Source for cheap vials for yeast storage?

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Gritsak

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I've been using old white labs vials to store my washed yeast, but my supply is gone. Anyone know of a source for relatively cheap vials of a similar size? I guess glass would be more ideal than plastic.
 
I've been using this with excellent results:

http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/fin24.html

I use the 3oz size. I don't do slants, instead I just put some leftover starter into those vials. I boiled one of those vials and it held up fine. Not sure about autoclave though.

The tops are air/water tight. I put a piece of masking tape just for extra safety.

I got mine on Ebay.

M_C
 
If you want to match the vials that the White Lab yeast comes in, you can look for PET soda bottle preforms; I believe that's what they are using. It's basically what a 2-liter bottle looks like before blow molding. These little guys aren't really easy to find in small quantities, but here's a couple sources:

http://www.sciencebobstore.com/
http://www.onlinesciencemall.com/
http://www.teachersource.com/

Also, if you know of any local plastic blow-molding companies around your area, you may be able to talk them out of a dozen "samples"...seriously, at to-the-trade, bulk quantities, I think these things are ridiculously cheap.

If it helps to locate some, I believe the actual specs for the White Labs preforms are around 35-40 grams in weight, 28mm O.D. "PCO" type opening with a 33mm support ring, and about 135mm long. Good luck!
 
kc.rkitek said:
If you want to match the vials that the White Lab yeast comes in, you can look for PET soda bottle preforms; I believe that's what they are using. It's basically what a 2-liter bottle looks like before blow molding. These little guys aren't really easy to find in small quantities, but here's a couple sources:

http://www.sciencebobstore.com/
http://www.onlinesciencemall.com/
http://www.teachersource.com/

Also, if you know of any local plastic blow-molding companies around your area, you may be able to talk them out of a dozen "samples"...seriously, at to-the-trade, bulk quantities, I think these things are ridiculously cheap.

If it helps to locate some, I believe the actual specs for the White Labs preforms are around 35-40 grams in weight, 28mm O.D. "PCO" type opening with a 33mm support ring, and about 135mm long. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I second this reccomendation. I've been using "baby" soda bottles for a couple of years. I have a rack for them and they take up almost no room.
 
"It has a glass temperature of 70° to 80° C, where it starts to soften."

Maybe I tend to do things a bit overkill but it bugs me that you apparently can't even put these through a standard boil...
 
kc.rkitek said:
If you want to match the vials that the White Lab yeast comes in, you can look for PET soda bottle preforms; I believe that's what they are using. It's basically what a 2-liter bottle looks like before blow molding. These little guys aren't really easy to find in small quantities, but here's a couple sources:

http://www.sciencebobstore.com/
http://www.onlinesciencemall.com/
http://www.teachersource.com/

Also, if you know of any local plastic blow-molding companies around your area, you may be able to talk them out of a dozen "samples"...seriously, at to-the-trade, bulk quantities, I think these things are ridiculously cheap.

If it helps to locate some, I believe the actual specs for the White Labs preforms are around 35-40 grams in weight, 28mm O.D. "PCO" type opening with a 33mm support ring, and about 135mm long. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I never thought of using the white labs vials again, but this has piqued my interest. I usually just keep washed yeast in 8oz ball jars, but these preform vials might be the way to go. what process do you guys use for using the vials? do you boil them?
 
If they begin to soften 70° to 80° C, then you can't sterilize them. Best you could do would be to sanitize them. I wonder what White Labs does to prepare the vials for yeast?
 
billtzk said:
If they begin to soften 70° to 80° C, then you can't sterilize them. Best you could do would be to sanitize them. I wonder what White Labs does to prepare the vials for yeast?
Click to expand...

i figured it wouldn't be wise to boil plastic, sanitizing seems to be the way to go. Do you all let yeast settle to the bottom of a container like a ball jar, decant, then just pour the yeast in the vial?
 
I've been using 1/2 pint Ball mason jars. They are small, they stack nicely, and the local Ace Hardware sells them for about $10 per dozen.
 
I used preforms for my first 2 harvests. Sprayed some starsan into it and shook it well, then left capped until ready to pour the yeast in. My first starter with harvested yeast went just fine.
 
Awesome tip about the preform soda bottles. I'm also curious about sterilization. Is sanitizing good enough??
 
more beer has a good selection of yeast culturing things. they have autoclavable screw on test tubes.
 
Looked into this probably longer than I ought to have. For me the $19.00 for the preforms seemed excessive given the hunch I felt that non-formed plastic bottles ought to cost in the single digits in cents. Many distributors, as I found out, also only sell by the crate/box, which makes it hard for us who want less than 1,500 preforms at a time.

I ended up going with midwestbottles.com with their 2 oz. clear cylinder with screw top. http://www.midwestbottles.com/index.php?p=product&id=522.

It holds the same 2 ounces that the preforms do, and you save as you buy more. It's not a cool vial, but at least it can stand upright on its own. :D
 
danorocks17 said:
I never thought of using the white labs vials again, but this has piqued my interest. I usually just keep washed yeast in 8oz ball jars, but these preform vials might be the way to go. what process do you guys use for using the vials? do you boil them?
Click to expand...

I have been using preforms for about a year. Bought 2 dozen. I don't boil them I spray them with starsan, and then rinse them out and store them empty with a squirt of starsan in the bottom.
 
Just received 24 of these 2oz. boston glass bottles. They'll hold about 200 billion fresh yeast cells when full. $10.13 shipped with Prime

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003G2ZX9W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Edit: Holy crap! The price tripled since I ordered them yesterday! Lucky me, I guess! Sure you can find these type of bottles cheap somewhere, though.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Also, I'd be slightly weary of anything with a snap-on lid or cork. There is often pressure involved with stored yeast, either positive or negative, meaning the lid could pop-off and compromise your sanitation. That's why I went with bottles with screw-on lids.
 

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