$59 dollars really!!!!

[BargainFittings]

I received mine today and although the bottom is fairly thick it is not clad. Single layer of stainless and you can flex if you push on the bottom.

Still a decent pot for the price.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

I received mine today and although the bottom is fairly thick it is not clad. Single layer of stainless and you can flex if you push on the bottom.

Still a decent pot for the price.

Can you PM me the cost for the fittings for this?

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

I'm going to be taking two of these to the welder at some point. I'll post pictures once they are complete. I have a lot of trust in the welder, so I'm pretty sure he can handle this thin wall. Since these aren't my pots that i'm taking, can anyone relate the wall thickness of these pots to those of a keg?

 

[AnOldUR]

I really can't answer that because I am unfamiliar with the specs needed to use a welded or weldless bulkhead set-up. I'm gonna guess it's at .125" thick. There is a made in China sticker on the bottom of the pot though.

just got both of mine one of them did have a dent in the bottom of it but nothing huge. For the price i can't complain and they actually are pretty thick almost wish i would have ordered one more for and actuall crawfish pot

Well, got mine today. Gotta say, I’m a bit disappointed. May be you guys got different pots, but the wall thickness on mine is .024 inches. Feels thicker, but the wall mic doesn’t lie. Looks nice and I'm sure it will work fine, but won’t transfer heat very well. And as for welded fittings, you better check this dimension for yourself and let the welder know what he’s in for.

Just for comparison, can someone let me know the thickness of a converted keg?

 

[Jonnio]

Well, got mine today. Gotta say, I’m a bit disappointed. May be you guys got different pots, but the wall thickness on mine is .024 inches. Feels thicker, but the wall mic doesn’t lie. Looks nice and I'm sure it will work fine, but won’t transfer heat very well. And as for welded fittings, you better check this dimension for yourself and let the welder know what he’s in for.

Just for comparison, can someone let me know the thickness of a converted keg?

AnOldUR - I am basically considering this a stopgap pot since I am having a really hard time getting my hands on kegs to convert. I think with a weldless fitting and a decent burner it will do alright for a boil pot. Mine got enough heat transfer to boil 7.5 gal fairly quickly with no issues, and it was only about 35 ambient temp.

 

[Orangevango]

Thin metal transfers heat more efficiently, the only problem you might have is scalding, but Ive never had that problem with my cheap turkey frier pot, so im not concerned.

 

[AnOldUR]

Thin metal transfers heat more efficiently, the only problem you might have is scalding, but Ive never had that problem with my cheap turkey frier pot, so im not concerned.

Transfer may have been the wrong word. Conduct or distribute might be better. I know that it's easier to get a boil going in a thick aluminum pot than a thin stainless.

Thicker would have been better and since they advertised it as being "heavy –gauge", I was expecting more. For the money, though, this is a great pot. I’ll be fitting mine with weldless fittings, but would like to hear how welded work out. I would consider that option also.

Another thing I want to try is using the aluminum plate pictured below, to help distribute the heat and reduce scorching. It’s ½" thick and 13" diameter. I’m curious if putting it between my gas burner and the pot will help. This weekend I’ll do some timed boil tests.

 

[Jonnio]

please report back with your results - things like that can be cost savers in the long run if they reduce fuel consumption

 

[zac]

I rec'd mine last night. Not as sturdy as my 10 gal pot, but hey, for 59 what can you really expect? I expect mine to hold 10 gals of boiling wort, and not to fall over. So far it has done just that. Im fine with it. I wouldn't park my truck on top of it, but I also didnt pay 300 bucks for it.

I think ya'll get what I'm trying to say.

I posted this in the other thread too.

 

[Malticulous]

I had to beat mine with my fist to get it back to round so the lid could fit. It was shipped in only the box the manufacturer put it in. I don't think I'll trust Cabela's with anything any more fragile.

I brewed a APA in it and it worked great. No more boil-overs!! woot!

 

[huknbuk]

Mine came with a dent in the bottom. Fortunately I don't live far from a Cabelas, so I used the in store pick up. I called the store, they checked, had another in stock that wasn't dented and they swapped it out for me.

 

[Blue_Water]

Has anyone installed a weldless valve on their Cabela's SS pot yet? I have two, and probably going to give it a try. Hoping to get some feedback first.

 

[zac]

I plan on doing that. It's still in the planning stage.

I didn't add much to this did I?


Ok, Ok, I was planning on taking my old brew pot to a welder here in town, showing him what I wanted the finished product to do, and see how he wants to go about it. I've got a MIG welder, but I'm not spending the $$ on stainless wire just to weld 2 inches of spigot.

Crap, you said weldless. Guess I really wans't helpful.

 

[AnOldUR]

Has anyone installed a weldless valve on their Cabela's SS pot yet? I have two, and probably going to give it a try. Hoping to get some feedback first.

Bargain Fittings vendor Wayne Yandell is in this thread and has purchased the pot. It's safe to guess that he'll be doing a weldless valve. Hope he'll post some pictures (hint, hint, hint.)

In case you haven't heard of him, here's his website. Great service. I've used him a couple of times and will again for this pot.

Bargain Fittings


Only trouble is that I got mine under the ruse that it would be my Christmas present. Now they have to be wrapped and can't be used until after the 25th.

 

[LakeErieBrew]

I just ordered the 60 qt aluminum pot for $49.99. I guess I'll have to build a bigger mash tun and get another ferm bucket to make 10 gallon batches now. Shucks...

 

[BargainFittings]

Bargain Fittings vendor Wayne Yandell is in this thread and has purchased the pot. It's safe to guess that he'll be doing a weldless valve. Hope he'll post some pictures (hint, hint, hint.)

In case you haven't heard of him, here's his website. Great service. I've used him a couple of times and will again for this pot.

Bargain Fittings


Only trouble is that I got mine under the ruse that it would be my Christmas present. Now they have to be wrapped and can't be used until after the 25th.

Thanks for the nice words.

I did install weldless fitting sets in the two pots I purchased.

Here is a picture.

The first pot went very smooth. The second one I ended up dulling the step bit so I need to sharpen it before I attempt another stainless drilling.

I have to say the stainless is very hard on this pot. Its not super heavy duty but its some tough metal to drill.

 

[Jonnio]

Thanks for the nice words.

I did install weldless fitting sets in the two pots I purchased.


The first pot went very smooth. The second one I ended up dulling the step bit so I need to sharpen it before I attempt another stainless drilling.

I have to say the stainless is very hard on this pot. Its not super heavy duty but its some tough metal to drill.

What did you use for a pickup inside? I am thinking about mounting my fitting a little higher and putting a 90 degree copper elbow down to the bottom of the pot.

I guess when I get low enough on wort that it won't just come out I could always tip the pot.

 

[Kugster]

I just ordered the 60 qt aluminum pot for $49.99. I guess I'll have to build a bigger mash tun and get another ferm bucket to make 10 gallon batches now. Shucks...

$49.99??? I see the AL for $69.99...and tomorrow is payday!!!

I wonder if the AL version would take to a valve??? Probably would have to be a heavy gauge?

 

[Malticulous]

Aluminum is going to be MUCH more easy to drill than steel.

 

[BargainFittings]

What did you use for a pickup inside? I am thinking about mounting my fitting a little higher and putting a 90 degree copper elbow down to the bottom of the pot.

I guess when I get low enough on wort that it won't just come out I could always tip the pot.

I just put a half coupler inside my pots and drill that sucker as low as I can get it. I can get all the wort out and leave about a quart of hop sludge if I tilt the pot just a bit.

 

[Blue_Water]

Wayne,

I like the low mount, I was just worried that it might get too hot while on the flame, if it were mounted that low. On my keggle, the cover on the valve handle started melting once.

Did you notice that valve getting too hot, or is that not a concern for you?

Thanks

 

[BargainFittings]

Wayne,

I like the low mount, I was just worried that it might get too hot while on the flame, if it were mounted that low. On my keggle, the cover on the valve handle started melting once.

Did you notice that valve getting too hot, or is that not a concern for you?

Thanks

I brewed with it as you can see in the picture. The valve did not heat up enough to melt the handle. I swapped my burners around and use a smaller ring burner for boil as its easier to control than my big banjo burner. Its edge on with the pot so not much heat came up around the pot bottom.

My other pots have gotten hot enough to soften the plastic on the valve handle and I generally just wait until it's soft and pull off the plastic (with a rag to protect my hand)

I've use a piece of heavy duty foil under my valves in the past to divert the heat off them.

On kegs you can position it so its not above a drain hole in the skirt and it will typically not get hot enough to melt the handle.

 

[AnOldUR]

I just put a half coupler inside my pots and drill that sucker as low as I can get it.

Same thing here. Half coupling with no dip tube. The shorter coupling means more room for my IC. More important though, I'd rather leave as much break and hops in the kettle as possible even if it means loosing a little wort.

Question. I don't see half couplings on your website. For my aluminum pot, I cut one of your full couplings in half and faced the ends. Do you sell the shorter ones?

 

[BargainFittings]

Question. I don't see half couplings on your website. For my aluminum pot, I cut one of your full couplings in half and faced the ends. Do you sell the shorter ones?

I do have the half couplings available. Not sure why I've not listed them.

I'll get them on the site soon. Need to check my pricing on them before I list them.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

Does it take a special bit to drill through the stainless steel?

 

[AnOldUR]

Does it take a special bit to drill through the stainless steel?

High Speed Steel at a slow cutting speed with some kind of cutting oil. Vegtable oil will do, but watch the speed. Too fast will work harden stainless. 150 RPM max with a 7/8" dia drill. If you don't know how to sharpen a bit for sheet metal, try one of these.

 

[Blue_Water]

Yep, you can get these step bits from Harbor Freight for around $10-15 for a set. Make sure you get the 7/8" diameter. These pots are pretty difficult to drill through, you'll need a strong drill and put a lot of force on it, go slow rpm with oil as stated in the previous post.

I drilled my two Cabela's pots last night. Worked out great. When I open/close the valve I can see a little tiny bit of flex in the pot around the valve, but should not be an issue. They look pretty darn sharp!

 

[Jonnio]

Terry did you do a half coupling low as well or some sort of pickup?

Also - am I reading you correctly that the final hole size should be 7/8" ? Is there any good reason to go a little smaller and file to fit?

 

[TerryWendel]

I just bought a 60qt aluminum pot. They were out of the stainless... no worries. Easier than cutting a freakin' keg.

 

[Blue_Water]

Terry did you do a half coupling low as well or some sort of pickup?

Also - am I reading you correctly that the final hole size should be 7/8" ? Is there any good reason to go a little smaller and file to fit?

I installed the bulkhead that has the female NPT so that I can attach a pickup tube. I did put a pickup tube in the kettle, stole it from my keggle.

On the Cabela's pot there is a slight ridge on the side toward the bottom, and I made sure that the o-rings were 100% above the ridge to ensure a good seal, so the center of the hole I made was a little over 1.5" from the bottom of the outside of the kettle.

My old step bit had 3/4" as the largest size, so I used that on my keggle and I spent a long time filing to get the bulkhead in there. If you have the time, then going 3/4" then filing will work. It was very nice having that new bit with 7/8", and the bulkhead fits in there nicely without filing. I'm going to test the pots for leaks tomorrow, and I'll post the results if there are leaks.

Edit: My bulkhead came from Austin Homebrew. Your bulkhead could possibly be a different size, so you might want to confirm before you go drilling. I'm assuming these bulkheads are all the same, but maybe not. The AHB bulkhead comes with a paper that tells you specifically to drill a 7/8" hole.