Best chemical acids according to redditors
We found 61 Reddit comments discussing the best chemical acids. We ranked the 20 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 61 Reddit comments discussing the best chemical acids. We ranked the 20 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Dude, you need to get out of there ASAP. Contact your local housing board, contact a local attorney for a free consultation, this is a really big deal and just changing your diet is not gonna help. If the infestation is as bad as you say AND the landlord has failed to do anything about it, you are usually open to legal recourse. Review your lease with an attorney and see what recourse you have.
If you're seeing multiple out in the open, thats a really bad sign. Roaches don't like being out in the open and will only really go out in the open if theres a real infestation.
With that being said, below check out the best most effective ways to make your house as unlivable as possible for those sons of bitches:
The key to taking care of the roaches is essentially making your house a living hell for them to live in.
First, Determine the kind of roach you have. German roaches are the most common, and tend to be the ones found in apartments.
Second-of-ly, Throw out any and all cardboard you have. They live on the glue holding it together. This means ALL of it, every old amazon box, cereal box, shoe box, old pizza box, gift box from your aunt you wanted to reuse for your other nephews birthday... throw all that shit out. I hope you were planning on spring cleaning because that's next.
Once you've thrown out all your cardboard, I highly suggest deep cleaning the entire apartment, get up every single crumb you can, do it around the entrance to your apartment, do it on every window sil, every shelf. Just....everywhere. Every crumb, hair, and just general shit you pick up is one less morsel for them to eat.
Clean every single dish, bowl, culterly, all of your dishes and put them in large storage bins something like this.
Now, go through your fridge and remove everything, clean the entire fridge out. If you can empty it I would, though this is /r/budgetfood so just I'm sure others will disagree if this is needed. All of your canned good, rice, pantry crap go into another empty bin. Put these in the middle of your living room floor.
Move all your furniture away from the walls and try to get as much of it off the floor as possible. Try to remove as many "hiding spaces" as possible.
Got textbooks, novels, bibles or any other book that has glue in it? Either throw them away or check and comb every single page for roach eggs. They like to lay them deeeep inside the bindings. Once searched, put them in a bin and stack with the rest of your stuff.
At this point, see if your landlord will come in and fill any open holes in the apartment, this includes pipes for plumbing, heater pipes coming out of drywall, underneath dishwasher, cabinet seams. Basically anything that can be caulked should be. If your landlord is an ass and doesn't want to/won't its gonna make this next part harder but not undoable.
So now that's done, you're next gonna wanna buy these two things:
Depending on the size of your place, a shit ton of boric acid
a drill
A Powder duster
The boric acid dries out and fucks up the roaches exoskeleton and they then ingest it causing themselves to (hopefully painful) death.
Take the boric acid and cover your entire floor with it. You don't need to use the duster quite yet, but just make sure your floor is completely covered. Next cover your furniture. In your now empty pantry and drawers, cover them in boric acid. This includes bath tubs, under the sinks, around the toilet etc.
Now at the bottom of one of your walls take your drill and drill a hole into your wall deep enough to get to the internals. Using the powder duster filled with boric acid, shoot the powder up into the wall. The idea is to coat the entire inside with it. It more important to get the acid everywhere. After your first hole, move about 8inches to a foot in either direction and continue spraying internally in the wall. continue to do this until every walls inside is covered in boric acid.
So now the adults are slowly on their way to perish, Nope the fuck out of your apartment for a few days, if you can't for some reason leave for a few days, in the very least do not bring any food, water, plastic, glue, boxes, paper, anything new into the house. Trash should be taken out multiple times a day and laundry needs to be stored in ziploc bags.
Okay, so now the adults should be slowly dying. Unfortunately, prior to their death, besides eating all of your food, they've been nonstop fucking and laying eggs all over your house. So now your house is literally about to be filled with shitty roach orphans and outside of going back in time and trying to teach the roaches in your apartment safe sex methods, there isn't much you can do to stop them from hatching.
Unfortunately this means in about 10-20 days after your initial treatment, you'll have to do the entire thing again. After that, outside of maintaining an impeccably clean apartment your roach problem should become more bearable. Sadly, unless EVERYONE in your building follows the above steps, you'll always have that problem.
Source: Dealt with these little shits for about 6 months, every treatment I basically grilled the bug guy to give me as much info as possible on roaches....
This is getting pricey:
Solution A:
Sulfuric acid $20I don't think this is concentrated enough to do the trick. This might be a showstopper since, even if I could get ahold of a higher concentration, I've heard too many horror stories about working with undiluted sulfuric acid that I may just want to pass.Solution B:
Solution C:
And distilled water is a couple bucks per gallon at the grocery store. Looking at around $100, and that is assuming I get all the ingredients right the first time and don't have to reorder any of this and ruin some of my ingredients in the process. Many of the ingredients will have leftovers, but the potassium Iodate seems pretty expensive for such a small amount that I'll use half of just to make one batch.
EDIT: Not too surprisingly, it seems like the acids and peroxides I've listed may not be nearly concentrated enough to do the trick.
EDIT2: Updated hydrogen peroxide link to a 35% concentration instead of first aid style which is 2-3%.
This! Just read that post a few days ago.
OP, tang works but the crystallized citric acid is what you're looking for. Put that in your detergent compartment on an empty cycle and let it go to work.
It is indeed because of a rug. Moisture was trapped between the two, and left that stain. The traditional way to lighten it up is with oxalic acid:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxalic-Acid-Bleaching-Wood-Net/dp/B001F2US4U
It would never go away 100%, but it could be made less noticeable.
Or put another rug down and call it a day.....
Recipe:
•1fl oz infused coconut oil Calculator for dosing
•2fl oz water (or juice is what I use)
•like an 1/8th tsp of sunflower lecithin
•2x Knox gelatin envelopes (1.8g ea iirc)
•3oz (small box) Jello brand whatever flavor
•Tartaric acid (manufactured Citric acid is low key poison FYI)
•organic raw sugar
Directions:
Put infused oil and water in like a small candy pot and stir till they’re mixed up very well (try to keep as cool as possibly without the coconut oil hardening). Mix in the Knox gelatin thoroughly, then add the jello box and do the same. Next you just let it sit for 10-15mins for sugar to bloom or some shit, should be like thicc applesauce .
I like to go low and slow, I have a little copper pot that holds heat well so I want to gradually build up the heat till I get to my desired temps (I’ll us IR gun or candy thermometer next time to be more accurate).
On my stove I start at 2 on the dial and continuously stir with a little whisk for maybe 5-8 mins till it looks like it’s starting to melt down. Turn it up to 3-4 on the dial while still stirring continuously, another 8-10mins till it’s all melted down, it’ll get clear and get more syrupy if you let it drop off the whisks. Usually once I see a little vapor or if I stop stirring it bubbles at all I pull it from heat and keep stirring.
Switch the dial to LOW (want to keep pot pretty warm to keep goop from solidifying) and start filling the molds with a dropper that came with the molds. I usually have a helper because I have zero patience. One stirring, one filling molds. Makes the process a lot easier. i usually get 100-110 gummy bears. If you end up with more you didn’t cook it long or hot enough and they’ll likely sweat/weep.
Next I put them in the freezer for 30mins to an hour depending what all I have going on.
I have a cooling rack that I pop the gummy bears out on straight from the freezer, air dry (my ceiling air vent hits the counter just right to speed this along).
Toss the bears in a Tupperware with whatever coating suits your taste, Mine is usually around 1-1.5 tsp of tartaric acid and 1-2 cups of sugar mixed in (I’ll use this to coat a few hundred before I tweak it at all). Shake vigorously and make sure all get evenly coated. Toss bears in a sifter to clean up and back on the cooling rack for 15-30mins. Double coat if needed.
Should be find under 78-80°f ambient air, no sun. Store in fridge just to be safe til used.
YES!! I am on the boric acid bandwagon too!
The best part about boric acid is that it treats both BV and yeast infections. It is easy to get, you don't need an Rx, and it is not an antibiotic so you don't have all the side effects. It is not hippie pseudoscience. It has been scientifically studied and proven effective 70% of the time. I've not had BV, but I do get yeast infections a few times a year and boric acid has cured them every time.
Buy this on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V9WY0S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TWtGxb2V3EV12 as well as size 00 empty capsule casings. Fill up the capsules with the powder and shove one as far into your vagina as possible right before bed. Do this for 7 nights. Wear a pad because there will be some discharge.
You can then use them once or twice a week indefinitely to keep the bacteria balanced. Many people find relief from this. I highly, highly recommended it.
He forgot to remind them to stock up on this and this.
You have to order the boric acid and the capsules separately. I bought Humco boric acid and capsules like these-- definitely go for the vegetarian capsules, as they are less likely to irritate your vagina and will dissolve cleanly.
Vinegar is popular for scale removal, but many prefer citric acid. I can't stand heated vinegar; it burns.......
For the hot pot, stir the citric acid separately in hot water first instead of boiling the citric acid directly in the pot. Otherwise, it can leave pitting stains (similar to boiling salt in cold water in a stainless pan). For dishwasher, just do it straight up.
You can try a small bag first, but here's a link to compare the price
https://www.amazon.com/Milliard-Citric-Acid-Pound-NON-GMO/dp/B00GNBHPAS/
For Comparison and info:
https://www.lemishine.com/ingredients/
http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16899
Problem solved
Oleic Acid 1 Quart (32 fl. oz), Manofohm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0108MAJFK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wQYqzbCZT71Y7
Well, it is certainly better that what you started with.
The next time you do this, if the floor has dark stain areas, treat it with oxalic acid:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxalic-Acid-Bleaching-Wood-Net/dp/B001F2US4U
It is bleach for wood floors, and can make the color much closer to even. If that is what you want.
I can't promise this will help, but I had an awful yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis (I didn't ever go to the doctor) that lasted months! I was trying everything: garlic, apple cider vinegar, greek yogurt.. you name it. I finally stumbled upon Boric Acid. That link is to some boric acid suppositories specifically marketed for BV or yeast infections, but I just ordered the boric acid powder and put them in empty 0 or 00 size gel capsules. I ordered it from amazon but they might have it at your local pharmacy. Either way, it was amazing. Seriously night and day after just two or three days of use.
I suggest putting the suppositories in at night, as they make you INSANELY wet.
Also, I'm not a doctor, but it does seem like you might have an allergy, IBS, or some kind of inflammatory bowel disorder. Maybe try a serious elimination diet and slowly add things back in?
Good luck!
Edit: here's a link to the regular boric acid powder and the empty gel capsules I just used a knife to dump the powder in the capsules, it doesn't have to be precise, you can do two if you can't get the capsules very full, it won't hurt you.
It has so many uses around the house, so I buy it in bulk: 10lbs of anhydrous citric acid
I put about a 1/4cup scoop for a full washing machine in the rinse cycle, stop the machine to let it soak for a little while, then run a second rinse afterwards. We have hard water in my area, which leaves a mineral buildup in laundry as well as not rinsing the soaps and detergents very well. A citric acid rinse every now and then really helps remove that buildup from the fabrics. It works great for sweat stains and deodorant build-up too.
Trying to extract your own phosphoric acid without a lab and appropriate training would be idiotic, but you easily can buy food-grade phosphoric acid.
They sell it on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Quart-950ml-Grade-Phosphoric-Remover/dp/B00KC74ETO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413237356&sr=8-1&keywords=phosphoric+acid#productDetails
pH probes are not expensive, either: http://www.amazon.com/American-Marine-PINPOINT-pH-Probe/dp/B001EHJO64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413237550&sr=8-1&keywords=ph+probe
I'm not saying put it behind your bar and jigger it out into your drinks, but is there really that much risk from getting some appropriate safety equipment and diluting this down and mixing it with some sodium citrate, a common ingredient in molecular gastronomy for reducing acidity? I have used sodium citrate to increase the ph of several of my drinks with no issues.
As long as you have a very accurate scale, it is not hard to calculate the appropriate ratios and then mix them. Just make sure you wear some durable rubber gloves and some goggles. Spend a little time googling about lab safety.
Admittedly, this acid is EXTREMELY strong, but as long as you have respect for the chemicals you're handling, it is quite safe to manipulate these things at home. Even if you haven't done anything like this before, I think you could reasonably spend an afternoon on this project, and come away with a viable solution (no pun intended) to your acid phosphate problem.
I totally sympathize! With my latest ex, I started getting yeast infections almost every time we had sex. It was horrible! He'd had a male yeast infection before we met, so I think maybe he was carrying some strain that threw my internal balance into chaos.
I tried all sorts of remedies, but the only thing that touched it was boric acid. There are some good instructions on this website. This is one of those old folk remedies that actually works quite well, and it not dangerous as long as you don't use it on broken skin or during your period. As the article says, DO NOT TAKE BY MOUTH. It is to be used as a suppository only!!!
I bought this powder and some 00 capsules. Insert a capsule right before bed so you're laying flat and everything tends to stay inside. Wear a light pad, because there may be some extra clear fluid in the morning. Not much, just your vagina's mucus membranes responding what's going on, and the melted capsule remains may also come out, though sometimes those seem to absorb or melt into everything else.
Best of luck, and I genuinely hope you find a solution soon.
Boric acid in gelatin pills. You can buy both in bulk on amazon. You can use one every day for a few days and then use it as maintenance to keep your acidity up. You’ll want to wear a pantyliner, and I usually just do it before bed. Sex is safe with it in if you happen to go for round two, but no oral!
Edit- you can buy them premade, but they are super expensive that way. I’ve had a container of boric acid and like 1000 capsules for a couple/ few years now and it’s super easy to fill your own a few at a time.
Not sure if this is allowed but this is the brand I bought years ago, the reviews helped
Pretty much. Stains don't lay on the surface; they are absorbed into the pores of the wood. Think of a bad stain as a wood tattoo. That is why they are sanded when refinishing. There is no easy way to pull the stain out of the pores.
There is a product known as oxalic acid, that is used to bleach wood. It is up to you if you wanted to attempt it:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxalic-Acid-Bleaching-Wood-Net/dp/B001F2US4U
Only if you assume that they stopped with the tiny handful shown. That bag looks like it could coat hundreds of those things, if not more. And citric acid is just a quick Amazon search, $10 and free 2-day shipping away.
Ya DAP is DiAmmonium Phosphate. You can get it in bulk on Amazon, like this: http://www.amazon.com/Diammonium-Phosphate-99%25-10-Bag/dp/B007GQG6AO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1371866140&sr=8-4&keywords=diammonium+phosphate
A 10 lb bag will last a long time. The 2lb bag is half the price, but still not a bad deal. For each 5 gallons you use about 3-4 tablespoons. I step the addition, adding about 1/2 of it when I pitch the yeast, and the rest a day or two later.
Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate, sold for soaking feet and for bath salts. Its a pretty universal product, any drug store should have it in a big container (size of a half gallon of milk) that will last you a lifetime, and only costs a few dollars. An 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallons will help a lot.
Any old multi vitamin will work. Crush em up real well and dump it in when you are boiling the yeast. I use 2 per 5 gallons.
Homebrew stores are the worst when it comes to advice about distilling. They are just trying to make money, the turbos are good for that. I buy EC-1118 on Amazon as well, its cheaper.
Here's a link where I posted my sugar wash recipe, it works fast and comes out very clean on my reflux still: http://www.reddit.com/r/firewater/comments/1dj0pk/tap_or_distilled_water/c9rkajj
Lol fuck this dude. What a square. Here u go OP
https://www.amazon.com/Non-GMO-Project-Verified-Organic-Chemicals/dp/B006STCVL8
good luck and have a good trip
OK. You may be able to make the stains and parches go away. Look at oxalic acid:
https://www.amazon.com/Oxalic-Acid-Bleaching-Wood-Net/dp/B001F2US4U
It is used for bleaching wood. And it works. You may not get 100% of the ugly out of the wood, but 90% is certainly doable, in most cases.
Something I've been doing is adding citric acid to my OJ to get it to be as sour as lemon juice. I feel like it really balances the drink out much better.
34F here. Got strep throat last year in September, took antibiotics, and ever since have been getting a yeast infection after my period every month. The hormone fluctuation of my cycle combined with imbalance caused by the antibiotic made it so my body could never really get right. It was ruining my life. Misery.
A hippy friend told me about boric acid and it has changed my life. It is effective for both BV and yeast infections in about 70% of cases (science, not anecdotes or holistic hocus pocus). I used it in capsule form up my hooha for 7 days to clear the yeast infection, then once a week for a eight weeks, now I just use one dose on the last day of my period every month. It is cheap and easy and here's how to do it:
Buy boric acid at the link below. Buy extra virgin organic unrefined coconut oil. Buy "00" size capsule casings. Get syringe from any pharmacy (usually free if you ask the pharmacist). Do not be put off by the warnings on the boric acid bottle, it is a very weak acid and many women are using it for this purpose! Please research further if you are unsure!
Melt about 1/4 cup coconut oil in double boiler or microwave till it is completely liquified. Remove from heat immediately. Stir in boric acid to make a thin to medium thickness paste. Let it cool to a lukewarm temp (too hot will melt the capsule casing, too cool will be too thick to fill them as coconut oil is solid at room temp). Use syringe to fill up the capsules and you can keep them in the fridge for up to six months!
Use them at night only, shove one capsule as far up the vagina as possible and immediately lay down. No tampons! Pad is advisable but not required if she doesn't like it. There will be a watery discharge in the morning and perhaps mild irritation, nothing crazy or intolerable. Use for 7 nights to clear a yeast or BV infection, then she can use it once a week indefinitely for maintenance. I've gone down to only using it once a month right after my period and it's great and inexpensive.
HUMCO HOLDING GROUP Boric Acid Powder, 6 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V9WY0S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_A62lxbE93KY2T
Here's a recipe that, based on the reviews section, is incredibly effective and only takes a few days. The key ingredient is boric acid, and the reviewers talk about it being available near the "band-aid" section of drug stores/Walmarts/etc. I'm not sure how much it would be in those stores, but there are some options on Amazon for about $7-$10 (like this one). If you end up using this, don't put it somewhere like a counter because the ants will be swarming it.
I hope this helps you! I saw this recipe several weeks ago and thought "That could definitely come in handy someday."
Dear troll, making my own capsules full of this magic vagina balancing powder took me out of a years long cycle of itchy misery. Two at night for 3 days, one a night til symptoms subside plus at least 2 more days, then every other night, then as needed or every time you have sex or swim in a lake or do anything that normally sets your twat off. One bottle is about a lifetime supply.
I learned about it here, so shoutout to all the trolls who posted about it before me!
Go get yourself some food-grade citric acid. You'll thank me and hate me later.
This post made me go look through my dad's facebook for the first time in years. Its weird. It's comforting and upsetting at the same time. I don't know if we have any videos of him, but being able to read his updates and comments really brings me back. One of his last posts was about him loving my pecan pie.
One great memory of him I have is when we went on a hike. He had back problems and needed surgery so he didn't get out much and was bedridden most of the time. He went with me so I could take photos for my photography class. The hike was so much fun. He seemed the happiest he'd been in a while that day. I ended up winning $75 and an award through my school for a photo I took that day. He was super proud cause he was really into photography too.
I also ended up taking a bunch of pictures of him and my brother that day just for a nice memory, including this one. I never would have guessed that a few months later, that would be the photo on his memorial card.
I'm so sorry about your friend as well. I hope the funeral can give you some closure. I know how tough it can be.
If I'm to win, I'd love this citric acid from my wishlist so I can make some bath bombs! Thank you for the contest!
I actually make my own, which sounds a little crazy, but if you get yeast infections a lot, I think it's worth it because suppositories are a little expensive. Your doctor might be able to give you a prescription but I don't know much about that.
If you are interested in making your own, I just this capsule making thing, and I have a giant bag of size 0 capsules. I have this boric acid. They're pretty easy to make. To me, the only down side is that I don't know the exact dosage that I'm using.
Just be careful and remember DO NOT ingest it orally! It goes in your vagina. I wrote it on the outside of the bottle because they look similar to my probiotic and I always worry that I'm going to confused if I'm tired.
Use oxalic acid. Google dilution instructions for removing rust and use a wire brush to remove it. It'll shine like new
pH fluctuations, in my experience, have been caused by 2 things:
I have both problems here, with my water coming out of the tap at ~300 ppm tds. I finally gave up and installed a RO system with UV filter, and, since then I haven't had an issue. I also hooked the RO system up to my refrigerator for water / ice dispensing, and, the amazing thing is my ice went from cloudy white cubes to almost clear. That's one of the ways I discovered my water was of a poor quality.
One other cost saving tip - skip the overpriced pH down solutions you see online. Get the real stuff. I found this on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009S05Z2Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's Reagent grade, so, it is safe for use in food. It's also CRAZY strong (85% - wear gloves / eye protection!), so you only need a few drops. If you buy the bottle, it will be the last time you need to. Be very careful with it and remember always add ACID TO WATER never water to acid!
Read the reviews on boric acid for YIs and BV and how well it works. It's changed my life, been using it for two years very intermittently. The powder will last forever and you'll not have to spend another dollar on anything OTC for a long time.
https://smile.amazon.com/HUMCO-HOLDING-GROUP-Boric-Powder/dp/B001V9WY0S?sa-no-redirect=1
(cc: /u/thebunz21)
Spend 7 bucks or so on Malic Acid by itself and see what happens?
https://www.amazon.com/Swanson-Malic-Acid-600-Caps/dp/B00068K3IK/ref=sr_1_6_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1526785092&sr=8-6&keywords=malic+acid&dpID=41Yb47u9gRL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
8 bucks on food grade citric acid powder and see what happens?
https://www.amazon.com/Non-GMO-Project-Verified-Citric-Acid/dp/B007ZYXPJM/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1526785277&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=citric+acid&psc=1
I'd imagine you'd need a fair bit more citric acid than that. I had meant pure powder. Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Citric-Acid-Pound-Non-GMO-Organic/dp/B007ZYXPJM/
Good all around thing for around the house and it can be diluted down into PG for juice.
https://www.amazon.com/OXALIC-Crystals-Cleaning-Removal-Remover/dp/B0793F89NT/
It sounds like you're entirely starting new, so I can give you some pointers I hope will be helpful. I also run a Breville Infuser, but I have a Ceado E6P.
When was the last time the grinder was cleaned? When was the last time the machine was descaled and back flushed? Consider this to be like brushing your teeth: you do it regularly so you don't get cavities and dental disease. You do not want to wait until things get funky. I clean my stuff about once a month. I also descale once a month because I have hard water; but I used to live somewhere where I only needed to descale once every 6 months.
On cleaning your grinder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVVsTAUzVzM
Grindz tablets: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014J7FUY
Descale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq1TiwoJbWA
Our machines do not have a descale mode, but that doesn't matter, you can follow the steps anyway. Also, just buy citric acid, you don't need Breville's stuff. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GNBHPAS/ I always backflush after I descale, so I stop following this guide at roughly the 2 minute mark.
Backflush: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1N8HLoW6ew
Cafiza: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004L8RTEM/
You need fresh beans. There's no two ways around this. You can play with this if you like. Old beans are monumentally difficult to dial in, and often it's impossible. I find beans last nearly a month after the roast date, but there's a noticeable drop off after the second week. There's a lot of room for experimenting here, I recommend you do. Also note, that some beans cannot be dialed in. I don't understand the roasting and processing factors, but there is a lot of variation here.
Our machine can be programmed such that it will dispense a fairly precise volume of water with the press of a single button. My 1 cup button is programmed to purge the group head, and my 2 cup button is programmed for a regular pull.
I want you to know that this a really a good approximation, but Breville has a "smart" feature where it will try to "save" the shot if it thinks the pressure is too high. This has ruined a few cups for me, so I only have this programmed for those bad mornings, but otherwise I don't use it.Edit: I'm an idiot. If your pressure gauge is "bouncing" or fluctuating during a shot, most likely your pump is going bad. You can try to service it or replace it, I bought one of these off amazon and it is working: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NMNA138/. I got this because it arrived the same day. This is the actual pump: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077ZRP3GD.
I only use the 2 shot single walled basket, and I have also modified my portafilter to be bottomless. I generally find a good shot is just after the second screw in the pressure gauge, but that gauge is not very helpful.
I bought a few toys to help me out. These are not necessary, and in fact some people will tell you that you don't need them at all. Those people are probably right, but I like my toys anyway.
A funnel: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N693YSS/ A cut yogurt cup can work. It doesn't need to be fancy, I just wanted something fancy.
A pick: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E48EWA/ A toothpick or anything pointy can totally suffice. Again, just wanted to be fancy.
A leveling tool. I have a 51mm because that's what I could find cheaply at the time, but it looks like 53mm are also available now. 51mm: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BTN1S2C/ 53mm: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S4Q179B/
A tamp: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MUXN53U/ This tamp has a spring inside it. I only bought this because I had a nasty habit of over tamping.
I found this video that I like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMldWhQVMQA I would not tap the filter after the distribution (where he's stirring the grounds), and I tamp gently. I don't twist or turn the tamp.
Dialing in is a trial and error type deal. In general, you want ~16 grams in the portafilter, and want to pull ~32 grams of espresso in ~30 seconds. These aren't hard and fast rules, and there's a lot of wiggle room here.
Find a coin like a nickel or penny and clean it. After you've tamped your portafilter, place the coin directly on top of the grounds, then lock the portafilter in the machine. Remove the portafilter and then carefully remove the coin from the grounds. (Do not pull a shot with the coin in there)
Is there an indentation in the grounds? If so, then you have overfilled the portafilter. If not, you might be good, or the portafilter might be underfilled. A scale will really help here.
To pull a shot, I have my portafilter locked in, and place my mug on top of my scale underneath the portafilter. I will hold down the 2 shot button (doesn't matter, you can hold down the 1 shot button), and keep it depressed for roughly 10 seconds. This is the preinfusion stage. Low pressure water is being introduced to the grounds. I chose 10 seconds because this is when I first start to see espresso appear at the bottom of my basket. You can experiment here. I then release the button to allow the full extraction. I press the button again at ~30 grams to stop the extraction.
I want to emphasize that these are rough guidelines. You may find something entirely different that works. I apologize if I came off as rude or condescending, I'm a bit of a turd by nature. Please ask if you have any questions.
Here's what I bought! These were suggested in the original post I read and worked for me. It's a LOT of product, but it's pretty affordable. Just use a panty liner if you put one in at night because the capsule degrades and leaks out (kinda like the ovules that prescription treatments have.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00428B6X6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001V9WY0S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01
citric acid and one of those magic erasers works waaaay better than vinagar:
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006STCVL8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHI3BVI?keywords=magic%20eraser&qid=1452327243&ref_=sr_1_6&sr=8-6
I might have to make the acid switch myself, and I found that Amazon has an 85% phosphoric acid available:
https://www.amazon.com/Phosphoric-Acid-High-Purity-1000ml/dp/B009S05Z2Q
I bought ~250 mL of 5-10% phosphoric acid at the LHBS for $5. The water here is super hard, so I needed like 100 mL to get to a pH of 5.5. Super costly, same with lactic since it's a weak acid. I ended up buying 1L of 85% phosphoric on Amazon and only need 6 mL per 2 gallon batch.
Clean the fiberglass first both inside and out. I'd recommend using oxalic acid.
You can buy it here on Amazon . For the love of all that is holy please follow proper dilution ratios.
OXALIC ACID 99.6% 5 Lb. Deck, Crystals, Metal Cleaning- Rust Removal, Wood Stain Remover and More! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0147JPQAI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_59hHzbK64MSJP
After your hull is clean gloss it over with either a new coat of wax, or if you're lazy like me use mopNglo
That boat will look brand new.
Oxalic Acid Bath. You can find good write up on the method on BMXMuseum
https://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=351132
You can buy Oxalic Acid crystals on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0147GM7CQ (2lb)
https://www.amazon.com/OXALIC-Crystals-Cleaning-Removal-Remover/dp/B0793F89NT (8 oz)
Just some really quick searches. Probably not the best quantity or size. But shows that both can be found on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/HiMedia-GRM3949-250G-Sodium-Acetate-Anhydrous/dp/B00DYO5ED2?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3
https://www.amazon.com/Acetic-Acid-Glacial-1-Gallon/dp/B07TK4CL6V/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=glacial+acetic+acid&qid=1571782525&sr=8-10
These:
Citric Acid - Put a teaspoon in your dishwasher and your glasses will be bright and sparkly.
A Roku - Cut the cable bill and stream Amazon.
This Book - Simple and to the point. Follow them and you will achieve more
Flashlight - Everyone needs a good one
This Book - so you stop driving 80 in your neighborhood
This Book - Because I think you will like it based on a comment or two of yours
And buy a $79 Amazon Prime subscription so you get free streaming content for your Roku and free two day shipping for the rest.
Anything left over? Buy your sister something.