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Friction welding plastic to repair Aluball screens...

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kastom_lif

Kava Lover
Since the Aluball came out, I've heard various ideas for how to fix broken screens. Glue isn't a great idea unless you relish the idea of drinking glue residue in your kava. Epoxy's stronger, but brittle and even more toxic than most glues.

Well, what about WELDING a screen? No, I don't mean welding the stainless steel. I'm talkin' bout friction welding food-safe polymer through the damaged section of a screen to seal it up.

FranLab gave me the idea. Check this out...


1. Cut a backing piece out of thin plastic sheet and press it against one side of the broken screen.

2. Use Fran's spinny welder on the opposite side of the screen, melting the plastic through the screen all around the torn area. Maybe you have to weld up an entire window. Maybe just a small patch is OK for small tears. I'm not sure yet.

Anyhow, I'm talkin' food grade plastics, ZERO adhesives, and major geek factor. Oughta be the Cockford Ollie to get your busted AluBalls to chooch once again, wah?
 

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
or just use plastic bags to protect them in the first place...
Please be patient with me, I haven't had kava yet today...

Do you put the ball inside a bag and then shake the whole bag + balls combo inside a bottle?

Are we talkin', like, resealable zip bags, or a big groshery bayg?
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Please be patient with me, I haven't had kava yet today...

Do you put the ball inside a bag and then shake the whole bag + balls combo inside a bottle?

Are we talkin', like, resealable zip bags, or a big groshery bayg?
talking cheapo sandwich baggies. Put the balls and water in the bottle, lay a sandwich baggie over the top of the bottle to cover, making sure plastic extends evenly all around the rim so when you screw on the lid it makes a air-tight and water-tight seal. Then shake. I'll reuse the baggie several times over the course of the day. I also do this when cold-brewing mate. I have never had a ball damaged, nor has my wife, nor has my son. Theoretically it has to happen some time. But it hasn't happened yet and I've been using it every day several times a day since the summer.
 

kastom_lif

Kava Lover
talking cheapo sandwich baggies. Put the balls and water in the bottle, lay a sandwich baggie over the top of the bottle to cover, making sure plastic extends evenly all around the rim so when you screw on the lid it makes a air-tight and water-tight seal. Then shake. I'll reuse the baggie several times over the course of the day. I also do this when cold-brewing mate. I have never had a ball damaged, nor has my wife, nor has my son. Theoretically it has to happen some time. But it hasn't happened yet and I've been using it every day several times a day since the summer.
That is brilliant! Thanks for explaining. I'm going to try that.

To avoid smashing balls too hard I just never shake straight up and down. Side to side only.

Get one plastic bag and you can go Up Down Side to Side!

 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
That is brilliant! Thanks for explaining. I'm going to try that.

To avoid smashing balls too hard I just never shake straight up and down. Side to side only.

Get one plastic bag and you can go Up Down Side to Side!

I go slightly down. I hold it level horizontally and then tip down very slightly and shake forwards. The moment the balls hit the plastic I pull back. I do ths so fast it's a blur. :) And of course it's brilliant, because Ibbygirl came up with it. AluBall only required a few crucial adjustments: double and triple balling, the baggie, and using AluBall for the first 2 washes but kneading bags for the 3rd through 6th washes.
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
You could also use a small tweezer style spot welder to patch it with stainless steel mesh. That would be food safe also. Spot welding doesn't use any solder or flux or anything, it joins by melting metal with electrical current. You would have to set the current very low because the mesh is delicate. This kind of thing:
tweezer_spot_welding_handpiece.jpg
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
You could also use a small tweezer style spot welder to patch it with stainless steel mesh. That would be food safe also. Spot welding doesn't use any solder or flux or anything, it joins by melting metal with electrical current. You would have to set the current very low because the mesh is delicate. This kind of thing:
View attachment 8798
I'm not using a giant, fire-breathing, earwig robot on my balls.
 

John Bytell

Kava Enthusiast
I go slightly down. I hold it level horizontally and then tip down very slightly and shake forwards. The moment the balls hit the plastic I pull back. I do ths so fast it's a blur. :) And of course it's brilliant, because Ibbygirl came up with it. AluBall only required a few crucial adjustments: double and triple balling, the baggie, and using AluBall for the first 2 washes but kneading bags for the 3rd through 6th washes.
Looking fwd to trying this. I have gone to shaking for 5 mins and barely get a week or 2 out of my aluballs before I get screen tears! Getting to be VERY expensive. Very impressive to not have any rips! Can you make a demo video of your technique?::aluball::::alubottle::::KavaChug::
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Looking fwd to trying this. I have gone to shaking for 5 mins and barely get a week or 2 out of my aluballs before I get screen tears! Getting to be VERY expensive. Very impressive to not have any rips! Can you make a demo video of your technique?::aluball::::alubottle::::KavaChug::
I've been meaning to. I was just waiting for someone to ask. I really have never busted a ball yet, and I use them every day, several times a day, and have since the summer.
 

The Pizzabaker

Kava Curious
Than i shake to hard too:-(
5 minutes and its very loud , i go in a extra room for shaking and i gain muscle with that ,hahaha
When this slightly shaken makes good grog , thats the better way.
I make it like you with to alu ball washes and the into the fride , how long shake you by a wash.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Than i shake to hard too:-(
5 minutes and its very loud , i go in a extra room for shaking and i gain muscle with that ,hahaha
When this slightly shaken makes good grog , thats the better way.
I make it like you with to alu ball washes and the into the fride , how long shake you by a wash.
I aim for one minute on the first wash and two minutes on the second.
 

John Bytell

Kava Enthusiast
@Krunkie McKrunkface are you using the new shaker or the old one? I'm still whackin' my balls pretty hard (phrasing!) with the old shaker but it seems to work well with the new bigger one. Also...are you pulling the bag over or 'laying it across'? I've been pulling it over and only getting one use out of a bag. Using cheep dollar store bags....
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
@Krunkie McKrunkface are you using the new shaker or the old one? I'm still whackin' my balls pretty hard (phrasing!) with the old shaker but it seems to work well with the new bigger one. Also...are you pulling the bag over or 'laying it across'? I've been pulling it over and only getting one use out of a bag. Using cheep dollar store bags....
I lay it across and get several uses. Just using the old bottle. Same old balls.
 

Blue Roads

Kava Enthusiast
Here is the originall Aluball that I got in March of 2017. It survived 2-3 washes a day for 7 months and eventually the screens were so clogged with residue that I bought new balls. I don't drink as much kava lately so I have 2 older balls that are maybe 6 months old but the screens still pass water through them adequately, and a couple of newer ones that are probably about 4 months old and still work well. I'm trying to find something I can soak them in to remove the residue so I can get more life out of them but haven't found anything yet. I've scrubbed with vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap using a toothbrush and it helped but they still don't clear up like they need to. Maybe a stiffer brush? Other cleaning materials that might work? I'm not sure what the residue is made of so I don't know how best to approach it. I'm just taking shots in the dark at stuff that might work to clean it. I'm at 3 bottles and 5 balls and love my little collection. ::tanoafull::::happyshell::

Aluball 001.jpg Aluball 002.jpg
 

verticity

I'm interested in things
Here is the originall Aluball that I got in March of 2017. It survived 2-3 washes a day for 7 months and eventually the screens were so clogged with residue that I bought new balls. I don't drink as much kava lately so I have 2 older balls that are maybe 6 months old but the screens still pass water through them adequately, and a couple of newer ones that are probably about 4 months old and still work well. I'm trying to find something I can soak them in to remove the residue so I can get more life out of them but haven't found anything yet. I've scrubbed with vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap using a toothbrush and it helped but they still don't clear up like they need to. Maybe a stiffer brush? Other cleaning materials that might work? I'm not sure what the residue is made of so I don't know how best to approach it. I'm just taking shots in the dark at stuff that might work to clean it. I'm at 3 bottles and 5 balls and love my little collection. ::tanoafull::::happyshell::

View attachment 9055 View attachment 9057
The residue is likely mostly water insoluble kavalactones. You could try soaking in alcohol (Everclear or rubbing alcohol...obviously rinse very thoroughly with water after to remove all alcohol before you use it-- I have had some success cleaning stained straining bags this way). You could also try soaking in vegetable oil, followed by soapy water.. Another thing you could try is a cleaner containing d-limonene (stuff like "CitraSolv" or "Orange Oil", etc..) which ought to be able to dissolve that stuff...
 
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kastom_lif

Kava Lover
Since I don't have a friction welder, I've taken to repairing my balls with instant cyanoacrylate (krazy glue) and baking soda.

Start with a clean, dry ball and some instant super glue. That's the super runny kind. Don't use the gel type--I don't know what additives they put in that stuff to make it goopy.

Line up the edges of the torn screen and dab a little bit of superglue onto the mesh. Then, pour some baking soda on it. The baking soda catalyzes the cyanoacrylate, making it turn into acrylic plastic right away.

Brush away any excess baking soda, then add another small dab of glue. Set the glue with more baking soda. Lather, rinse, repeat. Alternating from the inside to the outside of the ball seems to work best.

I've never had a tear so large that I needed to glue up an entire aluball window. If the tear is close to the edge of a window, connecting the glue repair to the solid part of the ball seems to make for a more durable fix.

They use the same baking soda + CA glue technique to fix small nicks in carbon fiber helicopter blades, believe it or not!
 
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