My Stirplate... Cheap and Easy Build...

[Catt22]

The only problem with filling up the flask more than 3/4 full is a lot of krausen coming out from under the aluminium foil cover onto the counter top, and having your wife tell you that your beer stuff is making a mess on the counter.

Foam control takes care of that problem very well for me. I took care of the wife problem years ago.

 

[butler1244]

I ended up getting the 12v to work. I just added a second magnet that I stacked onto the original one. I can now crank it all the way up if I want and it still works. Now I get a good vortex too (just for looks)

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

1 inch stir bar works great with a 1 gallon growler.

 

[rack04]

The only part I've having trouble locating is the large steel washer.

 

[Flomaster]

The only part I've having trouble locating is the large steel washer.

hardware store. they are called fender washers. even Home Depot and Lowes carry those.

-=jason=-

 

[rack04]

hardware store. they are called fender washers. even Home Depot and Lowes carry those.

-=jason=-

Thanks. Got one at Lowes today. Home Depot didn't have anything when I looked last night.

 

[jafo28]

Finally got mine working. I had to put a resistor on it because my 12 volt power supply was throwing the bar. I still can't turn it up all the way, but I think i'm getting enough of a stir going on. I'll post a couple of pics to see what you guys think.

 

[Flomaster]

so the photo is the biggest vortex you get?

I guess all you need is to keep things moving, but your vortex is pretty small.

-=jason=-

 

[TripleHopped]

It's not the size of your vortex. It's what you do with it that matters.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

It's not the size of your vortex. It's what you do with it that matters.

Damn Straight!

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

Finally got mine working. I had to put a resistor on it because my 12 volt power supply was throwing the bar. I still can't turn it up all the way, but I think i'm getting enough of a stir going on. I'll post a couple of pics to see what you guys think.

You might try another magnet on there to let you spin it faster.

 

[jafo28]

Thanks i'll give it a shot.

 

[butler1244]

Thanks i'll give it a shot.

I had the same exact problem with mine. I had a 9v power supply that left me with a small vortex. Everyone on here said as long as it keeps the yeast suspended thats all that matters, but it's more satisfying seeing it hit the bottom. After A LOT of fine tuning with the height of the fan and adding a 12v power supply, I got it to work. I ended up stacking two hard drive magnets and that was enough to keep the 1 inch stir bar from being thrown.

 

[rack04]

Got my stir plate completed last night. I don't have a stir bar yet but it wont spin a screw in my 1 gallon growler. I hope I'll have better luck when my stir bar arrives.

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

Got my stir plate completed last night. I don't have a stir bar yet but it wont spin a screw in my 1 gallon growler. I hope I'll have better luck when my stir bar arrives.

A screw is unbalanced... I'd love to see the stir plate that COULD spin a screw...

 

[butler1244]

A screw is unbalanced... I'd love to see the stir plate that COULD spin a screw...

I tested mine with a screw before my stir bar came in. It worked perfectly on the surface itself, but not inside a flask or bottle. Problem was, the height of the magnet wasn't close to where it had to be for the stir bar in a flask. Just be patient and you will get it. I popped the bottom off my project box and readjusted it about 20 times.

 

[Flomaster]

key to a stir bar is the north and south poles of the bar.

a screw doesn't have polarity like a stir bar does.

-=Jason=-

 

[IrregularPulse]

Finally got mine working. I had to put a resistor on it because my 12 volt power supply was throwing the bar. I still can't turn it up all the way, but I think i'm getting enough of a stir going on. I'll post a couple of pics to see what you guys think.

I wonder if your use of the metal top is causing any interference. It's magnetism after all that runs these things. Use the plastic lid it came with. I have my first stirplate assisted starter spinning at home right now I used stirstarter.com's build though.

 

[Flomaster]

thinking of using an old lunch box for my stir plate box a plastic one not metal

-=Jason=-

 

[IrregularPulse]

Should work as long as it's He-Man or SMURFS

 

[Flomaster]

Should work as long as it's He-Man or SMURFS

I was thinking Rainbow Brite or My little Pony



-=Jason=-

 

[Anthony_Lopez]

I wonder if your use of the metal top is causing any interference. It's magnetism after all that runs these things. Use the plastic lid it came with. I have my first stirplate assisted starter spinning at home right now I used stirstarter.com's build though.

The metal plate that the fan is mounted to should be at the bottom of the stir plate, not the top. It shouldn't be interfering with the magnets.

 

[Catt22]

I was thinking Rainbow Brite or My little Pony



-=Jason=-

Hello Kitty would be a better choice.

 

[jafo28]

I wonder if your use of the metal top is causing any interference. It's magnetism after all that runs these things. Use the plastic lid it came with. I have my first stirplate assisted starter spinning at home right now I used stirstarter.com's build though.

Thanks for that idea, it worked. I had the metal plate on top of the plastic to try and give it more support. I guess I didn't need that. After removing the metal I was able to get a larger vortex, but the bar was still getting thrown at top speed so I adjusted the fan a little closer to the top of plate, and now I get full speed and a 2-3 inch vortex.

 

[mikeysab]

This build, as is, should work. If you use all the parts listed, it should work. What it needs is some tweaking, not more parts. once i had this thing built and running, I took it apart 4 or 5 times before it actually worked right. For me, tweaking the distance of the fan to the top of the box was what got it working right. IIRC, i even put up some pictures of it pages back. I did omit the SS washer and glued the magnet right to the fan, and mine still works. I guess the epoxy I used wasn't quick drying, and I was able to move it after it was glued down to get it dead center. If you put it together and it doesn't work, tweak the distance a little until you get it right. The extra parts really aren't necessary.

 

[Flomaster]

well I used a 2.5" hole saw and some 3/4 MDF to cut a circle. I will countersink my magnets into the wood and center that on the fan. I will then find the "sweet spot" the fan needs to be.

-=jason=-

 

[backdeckbrewery]

I have a strange situation with my stir plate..... I have a 1 in bar and in a 1l flask it spins like crazy and works just fine...... I just picked up a 2L flask..... filled it with water... dropped the bar in.... and I cant keep the stirbar from being tossed........ if I push down a little I can keep it spinning but as soon as I let up on the pressure a little the bar gets thrown..... it just puzzles me that it works great in a 1L flask but not at all in a 2L flask..... any suggestions?

 

[Catt22]

I have a strange situation with my stir plate..... I have a 1 in bar and in a 1l flask it spins like crazy and works just fine...... I just picked up a 2L flask..... filled it with water... dropped the bar in.... and I cant keep the stirbar from being tossed........ if I push down a little I can keep it spinning but as soon as I let up on the pressure a little the bar gets thrown..... it just puzzles me that it works great in a 1L flask but not at all in a 2L flask..... any suggestions?

More than likely, the bottom of the 2 liter flask is either thicker or more convex which positions the stir bar farther away from the magnet(s) on the motor. The solution is to move the motor and magnet(s) closer to the bottom of the flask if possible. Less likely is that the stir bar itself has been compromised. A stir bar can become de-magnetized under certain conditions. This can happen if it is subjected to a strong shock of some kind as might occur if it were dropped on a hard floor. Heat can also weaken the magnetic properties, although I boil mine with the wort and have not noticed any problem at all and I've been doing this for a very long time. Occasionally a stir bar can be manufactured poorly with the magnet not well centered inside the teflon cover, but this is quite rare IME. I have had one 2" bar that would get thrown much more easily than other identical bars and that's the only reason that I can think of that this happens. So, the first thing to try would be moving the motor closer to the platform. Since you said it works better when you push down on the flask, that's pretty strong evidence that the distance from the motor is the problem.

 

[backdeckbrewery]

the motor is as close as it can get.... it ticks the top of the box just a little.... I have a feeling that it might be spinning too fast... I have a 12v powersupply with a pot inline..... it is turned all the way down..... I was thinking of adding another magnet possibly and see if that works or maybe switching to a lower power supply...... I tried a 2 in bar as well and it throws that too...... it is just strange that both bars work just fine in the 1L flask but not the 2L.......I also wonder if thickness of the liquid will make a difference too.... it seems when I have yeast in there not just water it spins slower..... which makes sense.....I will keep playing with it.... just wondered if anyone else has had the same experience.... Thanks for the advice

 

[Catt22]

BDB,

Spinning too fast can certainly cause the bar to be thrown. It's also not good for the yeast from what I have read. If you cannot move the motor closer to the platform, then stronger magnet(S) may be the best alternative. The viscosity of the wort/yeast solution will make a considerable difference and the bar will spin more slowly. This may actually be a benefit if the bar is spinning too fast now. I have had much better luck using two rare earth magnets than with a salvaged hard drive magnet. When using two magnets, it's important to space them properly and the optimum spacing will vary with the size of the bar. I have mine positioned to match a 2" stir bar. I'm running an AC muffin fan using a light dimmer for speed control with scary strong rare earth magnets. It runs silently and I don't have any problems with it throwing the bar. I can also run it with a 1-1/2" stir bar or one of the cross shaped 1-1/2" style, but the best stirring action at low speed is with the 2" bar.