My idea for a mash tun-please dont laugh

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Pictures are essential.

Look at it this way.
A lot of people come to this site to learn about brewing. Weather this mash tun works or not it's still going to be educational for other people trying to figure out what to do.
If you try it and make adjustments it's even more for someone else to learn from.
If you learned anything on this site, this is a great chance to put something back.
 
Yesfan said:
Report back with some pics, please. Who cares if anyone laughs?

I can't remember the poster's name, but when I first registered, I read a post where someone here posted a YouTube video of him brewing a Mr Beer kit and using baker's yeast instead of brewer's yeast. The way he described the tastes of his beer was freaking hilarious. The first time I saw that video I did laugh, but I also felt sorry for the guy as that could easily been me (I would have done worse actually). A few months later, he posts some pics and videos of his upgrades and improvements over the months from that brew and got many more compliments than he did laughs. His experiences reminded me that everyone in this hobby has or is going to screw up, but the main thing is to just take what you learn from it and apply it to make yourself a better brewer.
Click to expand...

I think I know which YouTube video you're talking about. Just search for "mr beer goes horribly wrong". Posters name is Premnasbiaculeatus. I was doubled over laughing at it!

Regarding this post, maybe call it "Frankentun". Or "Monster Mash". I wonder if buying 4 AG kits makes more sense than one kit and a Home Depot cooler.
 
Don't know if anyone outside the Bay Area saw that brewing reality show from the brewing network guys last year (BYOB TV), but this reminds me of that episode where the teams had to make a complete brew system from a pile of junk. I remember someone made a mash tun from one of those big clay plant pots. Pretty sure an old sink was one of the items too.

you gotta give us pics :ban:
 
I knew this would happen if I told you all about my mash tun, or monster mash, whatever you want to call it. Pictures, pictures, pictures! I will show you pictures when I am ready, it's not even light out yet, maybe I'll even get a friend to shoot a video. Everyone here can provide the laugh track. Who knows what will happen!

But, either fire to the sides(remove burlap and duct tape first) or adding boiling water to keep temp, plus you know, the duct tape and burlap bags for insulation if I go with boiling water to warm it up, saw blade for a lid. I'm sure I'll get some wort out of it, cook it up and see how it turns out. Maybe that could even be the name of the beer, Monster Mash, or is that name already taken?

Hubby actually does have a junk yard(behind his barn- about a 1/2 mile from the house) and that's where I found the stuff to use. Probably is plenty of stuff out there to build a different type of mash tun, plenty of old coolers in fact. Don't know why I didn't think to start with one of those. I guess because the sink already had the tubing running out the bottom and I liked the way it sloped to the drain.
 
Another thing to think about is a sink from a junk yard, has tubing rigged up to the drain.... What was it used for?

As for adding boiling water, you want to keep the temperature fairly tight to get starch conversion and prevent off flavors. You also want to end up using about the correct amount of water.
Check out youtube for other ideas. Search mash tun or home made mash tun. There are a lot of videos on there that helped me out before I found this site.

I would bet that if you looked around out in all that scrap you might even find better insulation than the burlap sacks.
How many gallons ( of water ) would the sink hold? If you get all the other details figured out right, the size of it could dictate what types of beers you end up brewing.
 
I think it will hold around 10-14 gallons and was used to clean mustard and turnip greens, and collards, etc. I did ask what it was for and if I could have it before snagging it. And yes, I have now, looked on here and looked on youtube how to build a proper mash tun. My kits should be arriving today, I hope, going to do the first one BIAB, maybe inside if the rain keeps up.
 
If it's 10 gallons you are in pretty good shape.
If it's 14 gallons you would be able to do a pretty big mash in there.
It will make more dead space to keep warm when you mash, but I would rather have a big tun than one that's not big enough.

Is it a double sink??
You could mash out with two beers at the same time!
 
Yes, it is a double sink but was originally planning to use the other side to cool the wort later.
 
Now how do I figure this out, never mind, I measured wrong... I'll just pour gallons of water into it and see that way how many it actually holds.
 
seem to recall watching a youtube video of an Australian homebrewer who had a huge stainless double sink he used for E-brewing. one sink was his MLT with recirculation, the other was his boil kettle.

looked like an awesome build and IIRC brewed a full bbl batch

 
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Count me in as someone who both thinks this is awesome and wants pics =)

I'll second everyone who said you might want to try BIAB, that is what I do and it is so much simpler than any other method I have seen, and it definitely works, the only real limiting factor is the size of your kettle, and it sounds like you could basically turn the sink into a giant kettle.

The only thing I might recommend changing is to see if you can't find something better than burlap for insulation. If you have a chunk of fiberglass insulation laying around, that would be perfect as it has a nice high R-value (this assumes you attach it in a way that there is zero chance of fiberglass ending up in your wort). If not that, an old blanket or sleeping bag would still be worlds better than burlap, and holding a steady temp is pretty important.

Good luck, we're all counting on you.
 
BobbiLynn said:
why wouldn't this work?
Click to expand...

There's no reason it wouldn't. A few years back I was planning on building a MT out of a stand alone stainless sink but it was gone before I could get it. Probably would have had a problem with a lid since I don't have any giant saw blades lying around. There used to be an outfit that was making brewing systems out of triple bowl sinks but I can't remember their info at the moment.
The mesh might pose a problem, if it is too fine it could clog. Also if it is galvanized don't use it.
 
I don't think any of the metal for the mesh basket is galvanized. However, to be sure, couldn't I just put my hothead torch to it, see if anything looks like it's flaking or peeling back from the surface? I'll stand up wind just in case or wear my gas mask. I think I will work on this thing some more this weekend. I was thinking I'd just put a metal weight down to cover the small opening in the middle of the saw blade, but now thinking, wouldn't a big knob type metal handle for picking it up be much better? Might as well go all out if I'll be showing pictures when it's done and doing it's job.

Also what do you think I could use to check the filtration rate(strain but not clog up) and not waste grain. Oatmeal maybe?

I may change out the insulation too, was worried about fibers using real insulation... it is layers of burlap, not a single layer.
 
BobbiLynn said:
I may change out the insulation too, was worried about fibers using real insulation... it is layers of burlap, not a single layer.
Click to expand...

If you have real fiberglass insulation I would try and find a way to use that instead of burlap. And I figured you meant alyers of burlap, but it still isn't anything like fiberglass insulation for R-value. Hell, you could probably wrap the insulation in the burlap to keep the fibers in, plus the (kick-ass giant-sawblade) lid will keep virtually all of it out anyways. Basically make a burlap/insulation/duct-tape sleeping bag?

All of this is advice is aiming towards using cheap/free stuff, and I don't know what else you have lying around. Since mash temps are only around 150-160 the materials don't have to be extremely heat resistant, just don't turn on any burners while the burlap-sleeping bag is over the sink :drunk:
 
I added an old sleeping bag for insulation and now temp of hot water is dropping around 4-5 degrees over an hour, the mash time on my kits. That's pulling the sink inside out of the cold weather.... trying to figure out now how much lenience I have and options for keeping temp. I will show pictures when I get it finished up and working....
 
LowNotes said:
If you have real fiberglass insulation I would try and find a way to use that instead of burlap. And I figured you meant alyers of burlap, but it still isn't anything like fiberglass insulation for R-value. Hell, you could probably wrap the insulation in the burlap to keep the fibers in, plus the (kick-ass giant-sawblade) lid will keep virtually all of it out anyways. Basically make a burlap/insulation/duct-tape sleeping bag?

All of this is advice is aiming towards using cheap/free stuff, and I don't know what else you have lying around. Since mash temps are only around 150-160 the materials don't have to be extremely heat resistant, just don't turn on any burners while the burlap-sleeping bag is over the sink :drunk:
Click to expand...

Okay, just saw your post, I'll try that and add the real insulation between the burlap and the sleeping bag... see what happens with the temp then.
 
BobbiLynn said:
I added an old sleeping bag for insulation and now temp of hot water is dropping around 4-5 degrees over an hour, the mash time on my kits. That's pulling the sink inside out of the cold weather.... trying to figure out now how much lenience I have and options for keeping temp. I will show pictures when I get it finished up and working....
Click to expand...

Not ideal to drop that much. It should work though. You might start out a degree or two higher, then let it run a little longer.
If you google mash iodine test, you can see how to tell when the starch conversion is done.
Close enough that you would be making beer at least!

Another thought, the saw blade lid might be the biggest heat loss area at this point.
I don't have an answer for that issue, but thought I might point that out. You've got good redneck ingenuity, you might think of something.
 
45_70sharps said:
the saw blade lid might be the biggest heat loss area at this point.
Click to expand...


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.
 
Plus with crushed grain in the water, that will increase density and therefore slow down the cooling rate even more.... Hmmm.....
 
A thermal mass would help a lot.
I think you are either there, or very close.
If you are at 4° of loss, you might be there with the grain.

Good thinking. I forgot about that.
 
Now hubby wants to take away my saw blade, says that's for cutting down trees, and give me some kind of barrel lid to use. AAck! No.... I'll just make any adaptations removable. Just borrow the saw blade to use as a lid.... I can't let him take away the saw blade....
 
What kind of saw it is it that has a blade that will cover a double sink and cuts down trees?
Is it like off of a processor?
 
45_70sharps said:
What kind of saw it is it that has a blade that will cover a double sink and cuts down trees?
Is it like off of a processor?
Click to expand...

It's for a machine that cuts down timber, but looks like a saw blade. Like what the electric company uses to trim trees away from the power lines. Has an arm on the front... cuts down trees and big limbs... And it only covers half of the double sink.
 
I am struggling with the BIAB method as being a simpler process, you need a huge boil kettle to hold all the grains plus water. to me, the simpler process is to use a mash tun and sparge. It's not difficult at all. Why are people intimated with mashing?
 
martiniw2olives said:
Why are people intimated with mashing?
Click to expand...

I was never intimidated... until I found this site. I don't think I really have to know all that stuff to make some good beer. And the lid hubby is offering me in exchange for the saw blade has an air pocket in it!! No... I do not want air pockets. I will explain to him tomorrow. Must have the saw blade...
 
chickypad said:
For the love of God, please don't replace the saw blade, at least not before you take pics! ;)
Click to expand...

Don't worry, I'll keep it. Going to bury it under some leaves in the back yard now.... What saw blade? He'll forget about it in a couple days. :mug:
 
BobbiLynn said:
Don't worry, I'll keep it. Going to bury it under some leaves in the back yard now.... What saw blade? He'll forget about it in a couple days. :mug:
Click to expand...

There you go, men have a short attention span in my experience.
You go girl. :rockin:
 
chickypad said:
There you go, men have a short attention span in my experience.
You go girl. :rockin:
Click to expand...

He didn't even know the blade was there until he saw me using it then all the sudden, he must have it back. I'm just going to keep it buried until he forgets. And yes, probably won't take long.

:rockin::rockin::rockin::rockin::rockin:
 
BobbiLynn said:
It's for a machine that cuts down timber, but looks like a saw blade. Like what the electric company uses to trim trees away from the power lines. Has an arm on the front... cuts down trees and big limbs... And it only covers half of the double sink.
Click to expand...

Yep, that would be a processor.



chickypad said:
There you go, men have a short attention span in my experience.
You go girl. :rockin:
Click to expand...

Hey now! I would resent that if I could remember why.
We have selective hearing and memory. Tools are usually on the list of stuff we remember.
 
brewingmeister said:
I've lost interest in the sink...lets see this saw blade!
Click to expand...

Well, right now, it's stolen property, buried in the back yard under a bed of leaves. Hubby was adamant I couldn't have the blade. Now you want me to show pictures proving I was the one who took it? I'll just put a removable metal knob in the center, for lifting the lid and weighting it down, unbolt the knob when I'm done and put the blade back where I found it. What do you mean it went missing? It's right here....
 
haha ok, but since you are married you can't really steal from your spouse.

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

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