Anyone ever have a kettle custom spun?

[mat_890]

Hey everyone,

I am looking into going all grain, so first i need three SS kettles. As I'm sure you know kettles online are VERY expensive not to mention I will need to have them shipped to Canada. Instead I think i will have a local company custom spin them for me. I am still waiting for a quote but i imagine it will be less then 200$ plus shipping each which is the standard price i seem to find online.

So i ask, has anyone else ever tried this? Is there a reason why this is a bad idea? Keggles are not an option, as i live in a very public area full of **** disturbers who would jump at the chance to call the police whether I legally obtained them or not. Other then keggles are there any other ideas? keeping in mind anything online will have a STEEP shipping price.

Thanks.

 

[JPicasso]

Well,
You don't NEED 3 SS kettles. You'll need one kettle that is big enough for your boil + boiloff. And that kettle can be Aluminum.
You can use a cooler for your mash tun, and your current boil pot to heat the water.
Heck, you can go with some mesh bags, and not even use a cooler.

I am not 100% familiar with having a kettle "spun" locally. Are you talking custom fabrication? Seems that would be even more $$.

 

[bad coffee]

Buy some used kegs, frame the receipt, and mount it on your brewstand. After the third or fourth time the cops come over and see you're legit, they'll tell peeps to F off for you.

If you've got a cheap in at a fab shop, get a price. But I think for one-off jobs like this, you'll be SOL.

Check restaurant supply stores, and go with whatever you can get.

B

 

[SumnerH]

I am looking into going all grain, so first i need three SS kettles.

No you don't. You need one pot and a $10 bag, and an aluminum pot is fine.

The Brewing Network &bull; View topic - How to go from Extract to AG for < $10.00

As I'm sure you know kettles online are VERY expensive not to mention I will need to have them shipped to Canada. Instead I think i will have a local company custom spin them for me. I am still waiting for a quote but i imagine it will be less then 200$ plus shipping each which is the standard price i seem to find online.

Aluminum Stock Pots, Tamale Pot 32 quart pot, $37.99
If you insist on stainless:
Stock Pots, Stainless Steel Stock Pots 44 qt pot $101.99 or a 62 qt pot for $139.99.

 

[Brewers Hardware]

I think it would be pretty cool if you could get a kettle custom spun. I'd be shocked if you could do it for less than the price of a stock kettle though. Check out Toledo Metal Spinning to get an idea of what some various shapes and sizes of stock spun products cost.

And while everyone is correct that you don't HAVE to have 3 SS pots for your sculpture; if that's what you want I say go for it!

Keep us updated on what you find on the custom spinning. Personally I'd be more interested in spinning conicals than kettles but it'll be interesting to hear what you find.

 

[WortMonger]

I love my stainless, now that it is insulated and covered . I still vote for cooler for anyone making a new system now, just easier from the get go being the "only" reason. My keg tuns are way cooler though, lol.

If you live near a college town, they through kegs away like beer cans with the garbage. I have seen 3 since moving back to my tiny town. They make awesome kettles and are easy to cut the tops off of.

 

[david_42]

I've had much better results using a cooler for a mash tun, than with a SS pot. The heat loss is much lower and the temperature more uniform. The main reason to use a metal mash tun is if you do stepped mashes.

Custom work tends to be very expensive. When I tried to get a motorcycle carrier built for a trailer I already had, it was quoted at four times the price of a new motorcycle trailer.

 

[Catt22]

I can't imagine custom kettles being less expensive than what you can purchase off the shelf and designed for brewing. Don't know where you are in Canada, but maybe you could make a trip south of the border and pick them up personally. I also don't have a clue on the customs regulations for doing that. You might be able to find a forum member in the states who could accept them for you and then arrange for you to pick them up. Just some ideas. Don't know how practical this would be.

I use two SS kettles and a cooler for my HLT. I agree with others that a cooler MT is the smarter and less expensive way to go. OTOH, I like the ability to do step mashes and I have it set up as a direct fired RIMS. Your choice of a system depends a lot on your personal brewing style.

I think your best option for SS kettles would be to find something used from a restaurant supply house. A converted beer keg keggle would be my choice. Screw the neighbors. Just be sure to acquire the keg legally and you have nothing to worry about. I would actually enjoy ****ing with neighbors like you have. I'd give them something to get alarmed about every day if possible. They would eventually tire of the game.

 

[WortMonger]

Mat 890, you can make them look less like keggles.

Here's my MT...

and my HLT

I mean, Imagine if I had covered the top skirt where the handles are. They wouldn't look like anything but large squishy cylinders, lol. Tough, but squishy.

 

[MacBruver]

WortMonger- I've seen plenty of pics of your setup but I've never seen what you used to do your insulation. Do you have a thread describing that?

 

[WortMonger]

Why, I just so happen to have a link around here somewhere... oh here it is!

 

[springer]

WortMonger- I've seen plenty of pics of your setup but I've never seen what you used to do your insulation. Do you have a thread describing that?

Here ya go rhino


day late and a dollar short .... lol

 

[mat_890]

Wow thanks for all the replies guys.

It seems i have more options then i once thought. Disguising the kegs is a distinct possibility and will be my best option if custom spinning is too costly. That will keep my neighbors off my back. I have had countless bylaw infractions such as leaving my car idling for more then 3 min, leaving a BBQ unattended, climbing my tree, and a noise complaint at 12:01 of Jan 1 (new years) if you can believe that.

I suppose i can try a cross border trip as well or try to buy them online, I'm only a hour from New York.

Thanks Again

Thna

 

[mrfurlly]

Sounds like you have GREAT neighbours.
Let me know if you find kegs in Canada. Im in London, still trying to find 3 for myself.