Stainless Steel

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thenatibrewer

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I am in the planning stages of building my single tier stand. i want to make it out of 2" square tube stainless steel (maybe 1.5"). i was wondering where you guys get your steel? any help would be great. i am sure i will have a ton more questions the further i get into this project. thanks again for the help....
 
i check there, i have on many threads seen guys that stated they bought their ss for around 120 dollars. according to the sellers on ebay it would be around 300?? not sure were they are getting those cheap prices? of course i may not be looking for the same thing either????
 
I got 1" square steel from a local scarp yard. It's not stainless, but with a fresh coat of red paint looks beautiful.
 
I called around to our local welding shops, They will always sell metal and because they buy in bulk it is usually a lot cheaper then anywhere else. I paid about $140 for all my 2" square tubing for my single tier, if you want check it out!!!! :mug:
 
Look in your yellow pages for metal suppliers.
They will usually have the cheapest prices.
Ask for 304 stainless. Thin wall, maybe .060 will plenty thick enough.
 
Try the Hirshberg Co here in Cincinnati:

http://davidhirschbergsteel.com/

If they don't have it in stock, they can order it for you. It pays to shop around when buying this sort of stuff.

Good guys... I was there today.

I bought some mild steel to build a welding table.

I'll be building a stand soon and I'm interested in what you find.

BTW... 1.5" x 1.5" x 1/8" wall mild steel square tubing was just over $2/foot at Hirshberg's. (I don't think you need 1/8" wall tubing for a brewstand)
 
Good guys... I was there today.

I bought some mild steel to build a welding table.

I'll be building a stand soon and I'm interested in what you find.

BTW... 1.5" x 1.5" x 1/8" wall mild steel square tubing was just over $2/foot at Hirshberg's. (I don't think you need 1/8" wall tubing for a brewstand)

I agree that the 1/8" wall tubing is too heavy. Half that would work just fine and it would save some money too.
 
shawn
i saw your build on that thread the other day...looks great. that is exactly what i am thinking about doing. i will start calling around, i know a local weld shop that help me build my 3 tier system!! i also know a metal shop that deals only in stainless steel. so i will start calling them and see what they say.

what are your guys thoughts on semi automated or manual?? one pump or two?? counterflow chiller or plate chiller?? these are all questions that will need to be addressed soon....

again thanks for the input.
 
Lonnie (the Brutus guy) used 1/8" wall stainless square tubing because he was able to get a real bargain on it. His use of that tubing made it really popular, but I really think that a lot of you guys are wasting your money trying to copy him exactly.

.030" wall tubing is adequate for most brewing applications. Even .060" is overkill, but it's sometimes cheaper. Mild steel makes a fine brew stand. Sure, you have to paint or powder coat it, but it's usually 1/4 the cost.

However, if you have money to throw at a project, stainless sure is pretty.

Local suppliers are the way to go. Look up welding/fab shops, salvage yards, pipe supply companies, and steel supply companies. They're not hard to find.
 
shawn
i saw your build on that thread the other day...looks great. that is exactly what i am thinking about doing. i will start calling around, i know a local weld shop that help me build my 3 tier system!! i also know a metal shop that deals only in stainless steel. so i will start calling them and see what they say.

what are your guys thoughts on semi automated or manual?? one pump or two?? counterflow chiller or plate chiller?? these are all questions that will need to be addressed soon....

again thanks for the input.

Who is the shop that deals in Stainless?

If you are set on a 3 tier, the number of pumps will depend on what your plans are. Since you can use gravity for transfer from vessel to vessel, the only place I see you might "need" a pump is for recirculating in a RIMs or HERMs system. I'm doing a single tier with 2 pump.

Personally, I prefer a counterflow chiller. I've never used a plate chiller, but would think they'd be tougher to clean than a CFC and easier to clog.

Are you planning to heat with gas or electric?

Ed
 
what are your guys thoughts on semi automated or manual?? one pump or two?? counterflow chiller or plate chiller?? these are all questions that will need to be addressed soon...

Those are tough questions with no possible single best answer. Too much depends on your personal style and degree of gadget addition. I favor a semi-automatic direct fired RIMS and a counter flow chiller. Single pump two tier with an electrically heated elevated HLT. Two burners. One for the MT and another for the BK. Modular configuration using the stock burner stands to support the Mt and BK and a portable base for the pump.
 
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