Sciencemadness Discussion Board

fine stainless steel filter mesh

sodium_stearate - 24-4-2011 at 01:56

Sorry if this is discussed at length somewhere else.

I am looking for a source for a few pieces of very fine stainless
steel filter mesh. Some coffeemakers use a "permanent"
style filter basket that uses this fine mesh.

I am filtering 220 C melted wax. I have successfully used
fine plastic mesh from another permanent coffee filter, but I
really would rather use the stainless kind. The plastic holds up
to the heat sort of ok, but it does shrink some.

Any ideas for where to get very fine stainless mesh?

Thank you.

Contrabasso - 24-4-2011 at 02:24

All mesh is fine to some degree, what mesh size do you want? The price goes up to silly amounts once you pass 250 mesh.

I have two suppliers in the UK where are you?

sodium_stearate - 24-4-2011 at 12:16

Thank you for the response. I am in the USA.
Just looked at some fine stainless mesh and I see how
the price increases dramatically the finer it gets.

Really, I will probably need a few samples of the finest weave
so I can test them.

I see one company TWP offers to sell swatches of each kind
for $10 each.

Looks like 400 or 635 will be what I need.










[Edited on 24-4-2011 by sodium_stearate]

watson.fawkes - 24-4-2011 at 12:48

As I'm always saying, check McMaster-Carr, where the right search term is "wire cloth". Depending on what you're filtering out, you may not need stainless steel; they've got a number of other materials available. They've also got some not-horribly-exorbitant stainless materials rated 40 microns for less than $25 / square foot.

SWilkin676 - 24-4-2011 at 15:28

We've purchased some by the roll on ebay for very reasonable. Don't recall the seller but you can look in the business section.

sodium_stearate - 25-4-2011 at 19:11

Just called TWP in Berkley, CA earlier today:
They will sell a 3" x 3" piece of 400 mesh stainless for $10.
That supposedly will stop anything larger than 33 microns.

That might actually be workable for final filtering of wax
to cast Edison cylinder blanks. Maybe worth a try.

They also have 635 mesh, and it will stop a 20 micron particle,
but it costs....(drumroll puhleez...) $10 for one square inch and
you can't get any other small sizes unless you by a whole
square foot for...Avogadro's number of dollars!:o

Wire Cloth / Wire Mesh Source

jonnyc123 - 7-7-2011 at 09:37

http://www.bwire.com/


Here is another source for those of you looking for this fine material. I have used them before and they are reliable.

Quality Product.

Just an FYI for ya'll.....

UnintentionalChaos - 7-7-2011 at 17:35

Buy some large oil filter discs. These are usually a series of stainless steel mesh screens crimped together around the edges. Cut the crimp and separate the layers. The finest screen on the ones I have are significantly finer than the reusable coffee filter baskets and are the size of a large filter paper. I have used them to filter molten sulfur before.

[Edited on 7-8-11 by UnintentionalChaos]

spong - 12-7-2011 at 08:58

There are a surprisingly large number of companies that sell the stuff, at least around here there is. Look for metal mesh suppliers on the internet or phonebook and ring around until you can find some with samples, I just picked up 7 free samples today between 100 and 200 mesh :D

Panache - 19-7-2011 at 15:46

that said has anyone soldered this stuff? i have developed a small hole within my fine mesh cylinder right on the solder mark and want to repair it, i imagine there is nothing to it unless someone can offer real world experience.

Mr. Wizard - 19-7-2011 at 18:32

Quote: Originally posted by Panache  
that said has anyone soldered this stuff? i have developed a small hole within my fine mesh cylinder right on the solder mark and want to repair it, i imagine there is nothing to it unless someone can offer real world experience.

What is the mesh made of? If its steel, brass, bronze or copper it will easily solder. Be sure to mask off the area to prevent solder from creeping past where you want it. A good flux will be a big help, but also contributes to increased wetting and spreading. Needless to say, use a metal tip not a flame. The best results would be to put the screen against a non metallic backing, such as wood or wrapped paper, and apply heat and pressure. Have some method of holding the screen in place while soldering.