J Cloth bag filters
An ingenious idea for cheap, disposable bag filters comes from bobblake.
Components
2 of coat hangers (10 for a £1 at Pound shops or similar )
2 of A4 Slide binders (from office supply companies)
1 of J cloth (your local shop/supermarket)
Construction
Cut the coat hanger as shown in the photo, leaving the little hook at the bottom. Wire cutters are best for this job.
Slightly bend open the flaps of the binder at one end to facilitate fitting it to the J Cloth. Careful use of wire cutters makes the job much easer.
Open out the J Cloth and fold in half.
Fold a hem over the coat hanger and slip on the binder to hold it in place. Repeat for the opposite side and the job’s done.
Using J Cloth filters
It’s easer to use 2 or more at a time, so that they can be pegged together keeping them open and making them easer to fill with oil.
Only pour in enough oil to fill ¼ fill each bag. Then repeat once the oil has filtered through.
Once the bottom ¼ is clogged with fats, add an additional 25mm above the previous level. Gradually raise the level as the filter blocks. This method gives faster filtering in the long run and allows each bag to collect more fat due to the settling effect in the blocked bottom section. This filling method also works well on the large, proprietary filter socks, extending the cleaning times
When oil ceases to flow through the filter, remove it from the tank and turn up-side-down running your hand down it to squeeze out the gunk. Not a pleasant task, but it allows you to reuse the J Cloth. Alternatively you can just throw it away and replace it with a new one.
- J Cloth bag filters
Before and after shot demonstrating the efficiency of the idea. Source bobblake.
Collected crud. Source: bobblake.
Similar idea seen on the internet. Not quite so easy to make. Source: unknown.
