Handy Fitting I Found

[Batz]

I have been thinking of making a bigger mash tun and draining from the centre of the base,as I no longer have access to the stainless welder I once had,a weldless fitting would be the go.
Now I did remember something in a boating shop a while back so today I checked it out.
This is just the thing ! Stainless steel,1/2" BSP thread and cheap.
It would be good for mash tun taps,HLT sight glass,put a socket on it and screw in a 'brissybrew' therometer,ideas and endless.
They also come in 3/4" and 1" as well.
You will of course need a rubber washer but that's easy azz.

Batz

 

[big d]

Top find there Batz.Those boating places are a wealth of goodies in s/s.

Cheers
Big D

 

[Trough Lolly]

Nice one Batz...you could turn a sanke keg into a poor man's conical fermenter - easy as!

Cheers,
TL

 

[hockadays]

What did it cost you batz?

hockers

 

[Batz]

$17.95 at Withworths

Here

Batz

 

[hockadays]

thanks, very handy, and not far from where I live...

 

[warrenlw63]

Looks a very elegant alternative to a brass pipe thread Batz.

Even better than a rubber washer you could make your own gaskets from those cheapie silicone baking pans you see in a lot of the $2 shops lately.

Warren -

 

[Fingerlickin_B]

That is indeed very cool Batz :beerbang:

What is the item called...so I know what to ask for?

PZ.

 

[FNQ Bunyip]

good find Batz....

fingerlickin @ a guess it would be a bulkhead fitting ..


:beer:

 

[jimmyjack]

Great find Batz! How would you put a pick up tube on it. I am assuming the flanged bit is inside the HLT.

Cheers, JJ

 

[Peter Wadey]

That is indeed very cool Batz :beerbang:

What is the item called...so I know what to ask for?

PZ.

Fingerlickin_B
I believe it's called a skin fitting.

Rgds,
Peter

 

[Justin]

How would you put a pick up tube on it. I am assuming the flanged bit is inside the HLT.
Cheers, JJ

Not ideal for a situation that needs an attachment on the inside jimmyjack. No threads on the inside so you'd need to either cut some threads in it or change to a set up like Batz is proposing ie. draining from under a false bottom; if you want to put it in a MT.

They would make a nice clean SS job of a bulk head for the HLT and kettle though. FWIW I don't have a pick up tube in my kettle or HLT. Nice find Batz.

Cheers, Justin

 

[Batz]

Great find Batz! How would you put a pick up tube on it. I am assuming the flanged bit is inside the HLT.

Cheers, JJ

As Justin said this fitting is not suitable for a pick up tube,but then it not intended to be either.

And yes it is a skin fitting,there's a link in my earlier post,also plastic ones avaliable,but who wants stinky plastic anyway?

Batz

 

[Phrak]

Batz, that fitting is not threaded on the inside is it? How would you use it with the 1/2" thread on MashMaster thermometer?

Tim.

 

[Justin]

It would work with a 1/2" socket and some thread tape.



BTW Batz mentioned that in the first post

 

[Hoops]

Nice one Batz, I have been thinking of the same - draining from the bottom of the mash tun. Let us know how it goes.

Hoops

 

[Phrak]

It would work with a 1/2" socket and some thread tape.View attachment 9396
BTW Batz mentioned that in the first post

Ahh, yeah I understand what he means now... but (excuse my stoopidity) I can't tell how the socket would attach securely to the skin-fitting :blink: What am I missing here?

 

[Justin]

Ahh, yeah I understand what he means now... but (excuse my stoopidity) I can't tell how the socket would attach securely to the skin-fitting :blink: What am I missing here?

Ha ha. I'm only ribbing a bit.

But you do have a valid observation and question. It might be a bit hard to crank down on the fitting tightly and get a good tight seal. Obviously because you have no real way of getting a good grip on the socket. You could however get a sheet of rubber and stick that in the jaws of a pair of multi grips and use that to grab the fitting to tighten. With a nice soft, pliable washed on the inside under the skin fitting it should actually grip and hold well enough on it's own (with a bit of hand pressure).

One thing to watch out for though would be if the diameter of the skin fitting flange was too big it might give you a little grief trying to seal it flat against the curved side of the keg. A smaller diameter here would work best. Honestly though it shouldn't be a problem as I have sealed 2.5-3" washers on the inside of my vessels.

To be honest though, for my Tel tru thermometers I just drilled the right sized hole and attached a nut on the back of them with a silicone washer, nut and thread tape. Are the mashmaster ones not waterproof around the stem joint? I haven't read the thread on them so I'm not sure but I thought most bimetals were a nice sealed unit.

 

[hockadays]

From what I read that would also work on a kettle for the mashmaster one but the length of the thread is not longer enough for a keep cold cooler...

hockers

 

[Phrak]

It might be a bit hard to crank down on the fitting tightly and get a good tight seal.

Right, so you're basically shoving the socket as tightly as you can into the neck of the skin-fitting? Doesn't sound like it would be watertight enough for a kettle...

To be honest though, for my Tel tru thermometers I just drilled the right sized hole and attached a nut on the back of them with a silicone washer, nut and thread tape.

That's exactly what I was going to do with my mashmaster thermo. As far as I've read, the join should be water-tight. I'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong

Tim.