Unwaxed dental floss - where to buy?

[rossbaker]

I want to get my hands on this as I have heard it is the best option for tying off a bag of hops when dry hopping a keg. I initially tried very fine fishing line, but the keg wouldn't seal, even with a heap of lube. Have been to woolies, Chemist Warehouse and another chemist with no luck. Everything is either waxed or flavoured which I'd like to avoid.

Have seen a couple of types for sale online, but they don't seem worth it when you add postage. Any thoughts or other work arounds?

 

[simplefisherman]

I use a length of 0.9mm stainless steel mig wire with a loop twisted in each end, ss tea ball on bottom. Just make the wire slightly longer than the keg height and it will kind of spring into the side of the keg so nothing effects the seal and it stays upright so you can always get it out if necessary.
Only drawback is the tea balls don't hold much but you could always double up or use a bigger bag.

 

[boybrewer]

I want to get my hands on this as I have heard it is the best option for tying off a bag of hops when dry hopping a keg. I initially tried very fine fishing line, but the keg wouldn't seal, even with a heap of lube. Have been to woolies, Chemist Warehouse and another chemist with no luck. Everything is either waxed or flavoured which I'd like to avoid.

Have seen a couple of types for sale online, but they don't seem worth it when you add postage. Any thoughts or other work arounds?

Go to your Dentist they usually have various types of everything related to teeth .

 

[rossbaker]

I use a length of 0.9mm stainless steel mig wire with a loop twisted in each end, ss tea ball on bottom. Just make the wire slightly longer than the keg height and it will kind of spring into the side of the keg so nothing effects the seal and it stays upright so you can always get it out if necessary.
Only drawback is the tea balls don't hold much but you could always double up or use a bigger bag.

This is a good idea. Do you think this set up would hold more that one tea strainer of hops? I've also heard of people welding a hook to the underside of their keg lids which would be the best solution if I could weld or knew someone that does.

 

[rossbaker]

Go to your Dentist they usually have various types of everything related to teeth .

That's what they said to do at the chemist... I'm probably due for a checkup anyway!

 

[MaltyHops]

What about getting a small PET drink bottle that doesn't have many crevices so it can be easily cleaned/sanitised and used as a float to which the hop bag can be attached to and put into the keg?

Bottles from essences in supermarket aisles could do - the labels are easy to remove by putting hot water in the bottles to soften up the adhesive.

 

[dicko]

Go to a welder shop and ask for a short length of S / Steel mig wire and twist it around something that is a little smaller in diameter than the housing for the relief valve on the corny keg lid. Bend a hook on it and tie your hop bag/ball with fishing line.

A Picture tells a thousand words and I would much rather deal with a welder than a dentist.

 

[Yob]

now whose being a clever Dicko then?

Very neat and tidy, is it just held by friction or some other means?

 

[spog]

Go to a welder shop and ask for a short length of S / Steel mig wire and twist it around something that is a little smaller in diameter than the housing for the relief valve on the corny keg lid. Bend a hook on it and tie your hop bag/ball with fishing line.
A Picture tells a thousand words and I would much rather deal with a welder than a dentist.

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This bloke hates both Dentists and Welders
.
Couldn't resist.
Cheers...spog...

 

[Bribie G]

Brickie's twine (not the yellow variety). Give it a good boil first to remove any free monomers or plasticisers. I've been using a length of it for the last five years to fish my roasting rack out of my urn, it's indestructible.

Ed, it's so thin I don't see any problem sneaking it past the o ring, especially if you Glad Wrap.

 

[pcmfisher]

Polyester cotton?

 

[hathro]

I like dicko's solution above however I'd use a stainless steel hose clamp around the pressure releif valve housing instead. $1.50 from bunnings.

 

[Camo6]

Go to a welder shop and ask for a short length of S / Steel mig wire and twist it around something that is a little smaller in diameter than the housing for the relief valve on the corny keg lid. Bend a hook on it and tie your hop bag/ball with fishing line.

A Picture tells a thousand words and I would much rather deal with a welder than a dentist.



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Sheer brilliance! Bit of spring tension should handle the weight of most hop bags/balls. Unless you're a hop dealer who breaks the cardinal rule and is addicted to his own product...

 

[dicko]

now whose being a clever Dicko then?

Very neat and tidy, is it just held by friction or some other means?

Sheer brilliance! Bit of spring tension should handle the weight of most hop bags/balls. Unless you're a hop dealer who breaks the cardinal rule and is addicted to his own product...

I had to play with the winding of the stainless wire but it has enough tension to hold a hop bag without any problems.
If you wind it a bit tighter you can always manipulate it back to a larger diameter.
I have the fishing line at around three quarters of the depth of the keg and for the last few litres the bag just hangs there.

I fit the bag after I have carbonated the keg but I use the "rock and Roll" method....if you slowly carbed it then you could fit it when you keg and let is do its thing.

Cheers

 

[rossbaker]

Lots of good ideas, cheers guys. I admit that I had seen the hose clamp idea and will prob give that a go first. Thanks again.

 

[slcmorro]

Ed, it's so thin I don't see any problem sneaking it past the o ring, especially if you Glad Wrap.

He's keg hopping, not dry hopping in the FV. Or have I missed something?

 

[rossbaker]

Yeah, I was only after the floss for keg hopping. Usually I just drop it in and forget, but I overdid it on my last batch and had to resort to sticking my arm in the keg whilst holding one of those spaghetti ladles to scoop the bag up. Far from ideal practice!

 

[hotmelt]

Maybe you need a false bottom in your keg then you can just drop a bag in.

 

[Blind Dog]

I use bog standard cotton thread, double if up, tie it to the tea ball (pellets) or hop sock (flowers) and tie off yo th keg handle. Pull it when the flavour stops being awesome. Soak everything (hop ball/hop sock, cotton) in starsan first

 

[dicko]

Dropping the bag into the keg is all good until it positions itself up close and cosy with the pick up tube
That is why I tend to adjust the fishing line to keep the bag off of the bottom of the keg.

Cheers