Tight Arse Stir Plate

[sosman]

... so brewing is down on the priority list.

[post="57671"][/post]​

Is there a doctor in the house? Someone take doc's temperature, I think he is running a fever.

 

[Doc]

... so brewing is down on the priority list.

[post="57671"][/post]​

Is there a doctor in the house? Someone take doc's temperature, I think he is running a fever.

[post="57679"][/post]​

hahhahah, down the list, NOT bottom of the list :lol:
I'm sure I'll squeeze a partial mash brew in on Saturday

Doc

 

[sosman]

My order arrived from brewsters yeast today :wub:

Not only that, my first crack at plating seems to have been successful.

Full update at http://brewiki.org/Yeast/Culturing

Now comes the serious bit - getting my brewsters yeast from one slant and innoculating my "backup copies". I am going to have to drink some serious quantities of beer to stop the shakes

 

[BrissyBrew]

I can see the streaks in the photos, what about the field? do you have single cell colonies isolated in the field ofyour plate?

 

[Dazzling]

So those of you who are successfully using these stir plates, how do you operate them? What I mean is do you run them continuously or in cycles?

Cheers

Dazzling

 

[Gulf Brewery]

So those of you who are successfully using these stir plates, how do you operate them? What I mean is do you run them continuously or in cycles?

[post="59460"][/post]​

Dazzling

Two hours at a time is usually enough. The noise of the rattling stir bar gets to you after a while and it does foam out when the yeast is really active.

Cheers
Pedro

 

[sosman]

I can see the streaks in the photos, what about the field? do you have single cell colonies isolated in the field ofyour plate?

[post="58299"][/post]​

There are some isolated colonies at the top of this packet. Yeah I know - some isolated mold colonies too. Which BTW present no real impediment to harvesting the yeast from elsewhere on the plate.

 

[sosman]

So those of you who are successfully using these stir plates, how do you operate them? What I mean is do you run them continuously or in cycles?

[post="59460"][/post]​

Dazzler I run mine as much as I can. The starter I have cookin' now has some antifoam added. Foam is the only thing which forced me to turn off the stirplate last time round.

If you check out the wiki page at http://brewiki.org/StirPlate you will get my drift.

 

[sosman]

I have successfully stepped up some CL50 from a slant to my first starter, hope to brew an APA tomorrow. There are various opinions as to what the size of the first step should be (I have seen suggestions ranging from 10 ml to 200 ml).

Being the lazy bugger I am, I went from loop to 200 ml, then 2 L (I might try some different step sizes next time). The weather has been quite cool and it has taken almost a week. I now have a nice slurry of yeast ready to go in the fridge (which I will cold pitch).

An incubator is on the short list of projects - I can use this for slants/dishes and starters.

 

[Darren]

There are some isolated colonies at the top of this packet. Yeah I know - some isolated mold colonies too. Which BTW present no real impediment to harvesting the yeast from elsewhere on the plate.

[post="59543"][/post]​

[/quote]

Sos.
That is Bullshit! If your plate has mould, spores will spread all over your plate as soon as you open it. Sure, if you want to make "penicillin beer" go ahead and use a plate CONTAMINATED with mould.
Anyone who sees mould on their plates should discard them and go back to an original back-up culture.
Darren (who has worked in microbiology for 20 years)

 

[Gout]

I think sos threw that plate out and is working again from the backup slant he has...

cheers for info though, hmmm penicillin beer - yeeek "Doc ale"

 

[kungy]

Ok i've got an order for a stir bar and magnets now i've got a question concerning the assembly of a stirrer.

I was thinking instead of forking the full price for a polycarb box which to mount the fan in could anyone possibly suggest why a quality plastic box ie decor ones you store foods in, would not work as a substitute. They are strong, water proof, easily cut and drilled and cheap.

Apart from looking cool as it would be clear, i'm at Uni. and don't brew enough to justify forking stacks for the assembly box.

Cheers

Will

 

[redbeard]

I was thinking instead of forking the full price for a polycarb box which to mount the fan in could anyone possibly suggest why a quality plastic box ie decor ones you store foods in, would not work as a substitute. They are strong, water proof, easily cut and drilled and cheap.

Apart from looking cool as it would be clear, i'm at Uni. and don't brew enough to justify forking stacks for the assembly box.

[post="60277"][/post]​

i think it would be ok, thou might be lacking in weight. probably need some ventilation holes in side so air can circulate.

being at uni, i would have thought brewing would be a good money saver ?

 

[kungy]

[/quote]

i think it would be ok, thou might be lacking in weight. probably need some ventilation holes in side so air can circulate.

being at uni, i would have thought brewing would be a good money saver ?

[post="60360"][/post]​

[/quote]

Not quite. I spend money on brewing equipment, and don't brew enough to gain any savings. I made a AG setup for $250 two months ago, plan to make a stirplate and plan to brew in a months time. Thats three months when i haven't brewed, talk about inefficent use of equipment. As they say "time is money"

Will

 

[sosman]

There are some isolated colonies at the top of this packet. Yeah I know - some isolated mold colonies too. Which BTW present no real impediment to harvesting the yeast from elsewhere on the plate.

[post="59543"][/post]​

Sos.
That is Bullshit! If your plate has mould, spores will spread all over your plate as soon as you open it. Sure, if you want to make "penicillin beer" go ahead and use a plate CONTAMINATED with mould.
Anyone who sees mould on their plates should discard them and go back to an original back-up culture.
Darren (who has worked in microbiology for 20 years)

[post="60058"][/post]​

If that is bullshit then the lab boys and girls at work are full of it. Make no mistake, if this was the last source of that yeast I had, I would not hestitate an attempt to replate it. When given the choice between a mouldy one and a clean one, of course I would opt for the clean.

 

[sosman]

I was thinking instead of forking the full price for a polycarb box which to mount the fan in could anyone possibly suggest why a quality plastic box ie decor ones you store foods in, would not work as a substitute. They are strong, water proof, easily cut and drilled and cheap.

[post="60277"][/post]​

If you are desperate, I am sure you could use almost anything. The kind of Decor containers the missus has are flexible but crack quite easily. It would be a shame to lose a starter and miss out on a brewday because your stir plate croaked.

 

[kungy]

Thanks for the feedback. If I was to rig a wooden stir plate like you have on your site (http://brewiki.org/wiki/homebrew/attachments/StirPlate/attachments/StirrerTestDrive.jpg?ts=1113641842) are there any real negatives apart from the coolness factor and the relative water tightness from a plywood setup??

Will

 

[sosman]

Thanks for the feedback. If I was to rig a wooden stir plate like you have on your site (http://brewiki.org/wiki/homebrew/attachments/StirPlate/attachments/StirrerTestDrive.jpg?ts=1113641842) are there any real negatives apart from the coolness factor and the relative water tightness from a plywood setup??

[post="60381"][/post]​

Well the cool factor is the most important one to worry about. As for getting it wet, either water proof it or rig up some blow off arrangement. BTW my second full starter with the stir plate didn't foam over. I did cheat a bit and use a drop of anti-foam.

 

[kungy]

This relates to large rare earth magnets, ie the one Doc got as a group order

Ok i got the magnets (thanks Doc). Gee there fun, within 5 minutes i had hurt myself with them, and within 2 hours i had a couple of small chips on the magnets. I need more self control.

Anyway, i have seen how people like Sosman have mounted the magnets on the fan on a metal washer. Can this technique be used with magnets like this one, or are they two strong. I would try it myself but i have used my washers on my kettle and mashtun.

Failing that i was thinking a metal strip placed as a central spoke, with the magnets at the end (not glued down, as i would like to use them for other things in the future), with a light but strong seperater preventing the magnets from sticking to each other. Is the washer a goer, or is the spoke idea better.

The strength of these magnets are insane. I don't believe a concave flask (sherry flagon) will be a problem at all with a stir bar.

Will

 

[Doc]

Kungy,

I use the bigger magnets on a washer. Same as this pic of mine with the smaller ones.

Beers,
Doc