How about an Equipment Thread?!

[Don]

Looks good.

[Chris Norrick]

I pulled my Shirron Plate Chiller off my brew cart to attempt to use it with the BIAB method and without my March pump. I need to speed up the process for the USI brewing class in the spring and I figured if "gravity only" will work I'll shave off a good chunk of time vs the coil immersion chiller.

Well... looking in to the Wort Out hole, I seen some nastyness and decided to stick with the copper coil for this batch. Seeing that junk in there is strange because at the end of a brew day I'll run hot PBW through it via my pump for several minutes in both directions, rinse with the hose, and spray a little sanitizer in there for good measure. At the end of the boil I'll run the boiling wert through it for 15 minutes via the pump to make doubly sure everything is dead in it and the pump. And I use a hop bag.

Anyway, I took it into the house and soaked it in some strong PBW for awhile and then used an AutoSiphon to pump more hot PBW through it, pumping very hard. The water was green and chunks came out. Ewww. I've done this three times, letting it soak for 12 hours each, and the water is still green and chunks keep coming out each time. I'm shocked. Fast and hard pumps on the AutoSiphon are dislodging things my March pump never did. I thought I was doing everything right and babying it. Lesson learned I guess. It's on its fourth soak cycle now. I guess it will eventually be clean again.

Now to take apart the March pump and see what I find

[msjulian]

I had read to run it through a cleaning cycle in the oven and it will turn all the crud in to powder.

[Chris Norrick]

No chunks in last nights flush and the PBW looked clear. I've switched from the base cleaner soaks a few rounds of acid (StarSan) soaks, then into the oven for a 2 hour 400 F bake will be next. Followed by some more PBW and StarSan rounds. It better be as good as new after all this.

[Chris Norrick]

My old trusty mash paddle was showing some age with my recent brew-a-thon. It was starting to develop some cracks at the end and was beat up here and there. When I made it I didn't use any type of sealer or oil.

I rejuvenated it with a little sanding and then calibrated it in inches on one side and gallons on the other side for my sanke boil kettle (keggle). I used the wood burner on it to make the marks permeant and easy to read. Who knew you could use it for more than cutting synthetic fabric Then I gave it a couple of coats of shellac.

[Michael Erwin]

So that raises a question... what is everyone's opinion on finishing your mash paddle? I've heard, don't use oils, they'll come out in your mash. Shellac, that's an interesting idea. Any other thoughts?

[Chris Norrick]

I thought about some butchers block oil, but was concerned about possible head retention issues from the oil getting into the beer. What I really needed was something to soak in and stabilize the wood. All that wetting and drying was causing the end to split. This is oak BTW. I usually use polyurethane for this but I figured in my mind the shellac would be much more "food safe" but will probably need to be applied more often than poly. I wish I would have cut the shellac with more alcohol. I don't think it was thin enough to penetrate very far.

[john mills]

I have not done anything to my wood. It's the same as when I discoverd it just hanging there. I stick it in without any protection, and never really gave it any thought. Sure after years of getting wet, and drying out it shows some wear, just like me. It's just a tool used to reach a state on Nirvana.
Then there's my mash paddle. I gave like $3 for it at a restraunt supply store 20 years ago. With any luck it will last another 20 and I can then just survive off the next generations beverages.

[Dwayne_Delaney]

Here is my next mash "paddle"

24-vollrath-jacobs-pride-47097-nylon-handle-french-whip.jpg

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/24-voll ... 47097.html

[ArtCox]

My $2.00 Hop Spider..

(1) 3ft piece of 1/4" all thread - $2 at Lowes, cut to 12" lengths
(12) 1/4" nuts - FREE.. Picked up at various Tower Sites in E. Tenn.
(1) 4" dia. 6" long piece of schedule 80 PVC conduit - FREE.. Laying in our Scrap Pile at work.
(1) Dryer Vent clamp - FREE.. Had it laying around the house.
(1) Hop Bag - Not really FREE.. But had it for so long I can't remember where it came from or what I paid for it.

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[zach spaetti]

I recently made a couple paddles and used some boos oil it is for butcher block I got it at Fehernbacher cabinets it is for butcher blocks and has a light citrus smell I don't see any real effect to the beer

[john mills]

My $2.00 Hop Spider

Pretty neat set up Art.

[Dwayne_Delaney]

Here are a couple of links to Kettle Volume Calculators.
These will figure the volume of your kettle without having to do the math; a good thing if, like me, you have recently purchased a new Brew-Kettle.

Handy Calculator from Merry Cuss Brew Club, " The one and only homebrew club of Americus, Georgia" Thanks Guys.
http://merrycuss.com/calc/kettle_volume.html

Kettle "Dipstick" calculator from The Knights of the Mashing Fork, Homebrewing Club in Hartford, CT. Thanks again.
http://kotmf.com/tools/dipstick.php?PHP ... 6de2e44684

[Don]

a good thing if, like me, you have recently purchased a new Brew-Kettle.

Dwayne bought a new brew kettle? No more aluminum pot. Your beers aren't going to taste the same.

[Dwayne_Delaney]

a good thing if, like me, you have recently purchased a new Brew-Kettle.

Dwayne bought a new brew kettle? No more aluminum pot. Your beers aren't going to taste the same.

I would never abandon the mighty Al, periodic chart number 13, most abundant metallic element, third most abundant element after only oxygen and silicon, created when oxygen fuses with magnesium in large stars and supernovas, extracted here from bauxite from the bowels of the earth.......never.