My first 3 tier gravity brew stand.

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bendavanza

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Here's my new brew stand project. I wanted to make it from recycled materials for 2 reasons, one to be cheap, and also just for the challenge. I came across a portable basketball hoop in the neighbor's bulk trash pile. I also had some leftover fence posts. The tubing is all round, which I am not used to working with, and I'm pretty inexperienced at welding, too. Making the fishmouth cuts by hand with a grinder was fun. The top side you see is a much better fit than the bottom facing side. My MIG welder's wire feed has been sketchy but I blame a roll of wire that got kind of tangled. I am using flux core now but I will buy an argon/co2 blend tank next week for the finish welds. The wheels are kind of dinky but they will not bear the weight of the rig. They're just for rolling it around with the kettles removed. There will be 2x4 wood feet to take the weight, attached with the fencing brackets. The hoop bracket will become a platform for my MLT cooler, and the kegs will hang by hooks. I haven't got it all figured out yet, but the mockup pic really helped me to visualize the finished product. Never mind the wonky positioning of the kettles, I just had it in place to figure out the rough vertical spacing.I'm open to suggestions, questions, and criticism. I like reading other's post about builds, so I figured I'd try to document this as best I can, as I go.
-Ben

EDIT - Here it is finished - read on to see the process
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Looks like it will work. Good stuff. Report back when you've tested it with water in all of them.
 
from what I've seen with fence post material - that stuff is kind of flimsy. I'd be careful with getting some weight on that thing & test it out a little bit before you trust it to brew on. I'm thinking with any leverage up top, the fence posts will buckle or bend at the welds.

I hope I'm wrong. Looks like a good design otherwise.
 
XXguy-
The fence posts are 2&3/8" 16 gauge I think, they say heavy duty, but those are only the shiny horizontal base parts, and are two straight pieces rather than 4. The black parts are the post for a basketball hoop, very solid 3" tubing. I plan on adding gussets and possibly some struts to strengthen it if need be.
Couevas-
The kettles are just hanging there right now for a mockup, and the MLT will be on a platform. I checked out your build, and the kettle hanging is what I was thinking of doing, but now seeing yours it gives me a more solid idea. Thanks!
I've used these kettles and MLT for gravity just using tables and blocks, so I know thye all work well. The real test will be the strength of the design. I think the oversized round tubing will be plenty strong. My welding skills will be the challenging part.
Other things I've welded were very strong, so I think I'll do fine once I'd using a real MIG and the wire feed is smooth. I will have some more practice before I finish the real deal.
cheers
-Ben
 
Update
I got the argon/co2 tank for my welder so I started finish welding the base this morning. I got it all done after having to re-do a few of the welds. My fishmouth job was not perfect, I don't have the best tools to be working with large diameter round tubing, but as I figured, it would be a challenge. I painted the base and added the 2x4 feet. It's very sturdy, I tried swinging around and pulling it back and forth, no budging. If I think it is bowing under the weight, I can add 2 more wood feet near the center. I will probably add some sort of diagonal support, too. Maybe even some gussets, but I don't think it will have any problems with 150 lbs or so of water.
-Ben
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Looks like you did pretty good for being an "inexperienced" welder. I'm glad it held up to your stress testing - it should be one fine looking setup when you're all done.
 
more progress pics, getting better at the welding, Now I need to mount the burners.I'd like to make them adjustable for height. I used the mounting system that Couevas showed me, but the MLT will need a shelf because it's a cooler. I think I'll need some heat shields to protect the cooler form the heat of the HLT burner.
more pics!
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Lookin' good there, Ben. Nice compact design, easy to store and move around. +1 on testing before you introduce hot water or wort. Easier to fix minor flaws with cold water in the containers that with hot stuff after it's too late. Keep us posted. I've been thinking of a similar rig, but your's looks more compact.

Beers,
Ken
 
I'm finished welding. Here are pics of the adjustable height burners, and my MLT shelf made from parts of the burner stand, and the basketball hoop support. I'm getting my best welds yet. Now it's time to clean, paint, and water test it. I may need a shield for the MLT from the HLT's burner.
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The water test went well, I filled all 3 to near capacity, (well I actually overfilled the HLT) and the stand has some flex but feels strong. I would not ever have quite this much water at once on the stand. Some diagonal braces might be worth while. The MLT shelf could use a couple tabs to stabilize the MLT but I can brew with it as-is. I fired up the HLT burner and after running it at full pressure for about 15 minutes, the MLT was not significantly warmed by the heat. I may not need a shield after all. I do have a piece of flashing to slip in there if it seems to be a problem. SO... I'm stoked, and ready to brew an IIPA. I'll be checking the burner height tonight when the sun's not out, take some pics and see what you all think of the flame. I really do not like the bright orange of the cooler, and I know it's dumb but it might get a coat of paint on the exterior.

FINISHED (for now)
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Yes, it works great and I gave you credit. Thanks!
One fits pretty snug, the other has a bit of play, I will probably shim it out but it's plenty sturdy. How is your brutality 2 going?
 
Yes, it works great and I gave you credit. Thanks!
One fits pretty snug, the other has a bit of play, I will probably shim it out but it's plenty sturdy. How is your brutality 2 going?

It is going fairly well.
I got the structure welded up this past weekend. The welds aren't the best I have ever done, though. With welders, you get what you paid for and I paid 120 bucks for my flux core wire feed. The welds are plenty strong and I got good penetration, there is just a lot of slag. I will have to do some serious grinding here pretty soon.

I still have to weld the locking tabs for each keg and the mounting plates for my pump and power box. However, I probably won't do anything 'til this weekend because I have some last minute cramming to do for my GMAT this friday.

Going back to school on the company dime :rockin:
 
I think the slag is from the flux. When I switched my cheap wire welder to gas it was a whole new ball game. I'm just using a craftsman 120v cheap box. Before the gas, I had lumpy crusty welds.
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Yeah, I know it wouldn't be a problem if I had gas. I bought this welder because I didn't want to have to buy a bottle. I am not concerned with the looks. I am going to grind them flush and paint them anyways.

And my welder cannot take a gas conversion kit.

Your welds look great though. I used to be able to lay a nice bead, back when I had the right tools at my disposal. It is a different ballgame when you have to provide them yourself:cross:
 
I did my first batch. Great Success!
It was much easier to brew having all the pots in the right place and the valves doing their things, using the plastic hose clamps and soft silicone tubing. Very straightforward and much less stress on me. I did a Biermuncher cream ale recipe, and not having used corn or rice before, I think I could have recirculated more. There was a lot of floating crud in my kettle. other than that, and needing to re-calibrate my sight glass, it went well. beer beer beer beer beer beer beer BEER.
Now I will brew my double IPA and give this thing a workout.
-Ben
 
i have a question i havent been able to find an answer to. Im planning on building a tree design like yours, but this is applicable to all brew stands. How do you make the round things that go around the burner itself and how is the burner mounted to it? I was planning on buying some banjo burners, but dont know how to put the round things (guards) around the burners. being that no one asks this, i have a feeling its a really simple answer
 
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