Mash paddle

[earlyd]

I am new to the world of AG brewing but have come to find out that most AG brewers are also do it your selfers when it comes to making there brewing equipment. This is why I am asking for help. I have just built a mash paddle out of poplar and want to put a finish on it. I have read that if you oil such as the block oil used on cutting boards and salad bowls you can contaminate the beer causing bad head retention. I was thinking of using a spray on polyurethane but was not sure if this was the best idea or if any one else had any better ideas.


Please help,

~d

 

[beergears]

No idea about finish (none, perhaps?), but have a question: what dimensions did you use?

I made an quick one last night, leftover 36x6 poplar, a wee bit too tall and wide... heavy too!

 

[Evan!]

I don't know about the head retention concern, but I've been scheming on this very same idea and was planning on using what is called "salad bowl finish". It's not a block oil, but an actual finish that dries on and cures, and is food safe. I use it when I make cutting/cheese boards. If it starts to affect my head retention, I'll sand it off. But I would never consider polyurethane, and I do not believe that it is food-safe (that's the whole idea behind salad bowl finish---that it's food safe).

 

[beergears]

Isn't salad bowl finish mineral oil-based anyway?

 

[Evan!]

Isn't salad bowl finish mineral oil-based anyway?

yep. but it actually cures, unlike a simple block oil. Like I said, though, I have no idea whether it would hurt head retention. To be safe, after you finish it, you could heat up a big pot of water and stir the paddle in that for awhile to get rid of any residual oil that might have leached into the mash.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I didn't treat mine at all. It doesn't seem any worse for the wear after a dozen or so brews, and I expect it to last quite a long time. When it wears out, I'll spend another $8 on a new one.

I've got one like this, excpet I drilled 3 1-inch holes in the paddle.

 

[Evan!]

I didn't treat mine at all. It doesn't seem any worse for the wear after a dozen or so brews, and I expect it to last quite a long time. When it wears out, I'll spend another $8 on a new one.

I've got one like this, excpet I drilled 3 1-inch holes in the paddle.

what species did you use?

 

[Special Ed]

This is one DIY project that is low on my list of priorities, however when I get around to it I suspect I will use something more dense than poplar... maybe maple or cherry. I also would not use a finish. I would simply sand it with progressively finer paper to about a 600 grit level. Raising the grain between each step and finishing with a wet sand would leave it very smooth.

 

[cheezydemon]

I always thought that I would make an untreated oak paddle and just treat it with bourbon before most brews.

 

[earlyd]

No idea about finish (none, perhaps?), but have a question: what dimensions did you use?

I made an quick one last night, leftover 36x6 poplar, a wee bit too tall and wide... heavy too!

The paddle surface is 5.5" X 8" with 10 - 1" holes drilled in it. The total paddle is 24" long with a 1 1/2" handle. A little short for the boil pot but just right for the mash tun.

~d

 

[abracadabra]

42" stainless steel mixing paddle $17.99

http://www.jambalaya-iron-pots.com/1042_stainless_steel_cooking_paddle.htm

 

[sause]

I have used the salad bowl finish on my poplar mash paddle and haven't had any issues with the head on my beer. It does dry to an actual finish.

 

[Evan!]

That settles it---I'm doing it this weekend. While my first choice would probable be Ipé, I don't know if the wife would let me use any of the stock that we have. That would be so sweet, though...Ipé is so dense, they use it outside untreated and it lasts for decades without rotting.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

what species did you use?

Not sure I understand the Q. Are you asking what kind of wood it is? I have no idea. I just bought it. $8 for a nice wooden paddle was too good to pass up. I've seen them both at Lowes and Academy. You can also get them online.

 

[bradsul]

I planned to make a mash paddle out of the maple scraps from my new cutting board. I was going to leave it unfinished but I'm wondering if I should finish it with this since I'm going to have to laminate a couple pieces. Even using cutting board glue I was worried about any leaching into the beer.

 

[Evan!]

Not sure I understand the Q. Are you asking what kind of wood it is? I have no idea. I just bought it. $8 for a nice wooden paddle was too good to pass up. I've seen them both at Lowes and Academy. You can also get them online.

yeah, what species of wood. The pic looks like oak, but who knows?

 

[ebeer]

Why put a finish on it? I don't think it's necessary at all. I made this one from maple. I sanded, sanded, and then sanded some more. It's baby but smooth, I've been using for three years without issue. Never met dough ball it couldn't bust, and still smooth after I don't even know how many brews.

 

[[email protected]]

There is an article in Brew Magazine ( August I think) on how to make your own Mash paddle. The made no mention of any type of oil finish. They said to use a hard wood like poplar. The said not to use red oak as it will soak up lots of liquid.

 

[Evan!]

Hm, maple it is. I think I have some maple on hand, but if not...they might some at lowes.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I made mine out of white oak, no finish and no problems.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

My first choice would be stainless steel, but I realize that's out of the question for many of you.

For a more traditional mash paddle, I'd definitely use maple, sanded well, no finish. Oak doesn't appeal to me at all - the grain isn't dense enough. The salad bowl finish sounds promising, but if you use a nice hunk of maple, you should have nothing to worry about if you don't put a finish on it.

 

[eriktlupus]

ash wood is just as dense as maple

 

[s3n8]

My brother and I made mash paddles out of a piece of figured maple. I have never used a draw knife before, but it turned out pretty well. I will post a pic when I get done sanding. The general consensus seems to be no finish. Is there any other care and feeding required for these other than to keep them clean? I have not drilled any holes in the face of the paddle, are they required? Useful? Seems unnecessary to me. The face is only 1.75" wide, its not as 'boat oar' looking as some of the ones I saw posted.

 

[boo boo]

I made one out of dowels I got at my local hardware store. Cost sfa and was easy to make. Never did anything other than sand it down. Never had any issues with my mash because of it.

 

[Gregredic]

What about heat treating it? Sand it with some fine sandpaper, then you know....hit it with a flame and let the sugars in the wood carbonize. They do that with bamboo flooring.

 

[nosmatt]

would this get too hot to use without a glove on?

i like stainless, most of my kitchen tools are stainless, and right now my mash paddle is a craftsman spatula i got as a kit for xmas. never used it before, so i figured, what the hell. it is about 3" too short for my tun tho.

 

[Gregredic]

I say buy the SS paddle if you like it. If it does get too hot to touch with your bare hand, then just go to Home Depot and buy some of that tool dip....you know the rubbery stuff they put on pilers and what not.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Why couldn't you use a paint mixer in a corless drill? They make them out of stainless, and much less work. I do use a paddle, but have seen this on youtube, any thoughts?

 

[B-Dub]

Bought a piece of Red Oak for $6 and left in untreated. Working really well.

I would leave the oil for the salad bowls.

 

[s3n8]

Why couldn't you use a paint mixer in a corless drill? They make them out of stainless, and much less work. I do use a paddle, but have seen this on youtube, any thoughts?

That might work fine for aerating wort, but would make a horrible mess if you used it to stir your mash.

 

[Gregredic]

A paint mixer inside a mash tun would be a bad idea. You could really mess up the plumbing at the bottom of the cooler.

 

[harley03]

Here is a link to a mash paddle I recently built.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-mash-paddle-87395/

 

[jakeshivers]

I saw a wooden oar at the sporting good store for $15. Does anyone know if there is a finish on oars? I'd obviously have to take that off if I went that route.

 

[ProzHack]

There are definitely finishes on water paddling oars... and not food safe either. I'd avoid that even if you took the finish off. Not worth the time/trouble/risk.

 

[ProzHack]

Holy sh*t. I didn't see the year this was posted... damn zombie postings.