Homemade Miraclegro Liquafeed Refill

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Good going.
I bet the folks at MG if they see this thread are at this time trying to figure out a way to get past our hack.
I say bring it on.

It wouldn't take me no time at all to grind a forming tool to make those 6 threads per inch buttress threads and turn out a quality adapter.
I wonder if I could get sued?

Worth

Nah. Only if you start making a bunch of money.
The only reasonable way for MG would be to attach some kind of permanent tank to it, that you could refill. Like the hand sprayers. I wouldn't put that past them though.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by FourOaks

Nah. Only if you start making a bunch of money.
The only reasonable way for MG would be to attach some kind of permanent tank to it, that you could refill. Like the hand sprayers. I wouldn't put that past them though.

I know that Keurig put some sort of DRM reader on their 2.0 coffee makers so you could only use their products.
What a back fire joke that turned out to be.
I am surprised someone hast started selling cheaper other brand fertilizer bottles for the MG dispensers.
Not unless they some how patented those threads.
Roy Weatherby patented his radius on the magnum ammunition he designed but he more or less ripped off Holland and Holland on the belted cartridges.

My dad made a peanut combine many years ago but couldn't get it patented because some of the parts came from John Deer.
This was before anyone invented one.
If he would have manufactured these parts I would be rich right now.

He flipped out when I made a rubber washer cutting lathe when I was 13.
It runs in the family I guess.

Worth

[Cole_Robbie]

My grandparent's riding mower has a drive belt that is 55 1/2 inches. Getting the company to tell you that is like asking Coke for their recipe. It's not in the manual, and the phone rep will tell you they don't know. The only reason I know is that I kept going to Napa and buying belts. 55" was too short, and 56" was too long. No one sells belts in half-inch increments at that size, which is why they made it 55 1/2" long. Of course, they want $60 for the $15 belt.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My grandparent's riding mower has a drive belt that is 55 1/2 inches. Getting the company to tell you that is like asking Coke for their recipe. It's not in the manual, and the phone rep will tell you they don't know. The only reason I know is that I kept going to Napa and buying belts. 55" was too short, and 56" was too long. No one sells belts in half-inch increments at that size, which is why they made it 55 1/2" long. Of course, they want $60 for the $15 belt.

Here you go $21.88
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...QjCjtlTpWAhi7Q

Worth

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I know that Keurig put some sort of DRM reader on their 2.0 coffee makers so you could only use their products.
What a back fire joke that turned out to be.
I am surprised someone hast started selling cheaper other brand fertilizer bottles for the MG dispensers.
Not unless they some how patented those threads.

Worth

When I bought my Keurig I had no idea all the BS that going on with it and the DRM. I was just looking for something better then what I had. The DRM was defeated with a piece of electrical tape.

In regards to a "generic" refill fertilizer. Who would sell it? Lets be honest, the bulk of Miracle Gro is sold at Lowes and HD, they ain't giving up that cash cow.

I still think they will eventually go the way of a permanent refill tank on the injector. Well, if our idea goes viral and their sales take a hit.

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

My grandparent's riding mower has a drive belt that is 55 1/2 inches. Getting the company to tell you that is like asking Coke for their recipe. It's not in the manual, and the phone rep will tell you they don't know. The only reason I know is that I kept going to Napa and buying belts. 55" was too short, and 56" was too long. No one sells belts in half-inch increments at that size, which is why they made it 55 1/2" long. Of course, they want $60 for the $15 belt.

Sounds about right.

Although I have no problem with a company protecting its intellectual property, screwing the customer over for money is uncalled for.

[FourOaks]

So.. I had this strikingly brilliant idea. Since im not a machinist, nor do I have direct access to anyone who is, there has to be a simpler shortcut to making a threaded adapter/nipple.

Last night, around 2 or 3 in the wee hours of the AM the lightbulb lit up.

Why not take a piece of PVC, heat it and then with a "screwing" action, force it into the threaded portion of the injector.

Seemed simple enough. I went to Lowes and bought a piece of 3/4 inch PVC and a 1 inch piece of PEX. I have PEX tools already.

I brought the injector into the kitchen, I have a gas range, along with a couple of cutoffs of each pipe. I heated the pipe over the open flame, then screwed the pipe down into the injector.

Does it work? Yes and no. The PEX did better then the PVC as far as thread formation goes. The problem is the tapered threads. Simply cant get the pipe far enough into the injector threads. I wrapped the pipe with teflon tape, I also added a couple of rubber washers.

It still leaked.

I also took the pipe to a disc sander and sanded a very gentle angle, then repeated the above.

It still leaked.

I still have another idea. Maybe just cut the shroud off that surrounds the threaded assembly, then slide a bushing over....

Don't get me wrong, I have it functioning with my previous setup.. but a cleaner way would be nicer.

So Worth, hows that thread cutter coming along?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by FourOaks

So.. I had this strikingly brilliant idea. Since im not a machinist, nor do I have direct access to anyone who is, there has to be a simpler shortcut to making a threaded adapter/nipple.

Last night, around 2 or 3 in the wee hours of the AM the lightbulb lit up.

Why not take a piece of PVC, heat it and then with a "screwing" action, force it into the threaded portion of the injector.

Seemed simple enough. I went to Lowes and bought a piece of 3/4 inch PVC and a 1 inch piece of PEX. I have PEX tools already.

I brought the injector into the kitchen, I have a gas range, along with a couple of cutoffs of each pipe. I heated the pipe over the open flame, then screwed the pipe down into the injector.

Does it work? Yes and no. The PEX did better then the PVC as far as thread formation goes. The problem is the tapered threads. Simply cant get the pipe far enough into the injector threads. I wrapped the pipe with teflon tape, I also added a couple of rubber washers.

It still leaked.

I also took the pipe to a disc sander and sanded a very gentle angle, then repeated the above.

It still leaked.

I still have another idea. Maybe just cut the shroud off that surrounds the threaded assembly, then slide a bushing over....

Don't get me wrong, I have it functioning with my previous setup.. but a cleaner way would be nicer.

So Worth, hows that thread cutter coming along?

Nothing yet did you try cutting off the bottle top like it did it works great.

I am in so mach pain right now I forgot who was posting.
For the last two days my lower back has been killing me for no reason at all that I know of.
It is a muscle strain.

Worth

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Nothing yet did you try cutting off the bottle top like it did it works great.

I am in so mach pain right now I forgot who was posting.
For the last two days my lower back has been killing me for no reason at all that I know of.
It is a muscle strain.

Worth

I guess I never did show my actual connection. The 1/2 inch Lasco nipple is wrapped with tape then screwed down into the bottle top, then screwed into the injector as usual.

My sympathy for your pains.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by FourOaks

I guess I never did show my actual connection. The 1/2 inch Lasco nipple is wrapped with tape then screwed down into the bottle top, then screwed into the injector as usual.

My sympathy for your pains.

Thanks for the sympathy I think is is from sitting too long looking a lathes.
This happened once before I have never had back or spine problems.
On a side note I just got a brain storm I remembered I had some really good pain killers that I had a prescription to some time ago.
This morning I was literally screaming and couldn't get out of bed.
Now I am going to go back to bed and run those crazy buttress threads on a lathe in my mind.

Come to think of it the cap might make a good mold for the threads we need.

With a little work a person could cast the darn things.

Worth

[Worth1]

I took the time to draw up more or less what the thread forming tool would look like to make the adapter.

This is the top view but there are some more angles involved in grinding these cutting tools.
They can be and have been done by hand for many years.

Worth

Cutting tool.jpg

[FourOaks]

Nice looking plans there Worth.

Today I finally got to fully test the bulk tank. It rained yesterday. This morning I made up 48 oz. of concentrate. I dumped it into the tank. I went on my watering chore. Works great! No worry about the little bottle running out. No having to keep an eye on it.

This is going to work out just swimmingly.

[Worth1]

Thanks.
I am glad the contraption is working.
If wanted a person could connect a threaded barrel spigot/drum faucet up to any large sized container and with the proper adapters run it to the feeder.

Worth

[FourOaks]

Oh yeah. A really large bulk tank... I have been looking around for a plastic 55 gallon drum, on the cheap. Haven't found one cheap enough. Yet.

I went with the PVC pipe, cause it will do for now.

[Worth1]

Not only that you have to be careful with what came in a used one.
At a shop one time we got a big paper drum that had garlic shipped in it.

Worth

[FourOaks]

I do love me some garlic.