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Post by prospector on Aug 31, 2015 16:48:02 GMT -5
Hi, I have recently made a winnowing machine out of PVC similar to, but not as technical as, the Alchemist's. I bought a cheap Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner (foolishly trying to save $50-$100) and it worked well for the first 4 or 5 winnows. However, it has now lost a lot of its power and our winnows have gone from 75-80% to about 90% yield. I think the main issue could be that we skipped the second half of the DIY design, and the husk and dust goes directly into the vacuum instead of going into a separate bucket. Would this have damaged the motor in the vacuum? I was wondering if there is a reccomended vacuum cleaner that has enough power and durability to withstand regular winnowing. Most of the tutorials recomend a Shop vac, but there are many different kinds so I am unsure if there is a specific Shop Vac I should be looking for. Would this one be acceptable? www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/powertools/vacuums/shopvac_super_20_litre_wet_and_dry_vacuum_cleaner_1400_watt_183217/Thanks for the help!
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gap
Apprentice
Posts: 390
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Post by gap on Aug 31, 2015 16:59:30 GMT -5
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Post by Freddo on Oct 12, 2015 5:20:07 GMT -5
I recommend getting a cyclone dust separator and attaching it to a 20Lt bucket. This saves the filter in the vac getting clogged up with fine cocoa dust. You can go straight in to the vac, which is what I did to start with, but now that I've added the cyclone I'm much happier.
I dont understand you comment about the yield a 90% yield ? 70-80% would be expected from your setup, if you pre classify (screen) your material you get a better yield. Try using a gold sieve at about 4mm mesh size to separate the big from small, then winnow at different air speeds. If you don't pre classify, you will lose a lot of fine cocoa trying to remove big bits of shell.
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