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Pieced this together today after thinking about it for a couple. Modeled it after some hand operated vacuum pumps that gold prospectors use to suck stuff out of cracks in rocks.





(The blurriness is my fault, the cropping is Photobucket's fault, sorry)

Thought it might help me keep my rice fresh longer

The design is a bit crude and I've already thought of several improvements, but it does work. Its basically two one-way valves with a hand operated piston. Used a piece of all-thread for the shaft with a modified test plug for the piston. The device that fits on the jar is from FoodSaver. They make a regular and wide-mouth version.

Tex

I use a foodsaver myself but I've seen a few videos of guys on youtube using brake hand bleeders with success. One fella rigged up a pressure gauge and could accurately tell the vacuum. Pretty simple rigs, but keep up the ingenuity. That's what we'll need a lot more of here shortly.

I have the Foodsaver as well but haven't taken it out of the box! I can draw a vacuum on a half gallon jar in about 10 seconds. The contraption could be made a good deal smaller than this one. I'd also like to experiment with heating the jars a bit to aid in sealing and oxygen and moisture expulsion. I have several jars of rice stored and a few more cases of half gallon Mason jars on hand. We'll see where it all leads.

None of the local stores have the Mason jar vac seal attachment for the Food Saver, at least on hand, but vac bagging is real popular up here for papers, firearms, and ammo, especially for people on boats, but people in town and out in the bush like it as well.

Most of what I've vacuum bagged with my Food Saver is other than food. Papers, instruction manuals, electronics and cords with special connectors, some silver coins, a rifle, ammo, handgun, leather holster, etc. Everything in my storage unit is covered with dust from the gravel road that goes by it, the Food Saver rolls allow storing lot's of stuff so the dust, mold, and insects stay out.

I'm thinking of vac bagging some "emergency tools" for the truck, as well.

There's a new model out that handles 15" seals as well. I'm tempted to get one and toss the old, but most of what I seal up fits the 11" bag. (The 11" has 10.5" inside measure, 11.5" outside.) The new model also costs over $500, at a local store. I'm searching (not very hard) online to see what else is there. The Food Saver website stinks.

Mossy wrote:None of the local stores have the Mason jar vac seal attachment for the Food Saver, at least on hand...

I've never seen them in stores. I discovered and bought them on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T03-002 ... 189&sr=8-1

I bought one of each size. I like your idea about storing documents and ammo and such with the Foodsaver.