Carboy Level/Calibration Sticker Prototype

I made up these plotter-cut vinyl decals for my 6 and 6.5 gallon carboys and thought I'd get some feedback on the graphics/shape design. I was considering adding these to my website because I've had several requests for something like this in the past.

What do you think of the overall shape/design and potential utility of having these on your carboys? How about feedback on how to handle partial gallon marks after 5/6 gallons? Do you like the .5 for marking 5.5, 6, 6.5 or is 1/4, 1/2 better for marking the last few quarts?

I'd expect white vinyl would provide the best contrast for all wort colors. I think putting a pair of these on opposing sides of the carboy would make sense.

Thanks for any comments.

they look great to me.

My only comment would be to have them in half gallon increments the whole way (I.E. 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, etc).

You need to add 3/4, .25 and .75. My opinion anyhow.

They're big and bold and I like the idea. Of your two options, I prefer the <.5> but if I had my druthers I would go with a smaller diamond with no number just to avoid cluttering.

$.02

tjpfeister said:

They're big and bold and I like the idea. Of your two options, I prefer the <.5> but if I had my druthers I would go with a smaller diamond with no number just to avoid cluttering.

$.02

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I would think you could print them in different sizes if you downloaded them.

There was an article on etching numbers onto a carboy a while back. I thought there was too much etching, but, if you cut these out of a block you could use them for the same stenciling type technique.

Bobby_M said:

I was considering adding these to my website because I've had several requests for something like this in the past.

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I'd be in. Hope you'll have a quantity discount.
Got a lot of carboys.


Just one guys opinion. This isn't rocket science. One gallon increments are fine.
Half way between is . . . well, half.




But I do like this idea:

tjpfeister said:

They're big and bold and I like the idea. Of your two options, I prefer the <.5> but if I had my druthers I would go with a smaller diamond with no number just to avoid cluttering.

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I would prefer horizontal lines like this, only solid not dashed.

-6.5-
- 6 -
-5.5-
--5--
-4.5-
--4--
--3--
--2--
--1--

I like the horizontal lines for the numbers, & I think that .5 is fine for 1/2 gallon increments. Honestly, I could estimate the partial gallons and probably wouldn't use the partial gallon increments...

or this...

-6-
---
-5-
---
-4-

shelly_belly said:

or this...

-6-
---
-5-
---
-4-

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Add quarter ticks and you may have a winner. They become useful towards the top if you plan on doing a secondary.

I have been wanting to get something like these for a while....

Thanks for all the input so far. The reason for the triangles over a thinner line is that it would be a lot more robust as far as adhesion is concerned. A small tick mark could be scraped off.

I don't know about going 1/2 gallon all the way up. I can see 4.5, 5.5 for a 5 gallon carboy or 5.5 and 6.5 for 6/6.5 gallon carboys. I think explicit 1/4" marks are nice once you get to the upper shoulder because the difference in volume is not linear.

So maybe 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 1/2, 3/4, 1/4, 1/2. That would account for up to a half gallon below and above the rated capacity and also the quarts in between those ranges.

I can also do these as negatives to act as stencils for acid etching.

Hermit said:

Add quarter ticks and you may have a winner. They become useful towards the top if you plan on doing a secondary.

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Lets say the margin of error when having one gallon increments and estimating the quarter gallons is +/-20 ounces (should be doable even when drunk.) That's about 3% of the total volume. How does this effect the secondary?

Not joking. Seriously would like to know if I'm missing something? The numbers we use on everything from alpha acids to grain potential to yeast cell counts are based on averages and estimates. Why is volume accuracy down to a few ounces so important?

And all this is assuming that you get the sticker in the exact right spot.


I'll admit that from a bling stand point quarter gallon marks win out.

Very nice, and for durability I really like the triangular marks. I prefer the 1/2 and 1/4 over the 0.5 and 0.25, but that's just me. I also think a set of flattened triangles without any numbers would work well for 1/4 gal increments.

AnOldUR said:

Lets say the margin of error when having one gallon increments and estimating the quarter gallons is +/-20 ounces (should be doable even when drunk.) That's about 3% of the total volume. How does this effect the secondary?

Not joking. Seriously would like to know if I'm missing something? The numbers we use on everything from alpha acids to grain potential to yeast cell counts are based on averages and estimates. Why is volume accuracy down to a few ounces so important?

And all this is assuming that you get the sticker in the exact right spot.


I'll admit that from a bling stand point quarter gallon marks win out.

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It is about choices. If I want to siphon with as little break as possible from my kettle to the primary then knowing when I can stop is helpful. I can now siphon out the rest, let it settle, and can it as starter wort. Is it a big deal? No. Am I going to NOT do the extra marks if I go through the trouble of marking my secondary? No. Not much point in marking the secondary for my purposes if I don't put these marks on otherwise? My blind spot in not seeing the purpose of putting on the numbers if you don't have a use for them.

This is what I ended up with. I'm going to cut some and test the adhesion on glass. I may have to pick up a new roll of vinyl with a more aggressive adhesive to be more appropriate for something that gets washed often. Of course, if you apply them to a 5 gallon carboy, the fractional indicators would surround the 5 instead of the 6.

I have two immediate uses for relatively accurate markings. The first is to verify brewhouse efficiency and the second is to accurately split a batch with someone else if we both have completely different fermenters.

Did a quick search for those that haven't seen the etching thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/marking-your-carboy-63174/

Bobby_M said:

This is what I ended up with. I'm going to cut some and test the adhesion on glass. I may have to pick up a new roll of vinyl with a more aggressive adhesive to be more appropriate for something that gets washed often. Of course, if you apply them to a 5 gallon carboy, the fractional indicators would surround the 5 instead of the 6.

I have two immediate uses for relatively accurate markings. The first is to verify brewhouse efficiency and the second is to accurately split a batch with someone else if we both have completely different fermenters.

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Not sure why, but I am not a huge fan of the small increment numbers. I am however a fan of a way of labeling them! Maybe the half and quarter numbers cound just be a sideways diamond shape? No number? Then leave it up to the user if they want to use them for 1/4 or 1/2 or whatever? Just a thought

Bobby....these are great! I'd actually like something like that for a sightglass...but I realize it's easy to crowd the tube. So what about something like this to put BEHIND the sight gauge? FWIW, for simplicity's sake, .5 would be as far as I'd want to go incrementally. I like how the whole numbers are big, and the increments are about 75% their size.

brettwasbtd said:

Not sure why, but I am not a huge fan of the small increment numbers. I am however a fan of a way of labeling them! Maybe the half and quarter numbers cound just be a sideways diamond shape? No number? Then leave it up to the user if they want to use them for 1/4 or 1/2 or whatever? Just a thought

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The way they are laid out gives you that option. Cut out and use what you want. Personally, I would use the tic marks but not the fractions. Still, the way it is laid out gives me that option. He isn't selling a single piece that goes on the carboy. He is just putting up a stencil kit if you want to look at it like that.

Yeah that's true. If all carboys were standardized, I'd be able to pre-calibrate the cut. They'd be applied exactly the same way as the sight glass numbers. Run a vertical masking tape strip up the side, mark each increment by filling, then cut out each number, peel the backing and smooth it on.

I'd be more than happy to do performance testing on those labels. Let's see, I'd need 4 sets just to be certain.

I'll send a single (FREE) prototype out to the next 4 people that reply, but the requirement is that you have to take a picture of the carboy with the numbers installed.

Would it be hard to run a line through the arrows and numbers to keep everything together and add a little adhesion? I'll test dummy anything you've got if any are left. I've also been thinking of doing a solid 2" wide strip with the marks cut out for a reverse effect, but that is on a one for one based on the carboy size.

Ok. No problem. I can take pics and post em.

Bobby_M said:

I'll send a single (FREE) prototype out to the next 4 people that reply, but the requirement is that you have to take a picture of the carboy with the numbers installed.

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I'd be happy to post a pic for a free "prototype"

Boom. Pics will be taken!

Damn! First hits on a new keg of IPA.
Drank too much and fell asleep.











edit:
I snooze, but don't loose. Thanks Bobby!
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Ok, I lied, I'll send to the first five.

Step already PM'd his address but I need addresses from WPStrassburg, JalaPeno, MetallHed, and AnOldUR.

WPStrassburg, by the way. No need to put a line to keep everything together. These will be backmasked with application tape.

In case anyone is confused about how it works, it's a sandwich of heavier backing, then the cut vinyl, then a thin semi-opaque masking on the very top. You'd cut each number off the strip, remove the heavier backing to expose the vinyl adhesive, then position the number where you want it. Use a credit card or squeegie to smooth it onto the VERY clean carboy glass (use a little alcohol or acetone to remove oils and residue). Then peel back the masking to reveal awesomeness.

Looking forward to seeing these on a carboy!

Subscribed. Finally, I can get my carboys organized!

I'll take pics... PM me if your interested!!

PM sent, bobby!

You rock!

:rockin:

I am assuming that various sizes of carboys are standard sizes... if that is true, could one make a single vertical sticker that is graduated. This would allow the user to apply the sticker by filling say three gallons into a standard 5 gallon carboy and then applying the five-gallon graduated carboy sticker using the water line as a three gallon reference point. Thus, calibrating the sticker and making their application easier.

Obviously there would need to be different sticker for 6-gallon carboys and so on.

I don't know that I'd trust that.

Bobby_M said:

The reason for the triangles over a thinner line is that it would be a lot more robust as far as adhesion is concerned. A small tick mark could be scraped off.

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I'm not really sure how the numbers are fabricated, but would it be possible to have the line in white vinyl, but a larger surface area surrounding the line in clear vinyl, so that application would be feasible and the line would be visible and less bulky?

My intent on the triangles is to point to the level that is being indicated. I think when you see the pictures of their install and a video showing how they are applied, it will be more clear. Certainly these can be made to be tiny, but why make it harder to read than it has to be?

I'm also going to pickup a yard of "frosted" semi opaque vinyl to simulate etched numbers. That might look pretty slick.

BrewMoreBeers said:

I am assuming that various sizes of carboys are standard sizes... if that is true, could one make a single vertical sticker that is graduated. This would allow the user to apply the sticker by filling say three gallons into a standard 5 gallon carboy and then applying the five-gallon graduated carboy sticker using the water line as a three gallon reference point. Thus, calibrating the sticker and making their application easier.

Obviously there would need to be different sticker for 6-gallon carboys and so on.

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The problem is that carboys have been made for almost a hundred years and a lot of people have all kinds of different ones from Mexico and Italy. People that have broken them have noted how much variance there is in thickness. The capacities are nominal at best.

I completely understand the idea of marking a known volume and doing a single one-step application, but it's not that hard to pour a gallon of water in five or six times, and then a quart at a time another couple times if you want more resolution at the top. It sure beats the 15 gallon sight glass calibration headache ;-)

Bobby_M said:

I can also do these as negatives to act as stencils for acid etching.

Click to expand...

If you decide you want someone to prototype test the acid etch versions, let me know.



Cutting out numbers by hand sucks, and I've got 3 carboys to go.

The one thing I'm curious about is if the positive vinyl application version looks great and is durable enough, there really isn't much of a reason to acid etch and go through the added trouble of removing the stencil. I'm not saying the etching doesn't look great.