. Of course, if there's enough moisture to soften the natural seed coat, it has also softened your supplementary coating, so maybe that's not really an obstacle. |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 4:45:50 PM EDT
[#6]
powdered clay is a good one, perhaps with a gelatin coating? I'm sure misting of water will have to work its way into the procedure... Maybe have the gelatin already in solution and mist it onto the tumbling seeds??
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Posted: 12/14/2016 6:19:27 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
powdered clay is a good one, perhaps with a gelatin coating? I'm sure misting of water will have to work its way into the procedure... Maybe have the gelatin already in solution and mist it onto the tumbling seeds?? I don't know the coating procedure. How does the mechanism work? For instance, how do you keep two or three seeds from getting coated in one ball? |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 6:35:54 PM EDT
[#8]
Clay, cornstarch and water.
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Posted: 12/14/2016 6:46:44 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Clay, cornstarch and water. That's where I was going in my thinking. Another direction was to make them much MUCH larger...and use peat/soil-less media to form pellets like those little expanding germination pods I was once so fascinated with as a kid (the ones that looked so cute and user-friendly in the old seed catalogs that came to the house in winter.) But of course...pack the seed into the pellet. Easy to drop by hand, for a kid or anybody else. Almost like one of the seed "bombs" some gardeners make. Except those have more than one seed per bomb. With that method, you'd have a little built in seed-friendly media pod for the seed to get a good start. |
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Posted: 12/14/2016 6:57:15 PM EDT
[#10]
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Posted: 12/14/2016 7:07:35 PM EDT
[#11]
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Posted: 12/14/2016 11:05:36 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I suspect OP wants a different varietal for some reason. Quote HistoryPlus, I am an aspiring seed saver. Improved genetic lines for my conditions and all that .
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Posted: 12/15/2016 3:34:54 AM EDT
[#13]
What kind of planters does the industry use?
Plate corn planters are kind of on the "meh" side of accuracy. Doing irregular seeds like sweet corn you hope for multiplies because shooting for singles will get you skips. Finger or air pickup planters is what took over from the plate planters starting in the 60's. They make a ton of different plates catered to different kinds of seed, might experiment with plates. We just sprinkle a pack of carrot seeds in a trench, never tried a planter on it. The winter is young, do they make round pill capsules? If so would they be strong enough? (would have to love carrots to sit and poke that many seeds into a capsule one at a time) Now I want to find the book for my planter and see if it says anything on carrots... |
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Posted: 12/15/2016 8:59:09 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
I'm sure everybody knows here what a PITA planting carrot seeds is. They are a horrible shape, grabby, and just overall a pain, especially through my planter. I've made custom plates for my Hoss planter, still not satisfied enough. The issue has been that making the seed pocket big enough to reliably feed seeds causes too many seeds to drop. So, I discovered that industry uses coated seeds so that they have uniformly round seeds that are easy to meter. Bingo. This is EXACTLY what I need. The only issue is that I want MY seeds coated, not an industrial carrot variety. Also, they use some chemicals in the coating process I don't like. So my thoughts here are I need to come up with my own coating solution. I have already 3D printed the parts for the panner, just need to assemble it. Spoiler: spinners are very expensive for some reason. I made one for about $20. At this point, I need to start coming up with ideas for the coating material, which is where I would value all of your input. If you don't know me, we grow everything organically, so chemical binders are out. What else could be applied to the seeds while being tumbled that will bind well, be somewhat sturdy (when dry?), and still either allow moisture through to the seed (and allow the seed to grow through it), or dissolve with moisture. I was originally thinking about something like corn starch or gelatin or something. Any ideas? Of course, if successful, a full write up will be done <img src=http://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> I would look into creating something with finely shredded newspaper with a binder such as a wettable powder or glue like substance. You can also research organic surfactants. I use This product and its variants when seeding lawns. It holds moisture well and swells up. That is what I would think that you wanted. Something similar just formulated a little differently would probably be able to coat the seeds making them easier to handle and distribute. You may also look into hydro seeding mixtures which use a combination of mulch and tackifier to hold everything together. Good luck and please keep this updated. |
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Posted: 12/15/2016 11:02:27 AM EDT
[#15]
As far as the question as to what happens when you have two seeds stuck together that get coated:
When you are finished with coating the seeds, commercial outfits screen the seeds. Too big and that is rejected. Too small is sent back for more coating. I imagine I would do something similar, which would reject any doubled seeds. Still, one flaw here and there is OK, but I currently spend WAAAY too much time (and waste of seed) thinning my carrots. |
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Posted: 12/15/2016 12:49:17 PM EDT
[#16]
We use a needle seeder to pick up small seeds and put them into trays. Think of a dozen fine, unsharpened syringes on a pivot bar that draws a vacuum to pick from a seed tray and releases the seed once it pivots over the seed tray. Bigger outfits will step up to a drum seeder. Think of a small drum with a 1000 tiny holes in that vacuum up seeds and releases the seed once it rotates over a tray. So while you could handle the seed with a mechanism like that, I'm not sure I've seen anyone successfully transplant carrots.
BUT... What if you could use similar technology to place seeds on a biodegradable tape or ribbon? Forget the coating all together. Long strips on something like newsprint with seeds spaced and glued to it? I know there are some flower seeds sold on a ribbon marketed as a "ready made" mix of flowers. And I know several companies are trying to successfully put transplants on a ribbon for bulk field production. Just throwing a different angle out there. Let us know what you come up with. Irregular or especially fine seeds are a huge pain in the ass for us too. |
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Posted: 12/15/2016 10:23:21 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We use a needle seeder to pick up small seeds and put them into trays. Think of a dozen fine, unsharpened syringes on a pivot bar that draws a vacuum to pick from a seed tray and releases the seed once it pivots over the seed tray. Bigger outfits will step up to a drum seeder. Think of a small drum with a 1000 tiny holes in that vacuum up seeds and releases the seed once it rotates over a tray. So while you could handle the seed with a mechanism like that, I'm not sure I've seen anyone successfully transplant carrots. BUT... What if you could use similar technology to place seeds on a biodegradable tape or ribbon? Forget the coating all together. Long strips on something like newsprint with seeds spaced and glued to it? I know there are some flower seeds sold on a ribbon marketed as a "ready made" mix of flowers. And I know several companies are trying to successfully put transplants on a ribbon for bulk field production. Just throwing a different angle out there. Let us know what you come up with. Irregular or especially fine seeds are a huge pain in the ass for us too. this is a very interesting idea...the needle seeder combined with the sticky ribbon. I had almost suggested a sticky ribbon, and having the kids put the seeds on, one every four inches, in March, and then rolling it up and storing it until planting time. However I am intrigued by OP's attempt to create an automatic seeder and pelletized seed at home. As pioneers and survivalists have always been required to figure out new ways to make do, I like all of these ideas, and believe that the thought that goes into it may yield returns in ways WAY beyond just easier seeding of carrots. The whole, "plant thick and thin" has always bothered me a little. Not that I don't do it. Just that in the old days, people couldn't afford those extra seeds. So they were careful. If we needed to be careful but plant for production, what would we do? This line of questioning causes me to like OP's queries, and the direction of his thinking. That said, the tape is a very, VERY intriguing idea. |
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Posted: 12/16/2016 7:10:57 PM EDT
[#18]
Well, my first update:
My seed spinner/panner drum failed. The seeds were just sliding on the surface, not flowing. That won't help.. Next version already modeled, this time with ribs! My 3D printer is busy, so won't get on the build plate until this weekend or early next week. |
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Posted: 12/18/2016 4:19:45 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, my first update: My seed spinner/panner drum failed. The seeds were just sliding on the surface, not flowing. That won't help.. Next version already modeled, this time with ribs! My 3D printer is busy, so won't get on the build plate until this weekend or early next week. pics of failure? 
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Posted: 12/19/2016 11:18:35 AM EDT
[#20]
Not much for pic worthyness. I threw in some oats to play with. They just sat there, stationary, while the tub spun around them.
I'll be getting the next version on the print bed today. It will have ribs, we will try that. |
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Posted: 12/19/2016 2:27:14 PM EDT
[#21]
What about making your own seed tape out of toilet paper.
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Posted: 12/19/2016 3:47:51 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What about making your own seed tape out of toilet paper. First, I deal with many hundreds of carrot seeds alone. I don't have time to sit and organize that many seeds. I need bulk handling. Second, I have issues with my hands where I cannot repeatedly grasp small items, such as seeds or small tools. I can't even use a hammer and nails. If I do, my hands are in horrible pain for many days after. Third, I have a 3D printer & CNC so what fun would that be
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Posted: 12/19/2016 4:18:14 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
pics of failure? Pic of the failure. The tub is spinning here, you can see the grain just sits there.  Attached FileHere you can see the new build in the works on the printer.  Attached FileIt will be tonight before its ready, so I won't have a chance to play with it until tomorrow. ETA: Wanted to put in an updated pic where you can see the ribs taking shape  Attached File |
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Posted: 12/19/2016 9:14:50 PM EDT
[#24]
Very cool. those printers have opened up the world, haven't they? I don't fully understand them, but for home inventors, seems like those are the bomb. Can't wait to see how this one works. |
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Posted: 12/19/2016 10:10:27 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Very cool. those printers have opened up the world, haven't they? I don't fully understand them, but for home inventors, seems like those are the bomb. Can't wait to see how this one works. As for how they work, they are basically a glorified hot glue gun combined with a CNC table. Its additive manufacturing, building the model 1 layer at a time. |
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Posted: 12/20/2016 11:55:47 AM EDT
[#26]
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Posted: 12/20/2016 3:41:00 PM EDT
[#27]
So thus far, as SOON as I give any moisture, everything sticks to the walls of the tumbler and that is that. No matter how slow I spin the drum, seed simply will NOT fall.
I have a few ideas: Fine mist. I need to get a spray bottle and use that to get just a fine mist of water in there. Start with powder in there, and add lightly wet seeds slowly. Scrap tumbler 2.0 and go with tumbler 3.0. Instead of ribs, the tumbler is two pieces, and has a scraper inside that scrapes the drum instead of relying on gravity. Also lets me have a much higher RPM. Here is a pic, for your viewing pleasure. While its not completely modeled and just a rough shape right now, you can get the idea. It may end up being spherical, since I can print a sphere without support. This cylinder would likely require more plastic in support than the model itself.  Attached File |
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Posted: 12/20/2016 8:18:48 PM EDT
[#28]
Perhaps there is some kind of super-slick coating you could apply to the drum to make the seeds less inclined to stick?
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Posted: 12/20/2016 10:53:12 PM EDT
[#29]
What about something as simple as PAM cooking spray?
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Posted: 12/20/2016 11:12:00 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Perhaps there is some kind of super-slick coating you could apply to the drum to make the seeds less inclined to stick? Silicone spray? |
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Posted: 12/20/2016 11:20:41 PM EDT
[#31]
OP I am getting intrigued with this idea and have a few thoughts if coating does not work.
A roll of that commercial Chuck Norris toilet paper with a spray of or roller of gelatin or a white flour paste. Apply glue drop on seed and twist into rope or fold over. I wonder if the moisture would cause the seed to start? Just need a tool to drop seed on the paper. |
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Posted: 12/20/2016 11:44:37 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
OP I am getting intrigued with this idea and have a few thoughts if coating does not work. A roll of that commercial Chuck Norris toilet paper with a spray of or roller of gelatin or a white flour paste. Apply glue drop on seed and twist into rope or fold over. I wonder if the moisture would cause the seed to start? Just need a tool to drop seed on the paper. I'm hesitant to use oil, as it may prevent water from getting to the seed. I'm sure all options will be tried though. |
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Posted: 12/21/2016 12:16:28 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
What about something as simple as PAM cooking spray? Yes, maybe. I was thinking of something like silicone, but not sure it would fly with the OPs organic certification org or his wishes. While the element silicone is highly prevalent in the environment, the particulates in the spray may be something else entirely. A cooking spray might be a good choice..but not sure there is one that slick. Perhaps a cooking spray set on the drum by very low heat like a coating on a cast iron skillet... Hell...I'm just throwing shit out there for purposes of brainstorming. May not be any of it viable. |
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Posted: 12/30/2016 2:20:17 PM EDT
[#34]
Haven't had time to work on this during the holidays, but from the SF gift exchange, protus sent me out some coated seeds that just happen to give away the material list, so I am ordering those materials in to see what we can do
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Posted: 12/30/2016 4:26:52 PM EDT
[#35]
As a follow up on the materials, the seed packet says it contains (for the coating) a blend of clay, lime and perlite. And there is FDA food coloring added as well (I'll be omitting that).
I am going to order powdered clay and lime, but the perlite has me thinking that DE may work (Diatomacious Earth). I'll order in the clay and lime, and give the DE a try and report back when completed. |
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Posted: 12/30/2016 11:20:43 PM EDT
[#36]
Hmmm... perlite seems a bit "pilly" to me. Maybe it's crushed.
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Posted: 12/31/2016 12:35:21 AM EDT
[#37]
I'm thinking to hopefully get an idea if ratio, I'm going to try to separate the coating in a test tube if water. May help me get close, or at least somewhere to start.
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Posted: 12/31/2016 12:46:32 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hmmm... perlite seems a bit "pilly" to me. Maybe it's crushed. Or ground very, very fine, and that would maybe keep the coating from turning into rock, actually. Interesting. |
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Posted: 12/31/2016 1:33:09 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
As a follow up on the materials, the seed packet says it contains (for the coating) a blend of clay, lime and perlite. And there is FDA food coloring added as well (I'll be omitting that). I am going to order powdered clay and lime, but the perlite has me thinking that DE may work (Diatomacious Earth). I'll order in the clay and lime, and give the DE a try and report back when completed. One thing that came to mind as I was thinking about why a company might have chosen perlite....maybe absolutely stupid thinking on my part....is that if you were going to coat in the fall, say, and wait until springtime to plant, I have to wonder whether DE could actually damage the seed coat enough to let the seed dry out too much. Probably not, but I thought of it. DE is some sharp-edged stuff. That's not likely to affect you at all, because you're going to coat and plant immediately. Just thinking out loud. |
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Posted: 1/1/2017 10:20:32 PM EDT
[#40]
Wonder if you attached a vibrator to the drum it would help with the sticking issue.
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Posted: 1/1/2017 11:37:54 PM EDT
[#41]
Wonder if you could make the filler "pill", then stick the seed to the outside of it?
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Posted: 1/4/2017 1:04:17 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
We use a needle seeder to pick up small seeds and put them into trays. Think of a dozen fine, unsharpened syringes on a pivot bar that draws a vacuum to pick from a seed tray and releases the seed once it pivots over the seed tray. Bigger outfits will step up to a drum seeder. Think of a small drum with a 1000 tiny holes in that vacuum up seeds and releases the seed once it rotates over a tray. So while you could handle the seed with a mechanism like that, I'm not sure I've seen anyone successfully transplant carrots. BUT... What if you could use similar technology to place seeds on a biodegradable tape or ribbon? Forget the coating all together. Long strips on something like newsprint with seeds spaced and glued to it? I know there are some flower seeds sold on a ribbon marketed as a "ready made" mix of flowers. And I know several companies are trying to successfully put transplants on a ribbon for bulk field production. Just throwing a different angle out there. Let us know what you come up with. Irregular or especially fine seeds are a huge pain in the ass for us too. Why not skip the ribbon and put them directly in the soil? IE, portable needle seeder that has 10-12 needles spaced the same as you want the seeds planted. I envision a back-pack mounted power/vacuum unit, hand-held wand with a vacuum line, manifold, and needles, plus a tray that you stick the wand into to pick up seeds. The process would be push button for vacuum, stick wand in seed tray, lower wand over trench, release vacuum, then repeat... Ultimately, I think no matter what you're going to have labor. You can choose if it's in planting/thinning carrots, coating/screening seeds, or walking along and planting more slowly with a needle-seeder type device. |
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Posted: 1/5/2017 4:54:59 PM EDT
[#43]
I don't think there's way to make that device man portable. It moves too much air to go without a compressor of some sort, unless you're talking like a 3000 psi scuba tank, and even then.
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Posted: 1/5/2017 4:56:23 PM EDT
[#44]
Of course there's another idea, a seed shooter! Like a PCP airgun! Blast the seed into the ground. Something like a paintball hopper!
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Posted: 1/5/2017 5:00:08 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Of course there's another idea, a seed shooter! Like a PCP airgun! Blast the seed into the ground. Something like a paintball hopper! 
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Posted: 1/5/2017 8:50:27 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't think there's way to make that device man portable. It moves too much air to go without a compressor of some sort, unless you're talking like a 3000 psi scuba tank, and even then. The truth is, with his printer and welder, I bet Rat_Patrol could manufacture a side-seeder....a needle seeder and tray out to the side of his little tractor, so he's running down the row beside him (on either side. It should be able to rotate) with the air tank/compressor on the back. He could do a trigger squeeze or push-button planting, say, six to ten seeds per shot.... and drive down the row. There could even be a little depth adjustable "coverer attached to the back of the tractor, sticking out to the side. Just sayin.
Kitties, who is all up in this "make your own sh*t" thing. 
Edited cuz I shouldn't type that word for no reason other than it's just my personality. 
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Posted: 1/5/2017 10:04:45 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The truth is, with his printer and welder, I bet Rat_Patrol could manufacture a side-seeder....a needle seeder and tray out to the side of his little tractor, so he's running down the row beside him (on either side. It should be able to rotate) with the air tank/compressor on the back. He could do a trigger squeeze or push-button planting, say, six to ten seeds per shot.... and drive down the row. There could even be a little depth adjustable "coverer attached to the back of the tractor, sticking out to the side. Just sayin.
Kitties, who is all up in this "make your own sh*t" thing.
Edited cuz I shouldn't type that word for no reason other than it's just my personality. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I don't think there's way to make that device man portable. It moves too much air to go without a compressor of some sort, unless you're talking like a 3000 psi scuba tank, and even then. The truth is, with his printer and welder, I bet Rat_Patrol could manufacture a side-seeder....a needle seeder and tray out to the side of his little tractor, so he's running down the row beside him (on either side. It should be able to rotate) with the air tank/compressor on the back. He could do a trigger squeeze or push-button planting, say, six to ten seeds per shot.... and drive down the row. There could even be a little depth adjustable "coverer attached to the back of the tractor, sticking out to the side. Just sayin.
Kitties, who is all up in this "make your own sh*t" thing.
Edited cuz I shouldn't type that word for no reason other than it's just my personality. Oh, I'm sure I could. I could use the vacuum from the engine, or (better yet to not screw with engine operation) pick up a belt driven vacuum pump to run off the PTO pulley. It could be mechanical for when to apply/release vacuum, or I could get creative and program an arduino micro-controller to control solenoids. Simply having the needles on a rotating cylinder, but hinged (spring loaded) with a seal would go up against the drop tray, bending the needle, breaking the seal, releasing the vacuum, dropping the seed. The spring loaded hinge would re-set the seal, picking up vacuum, pick up another seed. Rinse, repeat. Kind of like an old type spoon drill, but with vacuum. OR, If I can just easily coat the seeds and then easily run them in my Hoss seeder, that would probably be a lot easier
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Posted: 1/5/2017 10:37:54 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Oh, I'm sure I could. I could use the vacuum from the engine, or (better yet to not screw with engine operation) pick up a belt driven vacuum pump to run off the PTO pulley. It could be mechanical for when to apply/release vacuum, or I could get creative and program an arduino micro-controller to control solenoids. Simply having the needles on a rotating cylinder, but hinged (spring loaded) with a seal would go up against the drop tray, bending the needle, breaking the seal, releasing the vacuum, dropping the seed. The spring loaded hinge would re-set the seal, picking up vacuum, pick up another seed. Rinse, repeat. Kind of like an old type spoon drill, but with vacuum. OR, If I can just easily coat the seeds and then easily run them in my Hoss seeder, that would probably be a lot easier Ah dangit. 
I was all up in the whole inventor thing. 
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Posted: 1/6/2017 5:35:14 PM EDT
[#49]
So I'm playing with my new components and my gen 2 drum.
So far, I've done a fine job of making marble sized balls of oats
Needs more speeds. The commercial guys are really spinning their drums, and they have a scraper to force the seeds to "fall", breaking the centrifugal force. Me thinks I will be starting a rather large print with my new and improved (this time with scraper) spinner drum and stand and speed up the drum to closer to 100rpm or so. |
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Posted: 1/6/2017 11:37:34 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So I'm playing with my new components and my gen 2 drum. So far, I've done a fine job of making marble sized balls of oats
Needs more speeds. The commercial guys are really spinning their drums, and they have a scraper to force the seeds to "fall", breaking the centrifugal force. Me thinks I will be starting a rather large print with my new and improved (this time with scraper) spinner drum and stand and speed up the drum to closer to 100rpm or so. I had a hunch you'd need fins or a scraper of some sort. But I am NOT a mechanical designer, not by any means. Interested to see your next attempt. I wonder if the speed will need to vary by weight of the seeds? For instance, grass seeds are relatively heavy for their size. They're compact, but have a lot of mass. Carrots have all that surface area because of their shape, and yet they are really light by comparison. I wonder how that will affect the coating process. |
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