Mylar Storage Bags

[brass]

Thanks, Phil. I'll order the heat sealing iron I linked above, basically, because I would guess that smaller would be better for sealing the Mylar bags.
While I'm at it, I'm going to order some smaller Mylar bags with zip locks. The idea is to use them for temporary storage of open tins and for shipping bomb samples and exchanges. I would transfer the tobacco from tin to bag and pack it, rather than trying to put the tin and all in a bag. RSuninv sent me
Could anyone tell me what size of zip lock Mylar bag would be best for packing,say up 50 to 100 grams of tobacco? I'm considering these 5.5" by 7" Maybe too big?
Thanks.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I use the sealer below for my mylar bags - it is teflon coated and is ridged, so it gets a great professional looking seal on the bag.
http://www.amazon.com/Portable-Sealer-Model-KF-150CST-Storage/dp/B003HO30TE/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1418408571&sr=1-5&keywords=heat+sealer

 

[jitterbugdude]

I use an Impulse sealer on mine. I zip them shut, then above the "zipper" I heat seal them. You can get impulse sealers on ebay for about $30.00 (from China)
Edit: Actually, you can get them for less (from USA)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Heat-Sealing-Hand-Impulse-Sealer-Machine-Poly-Free-Element-Plastic-Sealer-/271579712056?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f3b698a38
For Mylar bags you need the knob cranked all the way up to the "High" setting

 

[joeycaruzzo]

@ Darwin, hey, I just wanted to let you know that I found out that Mylarpro is also on Amazon now. they are selling those 5.25 mil quart mylar bags with the ziplock at http://www.amazon.com/buy-quart-mylar-bags-300cc-oxygen-absorbers/dp/B016TOJ4RA , and the gallon size at http://www.amazon.com/1-Gallon-Mylar-Bags-Oxygen-Absorbers-Combo/dp/B016TMQV6Y .

 

[darwin]

Thanks jc. Maybe this will encourage others to give them a try.

 

[adamcordray]

So any updates on how well this has worked out over the past few years? My cellar is growing, and I intend to increase the bulk tobacco in my collection. Any tips/advice that you've learned since last post would be greatly appreciated!
Adam

 

[physicsman]

It worked out well for me. I decided to take my tins out after two years because it was bulky to store each tin in a bag and also I wanted to see my tins. Upon opening the 40 or so bags they each smelled strongly of the blend that was in the tin even though the tin seal was fine. I've decided to use 0.5" wide aluminum tape to go around the seals of all my tins and mason jars. This seems to work well enough to keep the aromatics in the tins. I now keep all my tins in pelican case and strangely enough it smells a bit like a Va in there even though there are plenty of latakia blends and they certainly stunk up the mylar bags. Im guessing that the labels absorbed some of the smell while in the mylar bags and are just slowly outgassing (I could be wrong). One thing for bulk I've considered is food grade paint cans. Its not a bad price if you order a lot but making sure to get the right coating seems to be key and its a further hassle Im not interested in unless I were pushing 50lbs of bulk in my cellar which Im certainly not.

 

[darwin]

I've thought about the paint cans as well. With the dual lid system such as HU Tobacco uses they might well be a good solution for aging if the mylar bags do not appeal for some reason. I have sixteen 100 gram tins of their product in one box and there is no smell of tobacco detectable. However if I pull off one of the plastic lids I can smell tobacco so maybe the press-in metal lid is not entirely gas proof. The odor is very faint but it is detectable.
Using both lids is a good idea and should serve as a good way to age tobacco and they will be highly resistant to breakage unlike glass jars. I'm not sure how much tobacco could be stored in quart or gallon sizes but I'd bet it would be at least two pounds in a gallon size.

 

[skraps]

So, I have been full Mylar storage for over a year now. I have had no issues at all. Blends that have been stored have maintained moisture, flavor, etc.
I have no experience with the gallon bags, but a quart usually can fit about 8 oz. of tobacco. More if it's something finer cut like C&D Cube.

 

[pruss]

I've had the same experience as Skraps; even in small sample sized mylar bags. I had a nubbin of Strang (like an inch of twist) that still needed to be dryed prior to loading a bowl after a year in a ziploc sealed mylar bag.
-- Pat

 

[woodsroad]

The ziploc seal is the weak point.
The Box Pass sat in my office for about a year. In that time, about half of the samples (all in small ziploc Mylar bags) dried out. These were the inexpensive, transparent aluminized Mylar bags that are similar to what hard drives come packaged in.
On the other hand, I have bulks that were stored in heavy-duty (5 mil) ziploc Mylar bags for over two years with no apparent loss of moisture. These bags have very robust zip seals, although I did have a problem with bags bought from discountmylarbag.com, where the ziploc seals stayed tight, but came unglued from the bag itself. I also have a commercial vacuum sealer with nitrogen flush. The bags that were sealed two years ago are still sealed, and won't be opened any time soon. I'm assuming that these bags are copacetic.
I've been on a bit of a bulk buying binge of late, but I haven't been packing it into mylar bags. I'm using my BaccyPacker caulk gun to pack into 8oz Ball jars.I can fit about 7oz (weight) of McClelland flake into an 8oz (volume) Ball jar.

 

[didimauw]

I have been thinking about transfering all the blends I bought that I dont smoke into mylar bags incase I sell them. Or it would just be nice to clear out all my jars.

 

[curl]

Does it really make sense to put tins inside mylar bags?

We would have to believe that what leaks out of the tin into the bag is going to leak back into the tin.

 

[woodsroad]

Does it really make sense to put tins inside mylar bags?

We would have to believe that what leaks out of the tin into the bag is going to leak back into the tin.

"what leaks out" isn't going to leak back in. That's not the point. Mylar is a vapor and oxygen barrier material. Once sealed, the humidity inside the bag will reach equilibrium with the inside of the tin and no further loss will occur. So, yes, there will still be some moisture loss, but very little as compared to just leaving the tin sit out in the open. If you want to, you can breath into the bag to add moisture before you seal it, or put a 62 or 65% Boveda pack in there.
I keep all of my open tins in zip seal Mylar bags and find that they do a great job of stopping excessive evaporation.

 

[bent1]

Adding this link to an old thread given the TAD activity latelym
Guide to Mylar Food Storage