Vacuum sealer attachment for salad dressing bottle

thingiverse

My favorite salad dressing (Marzetti's, found near the produce section) comes in a glass bottle, so I end up with a lot of them. I also have a vacuum sealer for various uses. I thought it would be cool if I could vacuum seal things in my empty bottles, so I made this. I printed the attachment upside down, with supports. 100% infill, because it needs to be airtight, or very close to it. For the seal, I used Oomoo 30, a rubbery silicone mold compound. Other types of rubber with similar properties should also work. (I didn't have any luck with silicone caulk, though; it just pulled apart when I tried to take it out of the mold.) Fill the mold up to the top of the vertical section - the angled section is just there to make it easier to fill. After the silicone has set, carefully remove it from the mold, then cut away any excess. You should be able to reuse the mold, as long as you clean out all the leftover silicone bits. To use, place the cap on the bottle loosely. Press the attachment onto the cap until it wedges inside. Twist to remove the cap from the bottle. Place the seal onto the bottle with the split side facing down - the same way it was in the mold. Place the attachment and cap back on the bottle and tighten slightly, just to be sure the cap is lined up properly. Push the seal up until it is completely within the attachment. Plug your vacuum sealer attachment hose into the top of the attachment. Operate the vacuum sealer according to the manufacturer's instructions. You might have to hold the attachment in place during the operation - I keep my hand around it and press down with my thumb. When the vacuum seems to have maximized (I go by the sound of the motor) turn the attachment to tighten the cap onto the bottle. If you wait until it's done vacuuming, it will probably start to lose pressure immediately. Once the cap is tight, keep turning the same way while also pulling upward. This will remove the attachment from the cap. Give the cap a final turn by hand to make sure it's fully tight. Remove the seal and place it inside the attachment for safe keeping. Caveats: - These bottles are not meant for holding a strong vacuum. My vacuum sealer doesn't pull enough vacuum to be dangerous, but if yours is stronger, it might. Do not use with bottles that you suspect are weak or damaged. Do not use with vacuum equipment stronger than a kitchen vacuum sealer. Use at your own risk. Neither I nor this website are responsible for any harm or damage caused by use or misuse of this thing. - Some of these bottles have slightly different sized caps, therefore not all of them will work with this thing.