Mushroom Growing Inoculation Box, Tools and Techniques

My inoculation box and the tools and techniques that I use.
Key words: Mushroom growing, Inoculation Box, Glove Box, Laminar Flow, Flow Hood, DIY Flow Box

[@ajallen178]

This is best economical DIY version I have seen!

[@bagnob1321]

Thanks, Aj.

[@haitianhillbilly2792]

You just saved me at least $300 usd. Thanks so much for sharing this!!!!!

[@ivan3465]

Best diy flow box on the internet👍 RESPECT

[@raytry69]

Best design so far.

[@johnwyatt1057]

you have a such good video and explainsion! Wish to see more video from you!

[@adamwolf4041]

Nice design! In particular I like the plexiglass hood, worklight and surround.

[@ivybrandyn]

This is genius. I would LOVE a tutorial on how this was built.

[@mikerichardson7038]

Thanks for sharing this. I've been looking at videos of still air boxes and flow hoods, and yours is absolutely brilliant. And may I say very professionally made. I shall look forward to building a copy myself.

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Mike. Thanks.

[@TheJokesKING]

PLEASE KEEP MAKING VIDEOS You are awesome for even making this

[@bagnob1321]

Hello. Thanks for the encouragement. In a couple of months I'll start a beginning to end series on growing.

[@brandondurham9074]

A video on how you change the filters and mount the fans would be awesome!🙏🏾

[@validefy]

Wow..this is really genius. Its so much easier to find those smaller hepa filters and your design makes it easier to store and transport. Way better than the giant bulky flow hoods. I applaud you sir

[@bagnob1321]

Thanks!

[@nubletten]

I work in it and i cant believe i didnt think of using pc fans untill you showed me. Already had the idea to make my own diy magnetic stirrer from a pc fan, but not flowhood. briliant.

[@activeenglishlecreusot9628]

Awesome setup. Will give this one a try. SAB has been doing well. Can't jump on pro hoods yet so this is perfect to get the feet wet. Mush love!!

[@bagnob1321]

Thanks. This box works well, so you might not want a pro hood after you try it.

[@dongesswin]

this is a super idea! I love it! great job!

[@Zayskibop]

I have NO space to work, your design has saved my night! I really want something better than a monotub SAB. This is perfect! Thank you for sharing, I got a lot of work to do!!

[@Zayskibop]

Would you recommend the spilt design for the filters to eliminate turbulent flow? Or do you attribute the fan power to being enough?

[@Zayskibop]

And how thick is the plexiglass? Thank you!

[@bagnob1321]

The plexiglass is about 1/8" thick

[@bagnob1321]

I've found that four fans is enough. I would arrange them symmetrically on the back.

[@TheBookofLab]

you are a god for coming up with this i am speechless this is beautiful

[@bagnob1321]

Thanks!

[@wthigo77]

I thought of building one with air cleaner filters the other day and was wondering if it would work. Now I know, thank you.

[@thomasedible7419]

You sir are a gem! Thanks for sharing! Could you link to the filters and fans used? Would you recommend a prefilter (for longevity)? Any idea what CFM you're getting? I moved to Mexico and had to leave my flow hood and gear behind... As hoods/fans/filters are expensive or extremely rare here I am currently looking at affordable alternatives (I can do SAB but I find it too confined...). Many thanks and greetings from down south!🙏💙🍄

[@geoandy]

Hi bagnob, great job with this setup. I have been looking to build something a bit better than a SAB without the cost of an expensive flow hood and this is promising. Question: are you still using it? How had your contamination rate been? Your confidence when using it?

[@bagnob1321]

Hello Andy. Yes, I still use it. I've used it several hundred times and I've never had a contamination problem with it that I know of. If I were to build it again I'd make the box (and the opening) several inches taller. Aside from this small detail it works very well.

[@xxheathenxx6402]

That's is by far better than any other I've seen, diy or retail. This is perfect for a small to medium size grow. I love it. Would build one for me? Could you? I'd reimburse you for your work

[@JoseLuis-lh7fm]

Did u built it ?? I'm trying to decide

[@ButtSauce666]

Same

[@maaingan]

Using 10 pc fans to power a long ass box. It’s made out of thick craft foam covered in extra wide aluminum metal tape. A thin flexible vinyl cutting board goes inside to work as a removable work surface for easy cleaning. The material is like poster board foam but slightly thicker with a tougher outer layer, it is extremely light and inexpensive, yet durable enough to hold the fans in place. Once taped together, it’s easily sturdy enough for such delicate work. The opening for your arms is kept even more narrow, as the clear acrylic lid has a hinged door in our version to allow for larger objects to be placed inside and then the lid is closed and the contents are sterilized.

[@bogdanmares6469]

Hello can i ask how big are the fans for you'r setup ? BTW man you just saved me a loot of money with this idee RESPECT 🙏

[@brandondurham9074]

Dave fantastic game plan for a DIY flow hood! I’d like to build one and you mentioned doing a detailed follow up on the build. Any idea when so I can start building lol! Or could I contact you for some details I love the fact your an engineer and worked the math. Again great job- big fan!👍🏾

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Brandon. Please ask questions here in the comments, that way we can all share the benefits of the discussion. Thanks!

[@brandondurham9074]

Would a 12V 1A adapter run 5 of those fans at full speed? And would you consider putting a speed controller on them?

[@OcSongTheSoulSinger]

@@bagnob1321 my main question is how to build it… totally not an engineer but would love one!! This one. Where did you get the glass/plexiglass well not you @Bagnob ….. And how do you hook up all the fans?

[@jodysephus6922]

273 likes and 6 jealous butts, lol Awesome Innoculation Box man!

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Jody, thanks.

[@12th-House]

Excellent !!

[@rudyp7935]

Really great job!, how many more inches taller would you do the opening? and would you leave all the rest of the design the same?

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Rudolf. I would make the opening two inches taller. Otherwise, the size works well for me. Cheers!

[@emh114]

If you say 4 fans will work. Would you be able to add 3rd filter and use 6 fans to have a wider work area?

[@bagnob1321]

I just removed two of the fans and it's still a bit too much air. So yes, I think so.

[@MarcoGonzalez-yn1od]

Great job! Honestly this is a great, clean-looking innovation! Do you think this setup could work with a medium-sized box fan in the back instead of computer fans?

[@bagnob1321]

Yes, any fan that can provide a slow to medium flow through the filters will work fine.

[@DirtyShishKabob]

going to make a similar one thanks for showing this

[@AA-wt7ik]

I'm a bit late to the party but this really is a great design and I fully intend on replicating it. Have you replaced the filter since building this? Did you make it accessible without disassembling the entire mechanism? What is the purpose of that piece of work inside the working area under the filters? Thank you very much for sharing this fantastic design.

[@bagnob1321]

The filter is sealed using RTV, so it's a job to replace. Nonetheless, the box works well.

[@TheXanthoman]

Any details would be appreciated . Size or flows of fans ? Link or name of filters ? Thanks

[@poste1otto]

Hello Bagnob, would you be able to share a little more details on the way you built the fan + filter compartment please. Would you be able to share the dimensions of every part to recreate this piece? Thanks

[@maaingan]

Dude, it’s a box

[@bagnob1321]

Will do.

[@ontherims3284]

Maybe purchase a fan controller, so you can adjust your flow rate. Half the time, when I label my jars..I write directly on them and wash it off later. I've nothing else to add. Great design, this will help my dive into permaculture and native fungi research immensely.

[@homeselfmade6286]

Was thinking about a similar thing for my needs. Great to know it works! What is the specific H rating for the filters? Thanks for a good video.

[@bagnob1321]

Here is the Amazon listing: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713WP2LT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@homeselfmade6286]

@@bagnob1321 cheers for that!

[@jasonrobb4948]

Hello. Great design! Thanks for sharing. May I ask how the filters are attached? Thank you

[@bagnob1321]

Using silicone adhesive.

[@juniorsk8s3t1]

👏👏👏👏

[@Gayndhi]

hi, i am currently doing your build aswell. wanted to ask, did you coat your wood with anything, or just left it normal. since its so porous i was wondering how that would affect clean work and if the wood tends to soak a lot of the alcohol when cleaning

[@bagnob1321]

Hi MG, Yes the wood was finished with water-based polyurethane varnish. The isopropanol does not affect it.

[@Gayndhi]

@@bagnob1321 thank you very much for the fast responce👍🏻

[@tomfile3131]

Have you given any thought to a pre-filter on the outside of those fans ? Maybe a furnace filter ?

[@bagnob1321]

It's not needed.

[@Akasha_Silver]

Nice. But is there no pre filter?

[@bagnob1321]

no prefilter

[@doriiiiiixxx]

You are a fcking genius about the box

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

State of the art

[@fabilizboa]

Hi, nice to meet you! My complimets!, your project is really great!! May I ask you somethig? I'm a complete disaster with eletricity...How did you connect 6 cooler in just one 12V power supply? Is it works without loose strenght?

[@bagnob1321]

Nice to meet you too. I've found that 4 fans are just as effective. Put all the fans in parallel. In other words red to red and black to black. Then connect the red to +12V and black to ground.

[@fabilizboa]

@@bagnob1321 thanks!

[@user-fp8qt6ne2o]

i use opened heated oven for this step

[@gordotek]

I love you Bagnob, but I don't like this design, you can clearly see at 6:31 this is producing turbulent air which is the opposite of what you really want (laminar flow is the gold standard). I'm also not a big fan of using wood because fungi/mold loves wood. Also I think "hoods", side fins/walls are obsolete as well, if you look at professional medical industry portable laminar flow units they do not have any sides or walls, the reason being, this creates a vacuum where the air is not coming out of the filter and just results in turbulence and eddys. If you haven't seen it yet, I created a vid on making a true laminar flow box for under $100 that works extremely well.

[@bagnob1321]

You're right on all points. The box idea is obsolete, but it does work. It's harder to use and harder to build than a simple laminar flow hood. Your instructions are great!

[@WayneStakem]

You should consider adding PVC cladding to the inside.

[@bagnob1321]

The varnished plywood has worked very well.

[@originaldranksta6740]

Awesome flow cabinet! i am planning on using your idea to build my own. How did you get about connecting all 6 fans together to the power supply? can you link whatever you used to make that work? Thank you so much!!!

[@bagnob1321]

Hey OriginalDranksta. All the fans are wired in parallel. In other words, red to red and black to black for every fan. Then I wired the group of 6 fans to an old 12V laptop supply, again red to red and black to black. Good luck!

[@originaldranksta6740]

@@bagnob1321 So you just used wire nuts to wire them together. i was trying to figure out how to use the 3 pin connectors in parallel lol. Thanks so much!

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

@@bagnob1321 i am starting tomorrow

[@BoomBapSorcerer]

There's one thing I don't understand: how do you change the filters? It seems like the back box housing the fans is either screwed or glued to the main box? Thanks!

[@bagnob1321]

The back of the box that covers the filters is indeed screwed to the main unit, so it's a bit of work to change the filters. However, giving the low use rate, I don't expect to need to change them.

[@BiggDaddie008]

Very nice im going to try to build my own. Where is a legit place to get LC syringe from?

[@ButtSauce666]

Ask Google, not even being rude.

[@jakecardwell1718]

Was wondering how you figure it's laminar flow not knowing the cfm and resistance of your filters and fans? Having the closed area in front of your filters is a good design, seeing any turbulent flow would pull spores and bacteria back towards your work area.

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Jake. I'm an engineer by trade, perhaps you are also. I've calculated the Reynolds number of the system making reasonable approximations for the fluid flow. It's well below the commonly used threshold of 2500 for laminar flow. But I think the most convincing demonstration is with the incense. Thanks for watching!

[@JoseLuis-lh7fm]

Even tho is below threshold for laminar flow it's good enough I need to build something I got all my stuff

[@mars23mj]

Hi thank you for your post. I recently made my own 6 computer fan flow hood but my fans are not blowing hard enough. The flow of air is slow. My question is what type of computer fan do you have? What is the rating? I just bought 6 fan’s on Amazon but I don’t think they are strong enough. :/

[@bagnob1321]

I used these fans and four would be more than enough: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PFBPHL6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@lucasantonini7618]

Very very nice! Thanks! I'm engineer too, but I just don't get it rsrs... how did you calculate the Reynolds numbers? I try to figure out what is the speed of these fans, but I just found on RPM. I tried to make a conversion but it didn't work I guess. So, we can find the density and dynamic viscosity of air by Google, but how you find the speed (fan) and what was de diameter that you considered on the Reynolds number? I also checked that these fans has their CFM, but just don't know how to use it to find Reynolds number.

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Lucas. See the wiki article on Reynolds number here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_number Re = rho * U * L / mu, rho = density of air, u = flow velocity, L = characteristic length, mu = viscosity. For my box, L = 0.3 meters, U = 0.1 m/second (after the filter), mu = 2e-5 kg/(m-s), rho = 1.2 kg/m^3 Then Re = 1800, which is well below the onset of turbulent flow.

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

@@bagnob1321 now also known as the Incence Number 🙂

[@boxprogramming13]

Hey Bob, almost done with this build but can’t get the wiring on the fans right. I bought the antec fans you recommended, but the wires aren’t labeled. Ii stripped the wires on one fan, and tried to test it with my 12v 3A pc power supply, but couldn’t get it going. Any help is appreciated!

[@bagnob1321]

All red (+12V) wires are tied together, and all black wires (ground) are tied together.

[@UltiMatz]

Hey. Love this Economical DIY flowhood. I have a question. How has this performed over time? :)

[@bagnob1321]

Hi. I've used it for about 2.5 years, several hundred times at least. I've never had a problem with contamination.

[@UltiMatz]

@@bagnob1321 Thank you :)

[@westonholmes9503]

did you add h202 too the iso... and if so for what purpose?? sweet box... so would this be a step up from SAB and right below a flow hood... or is it similar to a flow hood at keeping contams out??

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Weston. Yes, I add H2O2 to the isopropanol because studies have shown that it increases the effectiveness. However, it probably doesn't matter for this use. Cheers! Dave

[@frogmanpipes9561]

Have you tested the success rate? On a agar dish? So you can calculate the contamination. I would like to see a test in the box.

[@bagnob1321]

I've often wondered how to do a scientific test of the efficacy of the box. Please make a suggestion.

[@frogmanpipes9561]

@@bagnob1321 with 6 different agar dishes. Place 2 in the working space (area). And 2 dished just outside of the working area(still on the table but in front of you) but behind the working area). Then For the control place 2 dishes on top of the box. Place all at the same time for 5 minutes.

[@frogmanpipes9561]

@@bagnob1321 then let it sit. And compare the contamination in between the different dishes. I think this this box can serve its place in certain applications. I do not believe that it would suffice and other applications.

[@Qwickset]

Example of text​@@frogmanpipes9561 is suggesting: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6rFZqWvptiEqNU

[@ranjanty]

do you think it would be a good Idea to use this design (except for the fans and filter) when I build a 2' x 4' flow hood?

[@bagnob1321]

Yes, it should work fine.

[@francisr6804]

Hi bagnob, great job. Do you think it would work with a front opening of 9" x 19" ?

[@francisr6804]

and also, do you think a magnetic stirrer is a must to make live mycelium culture? I read that it takes a lot of oxygen for the culture to grow.

[@bagnob1321]

Yes, absolutely

[@anilensinupret3111]

Would you mind sharing blueprints? What are the fan specifications? Many thanks!

[@bagnob1321]

Sorry, I don't have prints for this. I would make the box big enough for your purposes. I've tried four fans, they are enough. Any 12V PC fan should do.

[@anilensinupret3111]

@@bagnob1321 I built one with one big hepa filter that is simmilar in size. I used 5 80mm 3000 rpm fans but the airflow is quite weak. :( How big are your fans and what is their rpm?

[@sorgimorgi6405]

Hello. please write the technical characteristics of the fans. I will be very grateful. Thank you))

[@bagnob1321]

Will do.

[@bulls_shit]

where you get hepa filters ?

[@bagnob1321]

from Amazon

[@XxFuzzballsxX]

Do you have any available plans for your hood build?

[@bagnob1321]

Sorry, no, but it's just a box :-)

[@ronaldtownsend5745]

Dave, I jus saw your video. What are the dimensions of your box, and if you were to remake it what would you change?

[@bagnob1321]

The rough dimensions are 20" wide by 14" high in the back by 14" deep. The front opening (about 9") should, in my opinion, be a bit taller. Make it 10" to be comfortable. Otherwise, the box works very well.

[@ronaldtownsend5745]

@@bagnob1321 Thanks

[@josepdperry2241]

Are there any plans for this diy project?

[@bagnob1321]

Coming.

[@TheBookofLab]

can i get a link to the fans that youre using tho???

[@bagnob1321]

You can use any 12V 120mm diameter computer fan. I bought these: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PFBPHL6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Four or five fans are enough.

[@soota6083]

Pretty nice! Do you know the size and cfm of the fans?

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Soota. They are normal 12V, 120 mm diameter computer fans from Amazon. More or less the most inexpensive that you can find.

[@mkstands]

Hi, how Close are your fans to your filter, get designed box

[@bagnob1321]

HI MK. The fans are about 1 inch from the filters. I will make a video showing more of the details.

[@mkstands]

@@bagnob1321 Thanks mate, was thinking about making one for myself but did know what fans to use high air flow or static pressure

[@brandondurham9074]

@@bagnob1321 How’s that video coming along? I’m waiting for the details so I can build one. Awesome job and super practical!👊🏾

[@andrewmodell5889]

It's not laminar ...it had to be the same flow as your water hose not spitting and spraying ...nonstop no break the fan blade allow litl particles to get in you'd be better to to have a blower and all that nonsince

[@bagnob1321]

You're right, it's not laminar, but it works great.

[@bretjohnson5809]

Say agar

[@bagnob1321]

Hi Bret. My dad was a mushroom grower from Boston. He said "agar" with a Yankee drawl. Thanks for watching.

[@TheDegoe]

agar is an indonesian word and your pronounciation is almost spot on my dude

[@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag]

not bad. But buying 6 120mm fans is more expensive than a small air mover blower. Just sayin'

[@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag]

and its not pronounced "auger", its pronounced "ay-gr"

[@bagnob1321]

Yeah, I got the pronunciation from my father. He was a mushroom grower by trade. Thanks!

[@Humboldtcounty707]

@@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag depends on where your from. Either way is correct.

[@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag]

@@Humboldtcounty707 no, it doesnt depend on where youre from, and no both are not correct. One is right, and one is ignorant.

[@Humboldtcounty707]

@@SwiggitySwagDopeInTheBag Your reply shows who is ignorant. Do me a favor and Google how agar is pronounced. His father was a professional mycologist, do you think he was saying agar wrong? Depending on where you live eastern vs western US it's pronounced differently. He was in fact pronouncing it the correct way. You think because you hear people say agar the way you do, that it's correct, and everyone else is wrong. Talk about being ignorant.🤣 Please let me know what the correct pronunciation is after a simple Google search.