Initially I wanted to PM VDX about this since he has done this before but thinking about it some more this info may be useful to others. Glass beads in the micron sizes (5,10 or smaller) can be used as spacers for DIY LCDs and PDLCs or maybe poured on your DIY projection screen paint to add some brightness gain to your dual laser show projector and video projector shows. https://makezine.com/projects/make-3...ection-screen/
I purchased this electric shaker and the results are miles better than trying to sieve by hand. https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Auto...dp/B07K2XGGRT/
It sieves glass beads sized <= 20 microns just fine from a <= 50 micron batch.
Image of 20 micron beads:
However, going lower than that it becomes very difficult (slow). I believe the electrostatic charge transfer in the glass beads is to blame.
15 micron sieved amount:
I sieve gradually, from 20 to 15, 10, then 5. The machine is too weak to shake more than two stacks of wire mesh frames at once properly.
There is definitely even some <=5 micron beads coming out of the filters but very slowly, as seen here, so the glass beads batch is not to blame:
I considered trying to alcohol submerging method but it will be difficult to modify this machine to prevent the liquid reaching the motor which is on the bottom.
"ion blowers" could be added to a modded top cap but unless the air flow is very strong it just doesn't pass through the very fine steel mesh. And if it is strong there will be cloud dust from the glass beads potentially blowing out from the back of the blower to the room.
I also connected the steel frame of the machine to ground but it didn't help either.
Another issue may be air humidity. I cannot get it lower than 30% in my environment.
VDX, Any ideas what I should try from here?