no weld brutus ten?

[schristian619]

I had (obviously) wanted to make a brutus or similar for a while but have a couple issues. Money, of course, but also, I don't weld or know anybody who does. Then I got an idea.....would it be possible to build with galvanized angle steel like the stand in the new zymurgy? That would save a bunch of money and would dumb it down to my DIY level. The stand shown uses galvanized steel, both angled and flat, and machine bolts. Assuming this would be possible (my main concern is strength to hold kettles for 10-20 gallon batches), I could then use gas piping instead of using the steal beam as a gas line. But keeping with the basic model. Has anyone built anything using this stuff?

 

[mplutodh1]

Not sure about the galvanized stuff you're referring to but if you search the forums (it takes a little time - I did it to get ideas for our build) there are a few builds mentioned here in the Equipment and in the DIY forum where brewers have built single tier stands without welding. You might find in the end though, the cost is almost nearly the same depending on the supplies. I'd start asking everyone you know if they know someone with welding experience. You'd be amazed - I'll bet someone comes up if you give it a little time. But, yes you can build a stand with angle iron without welding (bed frames are a cheap source you might consider).

 

[schristian619]

Thanks for the reply. I did a bunch of searches with little avail. I'm hoping to do this with my tax return, so I still have some time to do more research. I'm hoping to get something built for no more than $1500 so we'll see. I do already have one kettle and just got a pump from santa so I'm on my way...slowly.

 

[mplutodh1]

If I've got some time this weekend I'll try and search for the builds I remember seeing.

Also - if it is of any help, you might check out the thread where I'm providing details on our build. I'm a bit of a penny pincher so I'm trying to get the best deals possible on things. I'll upload the Excel spreadsheet with part #s, URLs, etc when we get all of our parts ordered. I've found some decent deals along the way - I bet you could come close to doing it for $1500 if you take your time and are patient.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Gather some free bed frames, a drill, drill bits a and a box of bolts. Bed frames are very hard steel, a tip I red was to heat the area to be drilled red hot to "soften" the steel prior to drilling...oh let it cool slowly prior to drilling.

 

[schristian619]

thanks. I'll check out your build. I've read about using bed frames, so that may be an option too.

 

[schristian619]

nice build, I like your design with the tippy dump type fittings. Looks like you got a great price on the steel and welding, I'm assuming its a friend thats doing the welding for you, for that price, I'd just weld one.

 

[mplutodh1]

nice build, I like your design with the tippy dump type fittings. Looks like you got a great price on the steel and welding, I'm assuming its a friend thats doing the welding for you, for that price, I'd just weld one.

Sorry - I was more suggesting the overall parts for the system - not specifically the stand build.

Yeah we are having a friend of ours do the welding, although I'll update the pricing - the bill of materials from the metal supplier ended up being more and our design was more complex as well so the price was higher - but still worth it in our eyes.

My suggestion is more - if you search for deals on other parts of your build, you can probably save some money and keep the cost down closer to that $1500 (take our stand out and account for parts you already have and you might come close).

 

[TheAleMaster]

If you are not afraid of an electric system:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/countertop-brutus-20-a-131411/