Vessel's For Mashing

[SJW]

n00ch,
Yep Mark is da man, I dropped in today to use his pipe bender to make a pickup for my boiler, now I only leave 1.8 litres behind in the boiler and I dont need to tip it up to get that last 5 litres out now. Its is the same a Batz from memory , the ol copper pipe bent 90 deg. and angled down and away from the trub.

STEPHEN

 

[SJW]

This is the revised photo of my mash tun, after a little paint work.
Note the hole in the removable lid, where the spear/valve was, thats where i attach my drill to a very large industrial paint stirer so I continually stir the mash.

 

[n00ch]

Yeah he is good. He has one of the 36ltr coolers and is going to set it up as a mash tun with one of the false bottoms from G&G so i will just use the plastic tubing between the false bottom and the tap for now and see how his turns out.

 

[SJW]

That will work a treat.

 

[Tony M]

I use an inverted 50 liter keg to mash

I will be circulating it through a heat coli in the HLT soon but it just sits at the moment

[post="80005"][/post]​

Tony,
This looks pretty much along the lines of my next project. As Tony to Tony, perhaps you are prepared to share a few secrets.
1. What is the mesh size of your screen and how fast do you get clear runnings.
2. How fast is the sparge
3.What efficiency.
4. What temp. drop do you get.
5.How did you cap the boss on the top of the keg. It looks a lot neater than welding a plate over.
6. How do you dump the spent grain.
7.What do you use for a lid.
8. Is your drain a piece of stainless tube and how is it fixed.
Presumably a long series drill will reach in far enough to drill the side of the boss for the drain.
I shall appreciate any clues you can offer.

 

[Tony]

holy cow... that is a list of secrets to share.

Well i am a Tony M too so i guess i will share

1. No ideah of the mesh size, i found it at work. Its spot welded onto a ring of stainless plate i cup out with a plasma cutter and drilled to bolt onto the 1/4 inch ss bolts welded through the bottom of the keg.
I get clear runnings within about 2 to 5 min of recirculating with my pump depending on the grist.

2. I can pump a 50 liter batch out of her into the boiler in 15 to 20 min.

3. I have promash set at 80% and i get about 80 to 83% usually. I can only get 70 to 75% out of the esky ton.

4. It will drop a few deg over the hour without insulation. I wrap a blanet around ti and it helps but its getting properly insulated when it gets on a stand.

5. I welded a bit of stainless plate over it. I used a TIG and pickled it get the stainless finnish back after welding

6. I dig it out with a little bucket and wash it out with a hose. Usually a week after mashing when it gets smelly and the wife complains and the flies get to thick......... na not that bad.

7. a glass saucepan lid. I cut the top out with the plasme and made it to fit the glass lid.

8. yeah its a bit of 1/2" ss tube for the drain. I used a long seried 1/2" drill to drill the hole on the side and tig welded it in from the inside before i welded on the cap.

It runs to a compression fitting in the tap.

hope this sheds some light.

cheers

Tony

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

What is that pickling past Tony....Cause I need some for a keg I just got weled up today.

Bloke did it with a Henrob torch, just like tig but with gas.....amazing too see it done...

 

[Borret]

What is that pickling past Tony....Cause I need some for a keg I just got weled up today.

Bloke did it with a Henrob torch, just like tig but with gas.....amazing too see it done...

[post="80501"][/post]​

Stu,

Usually hydrofluoric acid past(e), or a hydrofluoric/nitric acid paste combination. It still leaves a dull finish that will need buffing if you want it to shine becasue it effectively etches the surface. The really heat effected areas that have gone that purple/black colour may need some agitation with a brush during application to come up well. It's a simple water wash up afterwards though.
Unfortunately I haven't seen it in any smallish containers, only 1 litre but then again I haven't looked. You may find some at a welding gear outlet.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Borret

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

yeah I looked today

2.5lts min at $90

 

[Borret]

yeah I looked today

2.5lts min at $90

[post="80561"][/post]​

 

[vlbaby]

That pickling paste is supposed to be good for cleaning up all sorts of blemishes on stainless steel.
Maybe a few us may want to split the cost by dividing up a bottle. Although i'm not sure if this sort of thing could be posted or not. Might have to check that first i guess.


vlbaby.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Might be easier to go to the sheet metal place and see if they will sell me 1/2 ltr

 

[timmy]

I wouldn't like to be carrying pickling paste in a non approved container, the stuff burns like nothing else and your hands turn yellow after contact.

Best bet is to get a fab shop to pickle it for you.

 

[Jazman]

i have used pickling paste on my kettle from work and from what i know it nasty stuff u MUST USE PVC /RUBBER GLOVES AND WEAR SAFTEY GLASSES AND A RESPRATOR as the fumes are toxic and very overwhelming as i found out and alos lots of ventaliation and u need to wash it out well with water ...maybe a good bit of elbow grease be better as this stuff is dangerous and i would hate to see injury using this stuff...
ALWAYS REMEMBER SAFTEY FIRST

 

[Tony]

I dont think Aus post would be happy if a container busted open in a truck.

The fumes off the stuff are potent and it does burn a bit if you get it on ya. I have workew with far worse chemicals but its still not that friendly.

Hey stu, when you coming through tamworth again.

we can drop over work and pickle away

And yeah, it leaves a kind of matt finnish. Aparently when SS id heated to above how ever many hunders deg it looses it stainless steel properties and reverts back to mild steel basicly.

the acid which i have been told is a nitric acid base restores the stainless surface to the metal and stops it from rusting.

I have been told that you are best to air cool the welded parts to a "touchable temp" , clean up the weld with a wire brush and apply the paste.

It only needs 15 min to work and then wash off with water and give it a bit of a scrub to really clean it up.

works a treat.

tony.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Well I wont be bringing the keg down on the bike....The bloody thing is an oldy made in 1946, heavy as sin and takes about 100ltrs....


Might bite the bullet and get the 2.5ltr bottle, cause I am going to need it when I get the rest of my tanks welded up for the brewery..

The bloke who did the welding was familiar with the paste and what it did...