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**goingmad** · 05-05-2012, 05:11 PM

Bigscience, if you mean the black band on top of the barley crusher mill, it was coming already assembled with it from the manufacturer. If I were in you I'd search some black heavy paper, easy to curve and to glue there. Feel free to ask if you need more info or detailed photos of that part.

cheers

gm

**goingmad** · 05-08-2012, 04:21 PM

Since these are the last miles to finish the build, I need to better point out what I really have to do in my spare time.

I'd like to test my system, if everything will be ok, on 5/20. So, this is my to do list from today to the brewing day. Let's see if I can accomplish my mission!

Pray for me!

**goingmad** · 05-15-2012, 11:38 PM

Some further steps done.

Gas hoses almost done

I really hate to couple the hoses with their couplings. I've found a great help from this

Also the temperature probes seem to work properly now. The "one wire" system bt is using a bit tricky to make as a diy experience, but finally the three probes are working (temperature set in C degrees). This step has required at least 4-5h to be completed, cutting wires to shorter lenghts, welding and rewelding wrong ones, testing, checking all the weldings and so on...

Also one of the two pilot burners has been welded to one banjo burner. I hope this is a working position for it, soon the answer!

The pilsner I did a few weeks ago - my first AG - with the BIAB method is quite good, just a bit too bitter. Too much hops, but 100% drinkable. Tried with the keg force carbing method found in a sticky thread here by Bobby_M, it's worked great!

Cheers for now.

ChandlerBang · 05-16-2012, 09:39 AM

**goingmad** · 05-19-2012, 11:16 PM

Busy saturday today with my build!

I had to wire all the relays with the different power lines, as follow:

12V: brewtroller and expansion boards, n. 10 motorized valves
24V: gas sparks and gas valves
220V: n. 2 march pumps, n. 1 apple airport express, n. 2 air pumps for the bubbler system

Probably in the evolution of the build I'll have to introduce some terminal blocks instead of having such a huge amount of spaghetti in my control panel!

Brewtroller and expansion boards (10 channel relay, 3 channel relay, network interface)

Everything seems to fit in the control panel enclosure

Top view

The 2 left switches are for the gas (HLT on top and Boil Kettle on bottom)
The 10 center switches are for valves 1-10
The 2 right switches are for pumps 1 and 2

Ports side view

Tomorrow some final adjustments and if everything will be ok, some tests and calibrations (temperature probes and volume measurement)

**Maltose** · 05-20-2012, 02:37 AM

Sub'd..great build!

ChandlerBang · 05-21-2012, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goingmad

Tomorrow some final adjustments and if everything will be ok, some tests and calibrations (temperature probes and volume measurement)

Looking forward to it.

biertourist · 11-15-2012, 06:46 PM

GoingMad,

I'm 2 days away from finishing up my Mashtun FB, which looks INCREDIBLY similar to yours except that I'm only using a single piece of perforated stainless -why did you use two overlapping pieces like that? (Is it just to increase the strength to support more weight without bending?

If you were to do it again would you do the double overlapping perforated FB like that again? Do grain husks get caught in between the two layers?

Adam

**goingmad** · 11-16-2012, 09:13 PM

Hi Adam!

Glad we are on the same boat!

Some words about my fb. I've started taking a look at one of the - imho - best fb we can find around, the Blichmann one, and to its approach to wort filtration through the grain bed.

In that fb the grain bed doesn't lay flat, as you can see on the above pictures. So I've chosen to have a double layer, with holes placed as you've seen

I think the holes in my ss layer are also too big, probably too much dirty things could pass through. Then, consider my build is based on the HERMS recirculation system, with the wort filtration done through the grain bed.

My short experience with the only two batches made until now says this fb has worked great with a pilsner based beer and had great troubles with a wit-like beer, with an average amount of wheat flakes. Definitively I have to add rice hulls to my next wit batch! I didn't have at that time, now I should be ok!

Hope all of this could be of any help!

biertourist · 11-17-2012, 05:54 PM

Goingmad, do you have any pictures or details on how you built the FB?

-I was planning on just setting the perforated round sheet on top of the stainless ring and tack welding it there, but recessing the FB into the ring just a little bit, as you did, makes it look perfectly round and actually much better. (Rob "The Malt Miller" in the U.K. was my inspiration for the FB design; you can view his tack-welded to the top of the ring solution here: http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=321
-Notice how much better yours looks just because the FB material is welded a bit below the top of the ring? It's odd how such a small modification makes such an aesthetic difference.

Adam