doublesimcoe
Well-Known Member
i have a 50 qt pot but now i need a bag for the grain.. it is 16 inches across.. what size bag is everyone else using.
BIAB bag for grain
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custom made bag. go to a fabric store and buy a yard of Voile. have it sewn to fit your pot. the fabric cost me $6.00, got a bag and a couple hops bags out of it
ultravista
Well-Known Member
I bought voile panels at Wal-Mart for $4.75 each. One is 59x64 and the other 59x83.
The 59x83 is large enought to make two bags.
The 59x83 is large enought to make two bags.
Maybe a stupid question but, what kind of thread do you use to sew it? I have someone to sew it for me except they said that ordinary thread will not hold up. Are they correct or should I risk using normal (cotton I guess) thread?
studmonk3y
Well-Known Member
Call me lazy but I've used it in two ways: 1) just cut it in a big circle and sewed up the edges to prevent fraying, or 2) just left it in a rectangle as I bought it and not sewn anything. Either method makes a big piece of fabric with no seems to worry about, and when you pick it up it drains nicely from the center.
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
My wife makes up bags for people here and there, don't use cotton thread, it will rot after one or two uses, it can't take the heat.
Try to get the seams overlocked if you can, normal seams are not great for the bags. Use the bag inside out, so that the seams and corners for stuff to get stuck are on the outside, this is counterintuitive as people normallly like to see a clean seam on the outside of stuff.
Try to get the seams overlocked if you can, normal seams are not great for the bags. Use the bag inside out, so that the seams and corners for stuff to get stuck are on the outside, this is counterintuitive as people normallly like to see a clean seam on the outside of stuff.
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
and also people mashing on the stove top. a 5 gallon bag is going to be way to small for a 12.5 gallon (50qt) pot. Austin Homebrew sells a large grain bag that some have used i should fit as well.
JeepDiver
Well-Known Member
If you want more than one bag, you can get a curtain that is the same stuff (from Bed Bath and Beyond) for 14 bucks and it has 6 yeards, so you can make several bags.
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
To stop grains getting caught in nooks and crannies, if you have all the dirty parts of the seams on the outside and the inside is just a clean stitched seam then the grain has nowhere to get jammed.
Does anyone have any experience using something similar to these game bags?
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4358904
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4358904
I have one.. it's really not fine enough to keep grain out of the kettle.. it works great at keeping bugs off the deer though
ElDuderino
Well-Known Member
Width of bag for 16" pot:
PI*Diameter gives you the circumference of the material you need. I add one inch to pot size to give a little ease, so the bag doesn't fit too tight. So for your pot I would go with 54" C (53.4 rounded up to keep it simple. It's fabric, not stainless steel).
If you are going to go with a pillow case design, where the fabric is just folded over, you need to add for seam allowances as well. I use a french seam because it is strong and it doesn't get clogged with grain so it's easy to clean. For this seam you sew twice, once around all three sides 1/2 inch from the edge. Then turn the bag inside out and sew again 1/4 inch from the sewn edge. This encases the first seam. Now if you turn your bag inside out again, it is positioned the way you will use it.
So for your 16" pot, I would calculate for 17" which give us 54". Because you are folding the material over we go with half of that; 27". Add 2 * 3/4" (for seam allowances on the sides) and you have 28 1/2". So you so the three sides of your two panels which are 18 1/2" together.
You did not mention the height of your pot. I would quite a bit of extra there. If you make a bag like this to just the height of the pot, it will not fill out in the bottom because it is not a true cylinder (it is shaped like a sack). I would add 8" to the height of your kettle plus 3/4" for the bottom seam allowance and whatever finishing you do to the top. Now you have enough to fill your pot and a little that will fold over the top of your pot.
I have a web site where I sell bags I make, if there are those who don't want to go the diy route. There are some pictures of what my bags look like. I add webbing to the top and handles.
http://www.bagbrewer.com
Good Luck!
PI*Diameter gives you the circumference of the material you need. I add one inch to pot size to give a little ease, so the bag doesn't fit too tight. So for your pot I would go with 54" C (53.4 rounded up to keep it simple. It's fabric, not stainless steel).
If you are going to go with a pillow case design, where the fabric is just folded over, you need to add for seam allowances as well. I use a french seam because it is strong and it doesn't get clogged with grain so it's easy to clean. For this seam you sew twice, once around all three sides 1/2 inch from the edge. Then turn the bag inside out and sew again 1/4 inch from the sewn edge. This encases the first seam. Now if you turn your bag inside out again, it is positioned the way you will use it.
So for your 16" pot, I would calculate for 17" which give us 54". Because you are folding the material over we go with half of that; 27". Add 2 * 3/4" (for seam allowances on the sides) and you have 28 1/2". So you so the three sides of your two panels which are 18 1/2" together.
You did not mention the height of your pot. I would quite a bit of extra there. If you make a bag like this to just the height of the pot, it will not fill out in the bottom because it is not a true cylinder (it is shaped like a sack). I would add 8" to the height of your kettle plus 3/4" for the bottom seam allowance and whatever finishing you do to the top. Now you have enough to fill your pot and a little that will fold over the top of your pot.
I have a web site where I sell bags I make, if there are those who don't want to go the diy route. There are some pictures of what my bags look like. I add webbing to the top and handles.
http://www.bagbrewer.com
Good Luck!
If I didn't have a wife who is a seamstress I would buy one from this guy.. his bags look to be top notch. anyone out there that wants a custom made bag and doesn't sew or know someone that sews, check him out..
(not affiliated in any way with the poster.. just think his bags are worth the money)
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
I do a similar bag with a draw string and loops for around 15 dollars. You could almost buy a cooler for 36 dollars.
I know that the material costs are no where near 36 bucks.. however I asked my wife how much she would charge to make a bag.. with handles.. without even showing her his bag site she popped off 35 bucks.. its about time and materials. his time isn't free.
my bag cost me MUCH less than $15. $6 for material and my wife made it for free.... I used 550 para cord for the drawstring (ex military I have a LOT of para cord laying around...and a cargo chute too!). But if I didn't sew or didn't have anyone around that could sew one for me.. and I wanted a heavy duty custom made bag, 36 bucks is worth it.
my bag cost me MUCH less than $15. $6 for material and my wife made it for free.... I used 550 para cord for the drawstring (ex military I have a LOT of para cord laying around...and a cargo chute too!). But if I didn't sew or didn't have anyone around that could sew one for me.. and I wanted a heavy duty custom made bag, 36 bucks is worth it.
erikpete18
Well-Known Member
I've been using a paint strainer bag for stove top partials and I never ever considered this. It was a genuine pain to try to clean all the husks and chunks out of the seams, but now I know what I'm gonna try next time
.erikpete18 said:I've been using a paint strainer bag for stove top partials and I never ever considered this. It was a genuine pain to try to clean all the husks and chunks out of the seams, but now I know what I'm gonna try next time
I get most of the wet grain out, hang it to dry, then shake it out. I prefer to have the rough edges on the inside to prevent any threads from escaping…
I tried to make my own, and it was a complete failure. I haven't sewed in 20 years, our scissors were about as sharp as chopsticks, and our sewing machine is a battery powered piece of junk. The seems came apart and fabric strands came off everywhere. I spent $9 on thread and the fabric, and I might as well have used those dollars to light the burner.
I ended up using a bag from Austin Homebrew, but my pot is only 7 gallon. Seemed to fit with plenty of room, I ended up folding it over several times.
I ended up using a bag from Austin Homebrew, but my pot is only 7 gallon. Seemed to fit with plenty of room, I ended up folding it over several times.
ElDuderino
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the great recommendation, Mysticmead!
It's true that the bags can be made cheaply if you do it yourself, and I'm all for that. I'm handy, have more time than money and have made most of the equipment I have. In doing this, I have to account for the time it takes me to stitch up a bag and charge a price that makes it worth my while. I'm a stay at home dad and it's something I can do in the off hours. I feel like $35 is a price others will be willing to pay for a quality-made bag, and it's a price fair enough to me that I'm willing to spend time doing it. Incidentally, I first came up with this figure after looking at the only other bag made for BIAB I could find. It is stitched up by somebody in Australia and sold at Gryphon Brewing for $45 Australian, which I believe is about the same in US currency.
http://www.gryphonbrewing.com.au/store/product_info.php?cPath=61&products_id=341
I think BIAB is great and I see a lot of posts asking where to get the right bag. I hope I can help meet that need.
tesilential
Well-Known Member
Is that the price for the new bags in American dollars?
If so I'll be ordering one tomorrow. I have an 80 qt aluminum stock pot that is a little wider than it is tall, so I'd prefer to have a more squat bag rather than a tube shaped bag.
I'll get the dimensions tomorrow!
EoinMag
Well-Known Member
Have a look at the website in my signature, the design has changed a little, the price has increased a little, you can still have your pillowcase design but the standard design now is with a bean tin design.
I just did a review of the grain Bag that Eoin is talking about. Fantastic quality. Read my review, order a bag from CustomBIAB. You'll be happy. http://mysticmead.com/?p=365
After checking out CustomBIAB, I must say that I am very impressed with the workmansip and bag design.
both are great bags.. the one my wife made for me (for my 40qt kettle) is a simple cylinder shaped bag. drawstring top (para cord) for about $6.00 has served me well for many batches. the bag from CustomBIAB is for my keggle. Bigger batches and I figured the handles would come in handy. For those that use a pulley or winch, the 4 handles make an excellent lift point
