My idea for a mash tun-please dont laugh

Has he got a processor to both the blade to?

brewingmeister said:

What in the world does he think you are going to do to harm a yard find anyway?

Click to expand...

Maybe drill holes where holes aren't supposed to be, stuff like that. I don't know what he thinks actually. For one thing, he thinks a lid with an air pocket will be acceptable! I will calmly explain to him in the morning and get some sleep tonight,

45_70sharps said:

Has he got a processor to both the blade to?

Click to expand...

Not full-time, but yes, has access to it.

BobbiLynn said:

I was thinking a big sawblade for the lid. I could pick it up on the sides with oven mitts. I checked and it covers the whole top of the sink. It does hold up in hot water, already checked that.

Click to expand...

Can you maybe cut a apiece of styrofoam to fit snug in the sink?

BobbiLynn said:

Not full-time, but yes, has access to it.

Click to expand...

Well then it is a pretty expensive lid then.
You probably don't want to know what it would cost to replace that.

I like the styrofoam idea. It is great insulation and it's easy to shape exactly like you want it.
An inch thick piece would provide way more insulation than anything you could do with the saw blade, Two inches thick would be fairly strong.

BobbiLynn said:

A really heavy knob in the center for picking up the lid, add some weights to it even. Get a nice heavy tight seal... plus add the layer of real insulation and I bet I can get the temp dropping only 1-2 degrees. I'll just have to be careful not to cut off my leg when removing the lid or putting it in place.

Click to expand...

While you are making your burlap insulation burritos, just make one for the top too. That way you can insulate the blade during the mash and minimize heat loss.

I am pretty sure that a one hour mash is not that critical. You should have conversion in fifteen minutes with a simple AG recipe.

Thank you for all the tips and helpful information. I am going to keep most of what I am using now, but may switch out a few things, went looking today and there is so much stuff to choose from. And make sure each item really is just junk before I start using it. I'll probably have it finished up in a couple weeks. Then, I promise, I will show pictures. Right now the yard isn't even cleaned up where I can get a good picture and tired of dragging it around. At night when I'm drinking, it seems like it's a good idea to go ahead and post a pic, but then I see it in the daylight the next morning and I think, I better keep this to myself for now.

Anyone else want to try and make one from junk, we'll meet back here in a couple weeks and show off our hideous creations? Just go to the junk yard and grab what you need. It'll be fun.

Isulate the sink with a box of 2" rigid foam insulation. You can cut it with a knife or hand saw and the tun will be more well insulated than most cooler tuns.

I found a huge old styrofoam cooler, over 2 inches thick, probably holds 30++ gallons but it's disgusting. There was a loaf of bread in it from the 80s I think, some other stuff, rusty mustard. It'll never be clean enough to use as a mash tun but cut it to size with my hand held jigsaw... perfect for insulation. Going to go ahead and insulation both sides of the double sink and that'll help with cooling wort later on the other side. Thanks for the encouragement to keep this baby going.

pictures or i'm unsubscribing...

I think it's cool that she's doing something different. If it weren't for people challenging the accepted processes, we'd never have BIAB and we'd all be using secondary fermenters still.

I'm subscribing.

Every time there's an update on this thread I think maybe there's a picture now.
Nope. For all I know she sitting there drinking beer and making this whole thing up. She just likes to tell stories and this was one she came up with.
Yup that's gotta be it. If it were real surely there'd be a picture by now.

Direct fire mash tun sink, saw blade lid, burlap, duct tape, yard finds, and an oblivious husband.

This sounds like a reality TV show on the Discovery channel.

If you want a picture, here look at the big cooler. Just go away and come back in a couple weeks if you want pictures of the finished mash tun. I'm not going to show it until I see if it works.

And, look what else I found, laying on the ground, a baby squirrel. I hope the mama comes back for him but if not, I've got some pedialyte in the fridge!

A picture of a little cooler. Yep I still think this is all made up story she's drinking and laughing at she writes it.

She even through in a picture of tonight's orderves so that she could distract us. Baby squirrel boiled in Pedialyte on a toothpick.

All I wanted to know, was did anyone think it would work or should I scrap the project. That's it. I didn't mean for this whole discussion. That is big farm equipment around the cooler, probably perspective isn't right.

And my kits won't be here until Wednesday, finally got the tracking code... crap, no brewing this weekend.

BobbiLynn said:

All I wanted to know, was did anyone think it would work or should I scrap the project. That's it. I didn't mean for this whole discussion. That is big farm equipment around the cooler, probably perspective isn't right.

And my kits won't be here until Wednesday, finally got the tracking code... crap, no brewing this weekend.

Click to expand...

More distractions. I think you must be drinking whiskey to have this much fun with us.
Come on, either a picture or admit you been messing with us.

As for a kitchen sink working, of course it will work. Its way too redneck ingenuity of an idea for to not work.

IF it were real and not just you messing with us, I would say you already have it in a working range with your 2 to 4 degree temperature drop without the thermal mass of grain in there.

I was going to say now boil up that baby squirrel, but I'm not sure that was real either.
Seems a little early at the beginning of January for baby squirrels but I don't know. It's not like it's cold down there so anything could be possible.

You know, a mash tun from a sink done the way you said should work fine, but pictures would help everyone troubleshoot any issues with the way it was done, especially with the mesh you used for a false bottom / bazooka tube / filter.
That's one of the things you wanna make sure you get right so you don't get a stuck sparge or grain flowing into the wort. Pictures can help us check that out after all.

It's the mesh basket I am worried about now, not temps. Plus, with the new lid style, now I gotta change the style of the handles a little, to make them fit inside.

BobbiLynn said:

It's the mesh basket I am worried about now, not temps. Plus, with the new lid style, now I gotta change the style of the handles a little, to make them fit inside.

Click to expand...

Hah! I'm doing this on the phone so I accidentally posted early, then I was in the middle of editing my post above yours to say that pictures would really help us look at that basket you made because it's kind of a critical piece.

now you're just trying to distract us with naked rat babies.

brewingmeister said:

now you're just trying to distract us with naked rat babies.

Click to expand...

See it's all a big game. Bait and switch.
Probably drinking good whiskey and betting on our reaction to everything post.
That sounds like a good party if we were on the other end of it.

Posting pictures of naked rats, old coolers in the yard and everything but what people want to see.

I hear you can raise baby squirrels a bit until they get older. Then at that point they get too rambunctious to keep in the house anymore.

Arrheinous said:

I hear you can raise baby squirrels a bit until they get older. Then at that point they get too rambunctious to keep in the house anymore.

Click to expand...

That's when they go on the menu.

If I need help with the basket, I will ask, until then I am going to just finish it up and test it with soupy oatmeal.

I'm bored today...so every time she refuses to put up a picture today I am going to pour a home brew. What the hell...here we go.

I will count post #105 as my first beer.

I really want to see the concept. I don't expect it to be perfect...but if it works I'm open to trying something new here too.

Poured...

Wow, sort of reminds me of the day when we used the old surge milk buckets to cook our mash before the boil. Funny it worked thou.

BobbiLynn said:

and test it with soupy oatmeal.

Click to expand...

so will you post pics of the stuck oatmeal mash debacle?

twalte said:

I'm bored today...so every time she refuses to put up a picture today I am going to pour a home brew. What the hell...here we go.

I will count post #105 as my first beer.

I really want to see the concept. I don't expect it to be perfect...but if it works I'm open to trying something new here too.

Poured...

Click to expand...

You are going to be a very drunk man if she posts much today!

twalte said:

I'm bored today...so every time she refuses to put up a picture today I am going to pour a home brew. What the hell...here we go.

I will count post #105 as my first beer.

I really want to see the concept. I don't expect it to be perfect...but if it works I'm open to trying something new here too.

Poured...

Click to expand...

I like that tap handle. Nice little setup you got there!

45_70sharps said:

You are going to be a very drunk man if she posts much today!

Click to expand...

I don't expect many posts today, but am really curious to see how this works. I don't understand why she won't post a pic if it is a real concept.

I have no plans for today...so my fate is in her hands. Only one beer down so far.

Yesfan said:

I like that tap handle. Nice little setup you got there!

Click to expand...

Thanks. I sit outside a lot...so built it into the BBQ island.

45_70sharps said:

Baby squirrel boiled in Pedialyte on a toothpick.

Click to expand...

Sounds delicious, when do we eat?

zazbnf said:

Sounds delicious, when do we eat?

Click to expand...

That's up to bobbilynn, she's got the livestock.
Unless it's as imaginary as the in photographable mash tun.

twalte said:

I don't understand why she won't post a pic if it is a real concept.

I have no plans for today...so my fate is in her hands. Only one beer down so far.

Click to expand...

Because it's an unfinished concept!! Was just wondering if I should finish it or scrap it!!! Sorry, still no pics, drink another one....

zazbnf said:

Sounds delicious, when do we eat?

Click to expand...

I wasn't going to boil the baby squirrel in pedialyte and put him on a toothpick, I was going to feed it to him with an eyedropper. Because see how dehydrated he looks in the picture? Poor little baby, he needs to grow up bigger so I can eat him as a real meal.

Had to do a double take thought she posted "meth basket"

For twalte, so he can down another homebrew... come back in a couple weeks when I've had time to finish it and then you will get your pictures. And just wait til you see what I am using to crush the grain.

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?

BobbiLynn said:

I wasn't going to boil the baby squirrel in pedialyte and put him on a toothpick, I was going to feed it to him with an eyedropper. Because see how dehydrated he looks in the picture? Poor little baby, he needs to grow up bigger so I can eat him as a real meal.

Click to expand...

Well if your going to let him grow up first, I like my squirrel baked low and slow to soften em up with a side of BBQ baked beans and maybe some cole slaw. But I am not sure 1 little squirrel is gonna feed all of us.....