What Size Stirbar Should I Use?

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milob40

i'd rather a bottle in front of me than a frontal
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making a stir plate for rehydrating dry yeast and have a 500ml flask but not sure which stirbar to use.
stir bars linky
i will experiment with starters down the track, swirling a flask with yeast in it by hand is like watching wet paint dry and ties up my drinking hand.
 
No standard one size fits all answer, especially with DIY stirplates.
It is going to depend on the spacing of the magnets. You pretty much want a stirbar the same length as the distance from centre to centre of your magnets.
In my case a 25mm bar works well in anything up to 4L. Anything longer just wont stay in position.
Nige
 
I would be interested to know if you would actually increase or decrease your cell count using a stir plate to rehydrate. I thought rehydrating was supposed to be a slow gentle process so you don't burst the cell walls....
 
I would be interested to know if you would actually increase or decrease your cell count using a stir plate to rehydrate. I thought rehydrating was supposed to be a slow gentle process so you don't burst the cell walls....
hi bob,
at the moment its a slow, very dull, f*&^$ boring process, only part of brewing i dislike,
but if it does bugger up the yeast then i'd love to know.
i'd love to use smash packs but weather up here is very warm and transport sometimes
takes a couple of days in a hot van or truck , no prob in winter but summer time is strictly dry yeasts.
 
I would be interested to know if you would actually increase or decrease your cell count using a stir plate to rehydrate. I thought rehydrating was supposed to be a slow gentle process so you don't burst the cell walls....

Right you are bob I used to follow j.palmers method in how to brew and it says pretty much pour the packet on top of the boiled water, cover and leave it alone. Not sure exactly what's to hate about the process really. But plenty of people just sprinkle on top of their wort and shake the crap out of it with good results so if you hate rehydrating don't do it and see if it affects your beer.
 
Just a note on your stir bar linky. They all seem to have a pivot ring in the middle. People on here have said they make a hell of a racket so Ive been trying to find some without it. Someone may point you in the right direction as I can't find the link I found
 
There's a few egg/oval shaped ones on eBay which are silent running, but I can't find the listing that I have bought from before.

However I bought some oval shaped ones from here, L38. Pack of 4 is handy incase you're stupid like myself and lose one.
 
I would be interested to know if you would actually increase or decrease your cell count using a stir plate to rehydrate. I thought rehydrating was supposed to be a slow gentle process so you don't burst the cell walls....

Fermentis actually says to use a stirplate. When rehydrating saf yeast I just follow the instructions and toss the yeast in a cup of water and on to the stirplate with a 20mm bar

For 1 and 2L starters I use a 45mm bar or so, for my 3-5L starters I use the same size bar but with a pivot ring in the middle as my 5L flask doesn't have a very flat bottom
 
Right you are bob I used to follow j.palmers method in how to brew and it says pretty much pour the packet on top of the boiled water, cover and leave it alone. Not sure exactly what's to hate about the process really. But plenty of people just sprinkle on top of their wort and shake the crap out of it with good results so if you hate rehydrating don't do it and see if it affects your beer.
the instructions say to mix with cooled boiled water and stir gently for 30 mins. (this is the boring part i refer to ;) )
 
There's a few egg/oval shaped ones on eBay which are silent running, but I can't find the listing that I have bought from before.

However I bought some oval shaped ones from here, L38. Pack of 4 is handy incase you're stupid like myself and lose one.
thanks for the link, normally had a few by the time i add yeast to the fv :D so a 4 pack is good
 
I use a 20mm stirbar and it works well enough to put a vortex in a 2L starter. Will depend on the RPM of the fan you're using and the strength and how well your magnets are aligned to allow it to spin as fast as possible without throwing the bar off.
 
I got the 50mm by 8mm without the pivot from Here!

It suits the distance between my magnets mounted on the fan. I've seen some people using a hard drive magnet which is just one piece. I think if you have that sort of setup then you'll need a small stir bar.

The only difference it's going to make is that a small bar will require less startup torque and will slip a bit more during the stir. A longer bar will slip less. Once the mix is spinning around there is not much difference at all, and once it's spinning there is no violent cell wall bashing going on. It's all very smooth and laminar in my flask Here!
 
not sure which stirbar to use.

No standard one size fits all answer, especially with DIY stirplates.
It is going to depend on the spacing of the magnets. You pretty much want a stirbar the same length as the distance from centre to centre of your magnets.

I got the...
It suits the distance between my magnets mounted on the fan.

Need a third person tell you this?
 
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