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My shamelessly cheap $12 DIY stir plate

Discussion in 'Chillers & Stir Plates' started by CS223, Jun 30, 2012.

 

  1. NWAleDad

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 15, 2013
    yep. 1"

    BTW, I meant to say 2000ml above.
     
  2. Arrheinous

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 15, 2013
    Is there a good rule of thumb for inches per mL when it comes to stirbars?
     
  3. WileECoyote

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 15, 2013
    Subscribed

    Cheers :mug:
     
  4. woknblues

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 15, 2013
    just finished my DIY stir plate... Cost $0.00..

    Pulled a fan off an old junk computer.
    Pulled the magnets out of an old 80gig HD
    Cut a power supply from an old cable router that I can't use

    Just put the wires together with electricians tape, and hot glued one of the magnets to the middle of the fan. Spins fine when I plugged it in, so I set the fan into a chunk of styro foam that I cut out. When I sit my 2L flask on it with a stir bar, It is nice and "cushy".

    I plugged it in, and it worked right off the get go, pulling in a 4"-6" vortex with a 1 1/4" stir bar after about 10 seconds. I suppose this is a bit overkill, but I haven't seen anyone say that a vortex will hurt the yeast.

    Easy! Thanks for the idea.
     
  5. Old_E

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 16, 2013
    Got mine up and running. Well less than $20. Can't beat it. Got a starter going this morning, and its humming along. Awesome.

    I use a 1" stir bar and it seems to work perfectly. 1 or 2 liter (quart) starter. I keep the fan close to the lowest possible speed or it gets thrown.
     
  6. Nablis

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 16, 2013
    Here is my stirplate I made using a watch box that I never used.
    Spinning a 5L starter with a 2 inch bar also it works with a 2L starter.
    At higher than half speed it will throw the bar on the 5L.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    meis1212 likes this.
  7. Arrheinous

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 16, 2013
    Nifty! Where did you get a box like that?
     
    sebs likes this.
  8. Nablis

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 16, 2013
    It was a gift from work.
     
  9. Arrheinous

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 18, 2013
    Nabbed your idea. Built a prototype in a cardboard Bijoux Terner tie box. Jutting off the lid left the metal/cardboard joint behind so I could wedge the controller into it. Cut a hole out through the side to run the cables out and another for air circulation. Once the magnet is in I'll cover the top with foil to protect it.

    I don't think I can overstate how nifty this extension cord is! It goes out quite far and it's probably thin enough to close in a minifridge door.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Gonna need a magnet though. And a stirbar. And a flask. :D

    I'll be looking for less flammable boxes while I get those things. Has anyone heard of stirplates or these USB fans catching on fire from prolonged use?
     
  10. NewBrewB

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Jan 18, 2013
    This is my wife's concern as well.
     
  11. Arrheinous

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 18, 2013
    If they're brushless DC motors, then that might help prevent flames (compared to brushes). Plus these things are - in general - made to run on PCs and I haven't heard of a PC fire starting with the fan.

    But if you're putting a load (a pipe and magnet setup), that might create some kind of drag or wear on the motor. The other issue is if the flask/jar/growler leaks into the housing or if condensation builds up within the box and causes some kind of short.

    Yet these are advertised in some cases for drying the insides of boots and have been used in fermentation chambers to push air around. Those could be considered moderately unideal and I don't think I've seen a thread around here about one catching fire.

    Been around fancy industrial stirplates for a while and never heard of one catching fire either and those are built with heaters that get up to 300C in some cases. More common, something catches fire on top of them.
     
  12. barrooze

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 18, 2013
    The first stirplate I made used a very sturdy cardboard box. As I was inexperienced with stirplates, I made the mistake of filling my 2000mL flask with 2000mL of wort, and THEN adding the yeast. Not usually a problem, the constant spinning typically cuts down on krausen, but this was my first attempt, and my stirbar got thrown while I was at work. I came back home to a flask that had a LOT of krausen overflowing the flask getting all over my cardboard box. The fan I used was dry still, but the box no longer was adequate to hold that starter.

    Just keep this in mind when making a plate with a material that won't hold its shape if wet. FYI, had I used a foam reducer (such as Fermcap-S) as I do now, I probably wouldn't have had an issue.
     
  13. michgan241

    Active Member

    Posted Jan 20, 2013
    ok so i think i did everything right but i cant seem to get my stirbar to spin... it kind of nervously hops around the bottom of my flask..
     
  14. fc36

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 20, 2013
    I gotta rebuild my stirplate cuz it keeps throwing stirbars. Looks like I found my next fan.
     
  15. SudsyPaul

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 20, 2013
    Put the bar in the flask with water, and have the magnet grab hold of the bar BEFORE you start the stir plate. Start up the plate from the slowest setting up to wherever you want it, and it should work.

    I had the same issue when I tried to place the flask down onto an already spinning stir plate.
     
  16. DenverUSMC

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 20, 2013
    Deleted, wrong thread.
     
  17. DenverUSMC

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 20, 2013
    Try flipping one of the magnets over, see if that helps.
     
  18. mjap52

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jan 26, 2013
    [​IMG]

    My [double] take on this build!
     
  19. zacster

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 16, 2013
    I finally made mine after having it sit for 2 months. It works on a medium setting, but when it is low it throws the stir bar. I get a vortex going and it seems to work fine at that point. At a high setting it throws the magnets, so maybe I'll glue them on. I just have the basic fan at this point, I'll have to build some kind of enclosure or at least a plexiglas top that's bigger than the bottom of the flask.

    So how fast does this need to go anyway? I would think just enough to keep things moving
     
  20. tre9er

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    low speed is fine. It's really just to keep the yeast in suspension. Does your stir-bar have a fulcrum on it? I shaved the fulcrum off and it's working better. Prior to that sometimes I'd use cornie dip-tube o-rings on the outer edges of the stir-bar and it would run better at certain speeds. Play around with that and also the height the fan is from the flask. I also have to do different things for different vessels (I have a 2.36L pickle jar I use for larger starters and the bottom is concave, etc.)
     
  21. ilikeguns

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    Just ordered the 12.

    Also, I thought the purpose was not to keep the yeast in suspension, but rather to oxygenate the wort?
     
  22. tre9er

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    It's both. Trying to keep them in a perpetual state of reproducing, sort of...obviously they won't keep producing forever.
     
  23. Caucasian

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    What do think about this for a cheap easy stir plate?

    ForumRunner_20130219_155324.jpg
     
  24. fc36

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    Looks good. What store is that at? Also, is that "tornado" chamber permanently affixed to the stirplate bottom? Or can you remove it and put an erlenmeyer flask on that bad boy? I would check first. You don't want to be stuck making starters in that cheap plastic kids tornado tube.
     
  25. nickmv

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    Last fall I saw this thread and instantly decided it was time to put a stir plate together, finally.

    I used the same fan, and took advantage of scrap pine and some plywood, a few nails, screws, a HD magnet, hot glue, an HTC phone charger, and voila, lookee here.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  26. millsware

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    I love how Amazon suggests a stir bar in the 'Frequently Bought Together' section. Must be a popular build.
     
    Josiah2729 likes this.
  27. nickmv

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    Haha yeah, guarantee you there's been tons of people seeing this thread and others on Reddit, and immediately looking for both items on Amazon.

    I got my fan off eBay, as it was 12.99 w/free shipping.
     
  28. tre9er

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 19, 2013
    I know I bought them together. Should have gotten the magnets at the same time. As it was I think I spent $10 :eek: at the HW store...
     
  29. bwirthlin

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Feb 21, 2013
    Looks almost identical to mine

    image-2997148228.jpg
     
  30. msujack

    Well-Known Member  

    Posted Mar 9, 2013
    image-3901837552.jpg



    image-3393411144.jpg

    I used the computer fan, a cigar box, and magnets from an old hard drive. I like the variable speed control (in the upper right of the closed box).
     
  31. theCougfan97

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 2, 2013
    So is the flask necessary/worth $15 for a 1L? Or can I use a mason jar?
     
  32. mjap52

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 2, 2013
    It depends. If you can get your stir bar to balance and not get thrown off of the center, then you don't need it. I personally think it's worth it. Also, spring for the 2 liter if you do, less steps if you ever need to make a lager.
     
  33. theCougfan97

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 2, 2013
    Thanks, so assuming the same fan this thread identifies and a 2L flask how big of a stir bar?
     
  34. mjap52

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 2, 2013
    I use a 1 inch stir bar with good results.
     
  35. ilikeguns

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 3, 2013
    1 gallon growler $5
    USB Fan $19 ( i got the 12 )
    $4 stir bar
    salvaged hard drive magnet

    For under $30, you can get a stirplate that can make 3L starters.. awesome find!
     
  36. HDIr0n

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 3, 2013
    They do make stir Bars for convex bottoms. Look up barbell stir bar, they aren't as cheap but they aren't horrible if you are doing a large starter and don't have a 5L+ flask. Brewmasters Warehouse did have them, they might get them in sometime soon.
     
  37. theCougfan97

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 8, 2013
    Sorry if I repeat a question but why does my stir bar keep getting tossed off center? At lower speeds I can get it to stay but with no whirlpool action. I can see at low speeds its spinning just a little off center almost doing tiny circles while also spinning. My assumption it the the magnet is a hair off center but its a HD magnet so it's a funky shape. Any ideas?
    (2L flask, 2 laptop hard drive magnets stacked, 1"stir bar, thread specified fan)
     
  38. fc36

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 8, 2013
    One thing that helps is having a bigger stirbar. The 1" won't cut it to make a full 2L flask even show a ripple, much less a full vortex. Another thing to check out are stirbars with the ridge in the center that acts as a fulcrum for it to spin on. And lastly, when dealing with funky shaped HD magnets (I have them and so do many many many of the other homebrewers out there) what I found worked super well was to literally just sit there with your stirplate cover off and spin your fan and adjust the magnets over and over until you find a sweetspot where you see very little wiggle or wobble. Then rather than drawing an outline and then applying glue to the back side and possibly losing the exact position, just mix up a mini batch of JB Weld and goop it all around the magnet edges to lock them in place at that aforementioned sweetspot.
     
    UKCatsFan likes this.
  39. theCougfan97

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 8, 2013
    How do you do that? If I am just using the magnet and fan I can't identify the center point because of the shape. I tried with the stir bar on the magnet but there is a little play in where the stir bar will stick so that doesn't seem reliable enough.
     
  40. ilikeguns

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 8, 2013
    i'm using a 1" stirbar with the hard drive magnet, the model 12 fan an am able to get a "slight" vortex in a 1 gallon growler.. minimum of 1" in the starter.. 3-4" in water. It did take a little positioning of the magnets to optimize it.
     
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