My rig

[Anthony_Lopez]

I'm not trying to be negative, but at the same time it seems like a lot of commitment to make a rig having never brewed. I'm a big advocate of going simple and inexpensive. I'm not saying that anyone has to take my POV. I'm sure that with the quality of the build he won't have any issues selling it if he decides he doesn't like brewing.

 

[lehr]

And I don't understand why you are being so negative to this guy. So far you have doubted his honesty and questioned the need for his build.

You think he's mad know wait until he see's my stirplate build....Just kidding Tony.

Pat

 

[harley03]

Absolutely amazing! Nice job I especially like those shinny kegs. Now go brew some beer!!

 

[Catt22]

You think he's mad know wait until he see's my stirplate build....Just kidding Tony.

Pat

I was just thinking the same thing! I can see it now, mirror finished all SS stir plate.

Home brewing equipment doesn't have to be ugly. Your rig is definitely a work of art and your fabrication skills are first class. I would bet that your home brew will likely be top notch simply because you are obviously very detail oriented and that is a big asset when brewing.

You really should consider marketing a rig like that. Maybe just selling the basic SS frame and letting the buyer finish it out to suit his particular brewing style. You could avoid some of the product liability issues if you just sold the frame and not a completed rig.

 

[MajorWoody]

Heat shields are perfect.

You've created what I think is the world's first hot rod brewstand. While I really admire the ingenuity of folks who do a lot of automation on their setups, I like the more "hands on", manual type of setup such as this one.

You could always add the electronic controls later on if you wanted to, as well.

Now get back out to the garage and piss Anthony off by polishing that third keg before you brew your first batch! :rockin:

 

[lehr]

I was just thinking the same thing! I can see it now, mirror finished all SS stir plate.

Home brewing equipment doesn't have to be ugly. Your rig is definitely a work of art and your fabrication skills are first class. I would bet that your home brew will likely be top notch simply because you are obviously very detail oriented and that is a big asset when brewing.

You really should consider marketing a rig like that. Maybe just selling the basic SS frame and letting the buyer finish it out to suit his particular brewing style. You could avoid some of the product liability issues if you just sold the frame and not a completed rig.

Thanks catt I work at a medical center also and a lab vendor comp'd me a stirplate and several cases of flasks so I wont be making one.

I wouldnt mind making and selling these it's alot less work than building a car.

Pat

 

[lehr]

Heat shields are perfect.

You've created what I think is the world's first hot rod brewstand. While I really admire the ingenuity of folks who do a lot of automation on their setups, I like the more "hands on", manual type of setup such as this one.

You could always add the electronic controls later on if you wanted to, as well.

Now get back out to the garage and piss Anthony off by polishing that third keg before you brew your first batch! :rockin:

You've got me laughing my ass off...I would like it automated but I'm lost when it comes to that stuff I'dhave to do some horse trading on that deal.

 

[MajorWoody]

For electronic temperature control, I believe what you would need to do is convert from manual on/off valves to electronically controlled burners with standing pilots (on the HLT and MLT only). Most folks control the burner valves with LOVE (or similar) electronic controllers, either 110v or low voltage. The LOVE controller sends voltage to the gas valve whenever the temp falls below the setpoint you select, and shuts it off at the upper limit point. It uses a probe that you can either dunk into your brew vessel or mount using a bulkhead fitting. You need an individual controller for each vessel that you want to automate.

Check out this thread to see what I am talking about with regard to the automation piece. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-brew-rig-build-95433/ . Nicksteck had all the expertise already, being a HVAC contractor. The wiring looks more complicated than it is.

I assume you intend to mash in that uninsulated middle keg. I suspect that consistent heat control may be a challenge, and that you will be doing a lot of manually lighting the burner, running it for a short time, rechecking the temp, etc, repeatedly in order to maintain your target temp prior to mash-out. That might become tiresome. To deal with this, some folks insulate the MLT (it would be a shame to cover up that gorgeous stainless) or set something else up to maintain the temperature, either by a recirculation scheme or by automating the burner somehow.

Others with more knowledge than me will chime in here I suspect...my 3 tier "tree" is manual but I use a 10 gallon round cooler to mash in; with the lid on it holds the temp consistent for an hour no problem so I get to skip the whole heat management thing.

You have a single level setup so I dunno if you really need a sightglass on the HLT. Just use a little engraving tool and put some graduation marks on the inside of that keg. You can just look inside when you're filling it and use the marks to guide you. I made a little sightglass for mine because it is six feet up in the air, no way to see inside without a stool.

I'll post up some photos of the stuff you might want for electronic ignition, in case you are interested in going that route.

 

[rabeb25]

Hell, You could sign me up right now for a copy of that. I am all electric so no gas plumbing needed, please do include the pump housing and heat shields all around. Just tell me where to sign. Top Notch.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

You think he's mad know wait until he see's my stirplate build....Just kidding Tony.

Pat

I've never been mad.

I have a hard time believing this is your first rig...

Also, I don't really understand the negativity from my original comment on the first page. Saying that I didn't believe this was his first rig and that he wasn't a beginner homebrewer seems like more of a compliment than anything else.

 

[MajorWoody]

This is one way of setting up the ignition. This one has the button built in.
I prefer a remote button. Those are harder to find. Don't use the guts from a stungun...too much current.

Then you need three ignitors, or ignitors with collector boxes. Lots of them on ebay. Here is one without a collector. It has a bendable wire and a mounting tab affixed to the insulator. This would spark directly to the burner body. This is what I use on my high pressure burners.

And one with a collector. The collector is usually intended for use with a flat BBQ grill burner. It gathers the gas coming out of several of the many holes in such burners and ensures that ignition occurs initially within the little collector. A collector is important when there might be a breeze or when not every orifice is emitting gas.

With your fabrication skills, I would expect you could make a collector (if needed) much better than trying to adapt one meant for a flat BBQ burner.

 

[lehr]

Just yankin your chain Tony I know your not mad....If I saw some ******* build somthing like this that never brewed before I wouldnt understand either...

All you guys have a good weekend I'm outa here....Pat

 

[Chris300s]

I guess it all depends what you want included.

Everything minus the burners, pump, hoses and fittings. I can do the assembly/systems myself but have no access nor skills for metal work.
Man that thing's beautiful! I could stare at it all day. If you rolled it in front of the Camaro I'd put it up as my screensaver.

 

[lehr]

Everything minus the burners, pump, hoses and fittings. I can do the assembly/systems myself but have no access nor skills for metal work.
Man that thing's beautiful! I could stare at it all day. If you rolled it in front of the Camaro I'd put it up as my screensaver.

Do you have the burners and pump and kettles.

I'll put my rig in front of the Camaro tonight and take a picture I need to start woking on that car the owner is back to work now so I blow it apart and start painting it.

Pat

 

[Chris300s]

Do you have the burners and pump and kettles.

Pat

1 keg, 1 on the way, No burners or pump but I figure I can buy those in stages and install them myself. I could probably handle grinding the welds without ruining it too.

Was the winter beer fest one of your weekend events? My wife and I were bot helping out at the Sherwood booth.

Chris

 

[lehr]

1 keg, 1 on the way, No burners or pump but I figure I can buy those in stages and install them myself. I could probably handle grinding the welds without ruining it too.

Was the winter beer fest one of your weekend events? My wife and I were bot helping out at the Sherwood booth.

Chris

I must have saw you I was at the Sherwood booth I still have my gummy beer's

The welds grind pretty hard in stainless but they look nice not ground too they are pretty small when you tig weld.

Pat

 

[Chris300s]

I took one tig class at BOC gas. At the end I could weld a pop can to plate; 1 inch burned through, 1 inch roll of dimes, 1 inch too cold.

I must have saw you I was at the Sherwood booth I still have my gummy beer's

Red Wings cap with a "D" on it. My wife was the one yelling at people, "like you need another beer.."

 

[lehr]

Everything minus the burners, pump, hoses and fittings. I can do the assembly/systems myself but have no access nor skills for metal work.
Man that thing's beautiful! I could stare at it all day. If you rolled it in front of the Camaro I'd put it up as my screensaver.

Here you go.

 

[lehr]

Hose holder/heat sheild/trinket

[/IMG]

 

[lehr]

One more

 

[IrregularPulse]

All the small details is what makes this such a nice rig. Such quality on the craftsmanship.

 

[Chris300s]

My dad's bike is that color right now. We've been freshening up his 21 y/o Softail and the tins are in epoxy primer until he can afford the PPG ($178/quart!).
Thanks, now I've got beer porn wallpaper.

 

[lehr]

My dad's bike is that color right now. We've been freshening up his 21 y/o Softail and the tins are in epoxy primer until he can afford the PPG ($178/quart!).
Thanks, now I've got beer porn wallpaper.

That's House of Kolor primer.

I repainted a bumper on a prostreet truck this fall it was $100.00 a pint,I painted the truck about 12 years ago and I dont think the gallon was much more than that.

 

[steelerguy]

This is truly top notch work, very impressed. You really should work out a pricing structure for that with just a few build options to keep it easy. I bet some people would be interested.

Wouldn't mind having you work on my 69 Camaro! Bought on in August that is in pretty good shape, but it will need some some smoothing on the body (if there are no big surprises under the paint), and the interior (other than headliner and carpet) needs redone. Hardest part is finding someone I trust to work on it!

 

[diatonic]

One more

Do you have higher-resolution versions of these? Something at least 1920 pixels wide?

Thanks!

 

[InYerMouth]

OUTSTANDING CRAFTSMANSHIP!!! Unbelievablely nice...

 

[TommyBoy]

Saying that I didn't believe this was his first rig and that he wasn't a beginner homebrewer seems like more of a compliment than anything else.

Maybe I took it the wrong way then.

 

[lehr]

Do you have higher-resolution versions of these? Something at least 1920 pixels wide?

Thanks!

Are you being funny...because I'm lucky if I can get a picture to even post I know so little about computers.

Pat

 

[steelerguy]

Are you being funny...because I'm lucky if I can get a picture to even post I know so little about computers.

Pat

I think he wants a wide-screen background for his computer.

 

[jerryodom]

Great thread. I've been collecting materials to build my own of similar design. I'll be bookmarking this one for ideas. Appreciate you sharing!

 

[lehr]

I think he wants a wide-screen background for his computer.

The pictures are on imageshack can he get them from there.
Pat

 

[brewslut]

WOW!! That build is sexalicious.GREAT JOB f*&k any naysayers,If I had talent like that, i'd just build them all day to make all the cooler/braid mashtunners jealous...hehe.Makes my home de&*t rig look even more ghetto.Thanks for the inspiration for my dream build.Keep up the great work.:rockin:

 

[PavlovsCat]

It's really a shame to actually dirty the stuff by actually brewing beer in it. Could you put in a boom box and flat screen?

 

[EisBerg]

I'm starting to think Orange County Choppers/Boydz HBT Special...."Hey, why did you pull over?" "I have to gas up and it's time for a hops addition!"

 

[diatonic]

The pictures are on imageshack can he get them from there.
Pat

I was just thinking you probably had bigger versions of the pictures that I could use as wallpapers. There is something painful about stretching smaller images for use as a wallpaper, and it wouldn't do the photo justice.

If you have bigger versions, I would love to use them. If not, no worries. I just think they would make a great wallpaper.

I don't know if imageshack has size restrictions... feel free to use my server to host the images if you want... at Web Boise - Image Hosting

 

[lehr]

I'm starting to think Orange County Choppers/Boydz HBT Special...."Hey, why did you pull over?" "I have to gas up and it's time for a hops addition!"

Could you think Jessie James those OCC guys are hacks...I know they make a crap load of money but hacks never the less.

Pat

 

[TommyBoy]

Do you have higher-resolution versions of these? Something at least 1920 pixels wide?

Thanks!

Yeah, we wanna check the porosity of your welds!

 

[lehr]

Yeah, we wanna check the porosity of your welds!

It holds water and it holds gas so I think its ok.
I put gas in the gas beam 2 weeks ago for a test fire and then took the tank off...I turned on one of the valves yesterday and gas came hissing out..Kinda scared me.

 

[sourmash]

Great build Pat!
I am in somewhat in the same boat. I have not actually brewed myself, just with friends and want to get into it so I am building a similar rig. I am in the very early stages gathering material and everything.
Question on the polishing process...you mention that you used a 80 grit disc on the barrel after the scotch brite pads and worked your way down to 400 grit. Did you feel when using the 80 grit disc that you got the wall of the barrel to thin? Or did you really not take to much off with the 80 grit?

Thanks in advance!
Joe
On The Gas Brewery

 

[lehr]

Thats 80 grit on a D.A. sander not a grinder. It would be fine just to start with 150...the stainless will wear out the sand paper in a hurry so change it often.

Pat