Is There An Aluminium Debate?

[beerbrewer76543]

No, do you sniff crack?
I happen to believe Titanium is superior to Aluminium in every aspect, just my opinion, do you have one on the subject?

I love my titanium billy and spork.
An aluminium one would of been out of shape, scratched to bits and stained to buggery by now and things taste so much better from it.
And what is that smelly metallic black slime that comes from my baking tray when I clean it.

Being a better conductor may not be an advantage. A good thick piece of steel would perhaps retain it's heat and original shape for longer. Temperature regulation may also be easier to achieve with steel.
I was of the impression that you have to be very careful what you clean aluminium with as it can become pitted and is not a very durable metal.

Regardless of cost and how superior it's build quality is I would never buy an Aluminium pot.

Edit - I like my metal to be tough. Tough as.....
It's a bird, it's a plane, ......it's the man of Aluminium. It just doesn't sound right.

Perhaps you could read an engineering materials textbook and get back to me on how titanium is superior to aluminium in every way

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Mines an Optimus Nova, one of my most prized possessions, love it to bits.
Never seen the 8R before, neat little burner.

I purchased it in (I think) 1980, when they were pretty much at the end of their sales life. I bought an add-on pressurising pump for it a couple of years later. It burns shellite - and nothing more that I'm game to try. Mine lost a lot of its paint (as they all did) so I tried repainting it and baking the paint on in the oven. That's kept it going since. I don't use it much nowadays, but I am in no hurry to part with it.

Here's a pic I found (not mine):

Edit: It's the thing on the right.

 

[Dazza_devil]

How the heck is titanium superior to aluminium in every way. You can pick up a pot big enough to do full batches made in aluminium for what? Under $100? If you don't look to hard. What's a 40L titanium pot worth? Can you even get them?

Platinum has better thermal conductivity and looks sexier also. Imagine the chicks I could pull with a platinum stock pot!

Here's the facts as I see them. We have 3 realistic options for kettles:
- Aluminium - cheap, good conductor of heat, but not as durable, not as "bling", and harder to clean than SS
- SS - bling, durable, easy to clean, but a comparatively exxy and not as good a conductor of heat
- Copper - great conductor, durable, yeasties love it, looks bling IF you really put in some effort, but hard to get and very hard to clean

Titanium is great and all (heck, I have a titanium wedding ring, glasses and tooth!), but how the hell it's appropriate for brewing I'll never know.


And there are no health issues with aluminium. That myth needs to be stamped out as soon as it is raised.

The context was it's strength to weight ratio as compared to aluminium, not it's cost or application.

Yep, aluminium is cheap.
For brewing, I'll use SS until I can get my hands on titanium gear.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Perhaps you could read an engineering materials textbook and get back to me on how titanium is superior to aluminium in every way

Nah couldn't be stuffed, I like metal but it doesn't get me that excited.
I have my opinion and belief based on personal experience and I'm sticking to it, feel free to elaborate if you know anything off hand though.

 

[Hatchy]

The pot will do just fine, pfs. Best of luck with the brew!

Etymology 



 One anecdote attributes the origin of the word to a meeting of the Preston Temperance Society in 1832 or 1833. This society was founded by Joseph Livesey, who was to become a leader of the temperance movement and the author of The Pledge: "We agree to abstain from all liquors of an intoxicating quality whether ale, porter, wine or ardent spirits, except as medicine." The story attributes the word to Dicky Turner, a member of the society, who had a stammer, and in a speech said that nothing would do but "tee-tee-total abstinence". 



 An alternate explanation is that teetotal is simply a reduplication of the 'T' in total (T-total). It is said that as early as 1827 in some Temperance Societies signing a 'T' after one's name signified one's pledge for total abstinence.[3] In England in the 1830s, when the word first entered the lexicon, it was also used in other contexts as an emphasized form of total. In this context, the word is still used, predominantly in the southern United States.

So maybe Our Don drank lagers?

"Except as medicine". Does that mean I can prescribe myself 15 pints when I get home & still be a teatotaler?

To answer the title of this thread, there is now.

 

[zebba]

I guess we have different ideas on what "every aspect" means then

The context was it's strength to weight ratio as compared to aluminium, not it's cost or application.

Yep, aluminium is cheap.
For brewing, I'll use SS until I can get my hands on titanium gear.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

In a past life, my (then not) wife wrote the operating manual for an aluminum smelter on the south island of New Zealand. I went with her for a few weeks once and got the royal tour of the plant. That was a lot of fun. I doubt that I would have got the same quality of tour at a titanium smelter anywhere, so (it therefore follows that) aluminum is better than titanium.

 

[Dazza_devil]

I guess we have different ideas on what "every aspect" means then

negating cost, can you give me one?

 

[manticle]

So to answer the OP - yes. Yes there is an aluminium debate.

 

[zebba]

Easier to source? More variation is sizes, shapes and volumes? Easier to work with?

But at the end of the day, you missed the point. If there is ONE aspect where aluminium is superior (i.e. price), then clearly titanium isn't superior in EVERY aspect? Amirite or amirite? (No, that's not an aluminium ore, it's nerd for "am i right?")

negating cost, can you give me one?

 

[bjay]

printed forms se...

Bet your glad you asked this question hey ,,, Got any more :unsure:

bjay

 

[pcmfisher]

Whats this steel base biz?
I think you will find the base is either copper or aluminium for max conductivity. or maybe titanium.....................

 

[Dazza_devil]

Easier to source? More variation is sizes, shapes and volumes? Easier to work with?

But at the end of the day, you missed the point. If there is ONE aspect where aluminium is superior (i.e. price), then clearly titanium isn't superior in EVERY aspect? Amirite or amirite? (No, that's not an aluminium ore, it's nerd for "am i right?")

It's intrisic qualities are of more interest to me but if we wanted to be pedantic.
Aluminium is superior because it's cheap and more people use it because of that, there I've said it, happy?
I'm no metal worker but I wouldn't say it's easier to work with. Please elaborate.

 

[bjay]

Titanium is hard to work with
ie; weld, drill, machine, compared to aluminium

bjay



edit ;Having said that titanium is very sexy stuff

 

[Dazza_devil]

Titanium is hard to work with
ie; weld, drill, machine, compared to aluminium

bjay



edit ;Having said that titanium is very sexy stuff

Needing a stronger drill bit, a different welder or rod etc, does that make it much harder to work with or just different? I mean we still have to drill it, weld it etc, modern tools take out much of the hard work anyway do they not. Perhaps with the right tools it could be a more pleasurable job than working with aluminium. My titanium billy is beautifully made.
Playdough is pretty easy to work with but do you get my point?

Titanium is beyond sexy, paerhaps even erotic.

 

[the_yobbo]

Don't do it!!.

I brewed in an aluminium stock pot and died because of it.

... I got better.

 

[bjay]

Dont worry he put it on hard rubbish allready

bjay

 

[zebba]

Well there are a few handy folk on these forums. Hands up who can work aluminium? Hands up who can work titanium?

I have a titanium wedding ring. I was told in no ambiguous terms when I bought it that if in an emergency it had to come off and couldn't be removed, the finger would have to come off.

I want to get a sight gauge, or a thermowell added to an aluminium kettle, I could find someone to do it in a matter of minutes. I guarantee that the same cannot be said of titanium

So titanium is great for some functions, yeah. I wouldn't want an aluminium screw in my jaw to hold a tooth, I want titanium. Butwe're not talking about aerospace, dentisty, or jewlery, we're talking about brewing. At least, I thought we were.

 

[manticle]

I'm talking about soup.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Well there are a few handy folk on these forums. Hands up who can work aluminium? Hands up who can work titanium?

I have a titanium wedding ring. I was told in no ambiguous terms when I bought it that if in an emergency it had to come off and couldn't be removed, the finger would have to come off.

I want to get a sight gauge, or a thermowell added to an aluminium kettle, I could find someone to do it in a matter of minutes. I guarantee that the same cannot be said of titanium

So titanium is great for some functions, yeah. I wouldn't want an aluminium screw in my jaw to hold a tooth, I want titanium. Butwe're not talking about aerospace, dentisty, or jewlery, we're talking about brewing. At least, I thought we were.

For brewing - SS
There you go, there's another property of Aluminium making it superior, less people know how or can work with Titanium.
Edited to say - I can't work with either Al or Ti so I still gotta find someone if I want but I'd be interested in learning how to make stuff from Ti.

I'm talking about soup.

What are you gonna cook it in?