My idea for a mash tun-please dont laugh

brewingmeister said:

good god, you're all tease. and slow apparently...a couple weeks? have to wait until you finish up that roll of film before you can get it developed, huh?

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No, I just want to get the metal mesh basket fixed up a little better.
Of course it will not take 2 weeks, but to plan a day to finish the basket... rework the insulation, geez, give me some time...

I've been away, but wanted to see where I stood. I'm down by 1 beer. On my way to the kegerator to even the score. Looks like a nap is in my future.

I look forward to seeing the grain crush. Can you at least post a photo of that???

Don't forget to condition your grain (several threads indicate that adding a little water will help hold the husk together and you will have better drainage for the mash)

twalte said:

I look forward to seeing the grain crush. Can you at least post a photo of that???

Don't forget to condition your grain (several threads indicate that adding a little water will help hold the husk together and you will have better drainage for the mash)

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Okay, thanks. When I get the "grain crusher" put back together, yes, a picture will follow. But right now I've got it taken apart, cleaning it out. I thought it was a squirrel tenderizer so now I am having to clean up the residual squirrel bits. It'll work though, to crush grain, no worries, have a good night's sleep.

I may not have seen it posted; what state did you say you are from?

Does anyone have any drawing or CAD skills? In lieu of a picture, I would appreciate some sort of "artist interpretation" or schematic...

BobbiLynn - we commend your ingenuity!

lou2row said:

I may not have seen it posted; what state did you say you are from?

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Florida!! Right in the middle of the national forest here.

which one though?

brewingmeister said:

which one though?

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Apalachicola!

BobbiLynn said:

Apalachicola!

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Gezundheit

rhoop said:

I know I'm not supposed to ask, but I really want to see a picture of this...

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Why aren't you supposed to ask? Edit: My bad, I now see the OP asked you NOT to ask for it. It's just a pic though? Don't you have camera phones in FL? If it's too embarassing to post, it's probably not ideally suited for brewing IMHO.

If the steel mesh is stainless, and you can truly get all the rust off, I think it could work. I'd just get some rigid 2" insulation to make a lid for it, and probably some closed cell foam (like a blue sleeping pad for backpacking) for the walls of the sink. it'll hold temps fairly well, and it sounds big enough you could always add a qt. or two of boiling water mid soak if you need it to keep temps right.

But the basket needs to be stainless, and the rust needs to be 100% gone.

Just my .02. BIAB fans are very vocal, but it's not everyone's ideal way of mashing fwiw. Do what works for YOU, just be smart and safe about it.

BobbiLynn said:

Apalachicola!

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maddad said:

Gezundheit

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No, I didn't sneeze. You can learn how to pronounce by thinking to yourself: Apple-Latch-EEE-COLA. There, now you know how to say it out loud and noone around these parts will ostracize you.

I love yo Boobi. I hope your mash tun works. Maybe I'll hit up the junkyard and build one like yours if it works. From your posts it'll probably have one super human efficiency

I love yo too, please make one, I want to see it in a couple weeks.

Well, hubby said get the burlap and duct tape off there, mold, bugs, all kinds of stuff he warned. We've had a lot of rain the last couple days and you can imagine. Also traded me out for a new sink. And I must say, this one is even uglier. Says we should keep the SS one for cleaning greens, here ya go, he said. A new sink for me to use as a mash tun. Isn't she a beaut? Slopes slightly to the drain, so all good there. There is enough metal mesh around here to build a new basket to fit this sink. I'll get her cleaned up nice...

hubby downgraded you to galvanized

A PICTURE!!

That's a cool looking setup, but you are going to need to insulate it.
I would also not directly heat that one.
Galvanized material can be bad of you put heat to it.

I would love that setup right outside my back door where I brew for cleanup.

I'm not going to put heat to it, that's why he said I could just use this one, since I'm only going to insulate it with the styrofoam as suggested.

There is an acid you can soak stuff in, to removed galvanizing, should I do that to the half of the sink I'll be using to mash? Or will temps not get high enough to matter?

I may still be able to get the other sink back... but he says if I'm not firing to it, why not just use this one....

neat ... I'm always looking at things and thinking "how can I brew with this?" .. looks like it should work ... I brew in a bag by the way ... good luck and cheers !!

BobbiLynn said:

There is an acid you can soak stuff in, to removed galvanizing, should I do that to the half of the sink I'll be using to mash? Or will temps not get high enough to matter?

I may still be able to get the other sink back... but he says if I'm not firing to it, why not just use this one....

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I know nothing about the acid used for that so I don't know if it's a good idea or not.
Metal is porous so you need to research the acid though.

It's called muriatic acid and there are "green" versions of it available, as in non-toxic. I guess I just need to find out what temps cause galvanized metal to be harmful.

BobbiLynn said:

It's called muriatic acid and there are "green" versions of it available, as in non-toxic. I guess I just need to find out what temps cause galvanized metal to be harmful.

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You should be more concerned with pH than temperature. Galvanized material is not good for food products. Acidic foods (such as wort) can cause it to leech zinc. Zinc can be toxic. Not trying to burst your bubble, but you really shouldn't use that thing.

dbsmith said:

You should be more concerned with pH than temperature. Galvanized material is not good for food products. Acidic foods (such as wort) can cause it to leech zinc. Zinc can be toxic. Not trying to burst your bubble, but you really shouldn't use that thing.

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I agree, it just isn't worth the risk to your beer (and your health, but c'mon, priorities people), espeically if you have a perfectly good SS sink kicking around. It isn't like brewing will ruin a SS sink (especially if it is just used for rinsing veggies), but a galvanized sink can certainly ruin some brewing.

Just my 2 cents, it is your sink, your hubby and your beer, so it is your call in the end.

You can get a cooler for like $20, is this a troll thread?

Sure call me a troll, living in the woods, whatever. I will explain these things to hubby and see if I can get the stainless steel sink back. But with the burlap and duct tape now removed, it doesn't look that impressive. Just a sink. Fine, I will get back to what I was doing....

This sink was another one just used to clean greens, no one died from zinc poisoning that I know of....

And I am planning to make a proper mash tun, from a cooler, my kits won't be here til Wednesday, I'll probably go BIAB when they get here, then try out the "proper" mash tun when I get it ready.

Maybe I'll just scrap the whole project, things are not working out the way I planned.

The End I call PRANK I'm gone

I explained to hubby about the hot liquids going into it, and he said the same thing, well that won't work then. It'll release zinc poisoning. Stainless steel would be okay, but not this thing. Also said if I try to remove the galvanizing, it'll "rust like hell" and cause all sorts of new problems. He said just give him some time to get feeling better(surgery) and he'll help me build something proper, for the entire AG set-up. He said I could do this without using the SS sink, though why I can't use it is beyond me.

Yes, the end...