Marking a Mash Paddle/Spoon

So I have this new wooden 36" spoon/paddle that I plan to use for stirring the mash, etc. I'd also like to mark this spoon/paddle so that I can measure gallons in my 15 gallon brew pot.

What is the best way to do this? Would a Sharpie marker work, or would that leech chemicals into the wort when it is hot (esp. if I put it in at the end of the boil to sanitize for whirlpooling)? Maybe notch it with a knife?

 

Burn it with a soldering iron?

 

Notch it and burn it with a wood burning iron. It will be there until the paddle breaks or rots.

 

+1

If you don't have the burning iron, just the notch alone should be sufficient.

I wouldn't use a marker. According to Sharpie, ​​"While Sharpie markers are AP-certified non-toxic, we do not recommend using them on areas of items that may come in contact with food or the mouth..."

 

This is a bit off-topic, but I would recommend that you think about how you're going to account for your loss in your pot. When I marked my spoon, I just dumped x amount of water into my kettle, and marked that line on the spoon. However, on brew days I have to be a bit more aware of my boil, because 6.5 gallons on the spoon (and in the kettle) doesn't equate to 6.5 gallons in the fermenter. One of these days I'll get around to remeasuring - adding enough water to the kettle to replicate the trub/dead volume below the spigot, and then topping up with x water, marking the spoon to that level.

Just a thought.

 

You don't have to do that. When the wort level is below that of the spigot, the kettle should be light enough to just pick up and dump. Yes, I dump it all into the fermenter. It settles out just fine and I rack above it to the bottling bucket.

 

I notched mine with a Dremel, made really quick work of it. Still holding up fine a few years later.

 

You also might consider calibrating your measurements with water that is at a temperature close to what you're most often measuring. For example, if you're generally using it to measure pre-boil volume, you might calibrate it/create your marks with water that's around 160* or so.

Just a thought. Good luck and enjoy the brew.

 

Thanks all for the help and advice... I didn't think of measuring water at the same temperature. Good idea.

 

I have a wooden stick that I use and just used a sharpie, It's been a few years and it's still fine.