Sorry for the delay, today was brew day
The box comes from Micahel's a craft store chain around here.
Show us your DIY stir plate!
- Thread starter DeBrewer
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Sorry for the delay, today was brew day
The box comes from Micahel's a craft store chain around here.
I may, I should have some time in the next two weeks. I have a few other DIY project I worked on (fermentation chamber, RIMS tube, stir plate). Maybe it is time to start sharing
here's my cheap stirplate:
parts list:
fan from a cpu cooler from an old scrap early 2000s PC (I picked it up off the curb)
magnets from the dead harddrive from the same PC
frozen food container as a housing (I forget the brand - was one of those frozen pasta dinners, I sometimes take them to work for lunch)
old cellphone charger, from my box of wall-warts. (4v, I tried a couple others I had (7v & 5v), they threw the magnet, the 4v one was the winner)
lids from old containers to stick fan to, and to raise it up slightly.
all held together with hot-glue, fan glued into the container, and magnets glued to fan.
only thing I bought was the stir bar itself, and while not part of stirplate per se, I use a dollar store pasta jar as my "flask" - it has thick glass walls, and a somewhat thinner, but relatively flat glass bottom.
finally, not related to the stirplate, but in the first picture to the left, another good dollar store find (dollarama here in Canada) - small glass jars sold as (awful) salt shakers. (3/$1). They were just what I needed to try freezing yeast. I'll know in a few months if that was a success when I try thawing it and making a starter from it.
parts list:
fan from a cpu cooler from an old scrap early 2000s PC (I picked it up off the curb)
magnets from the dead harddrive from the same PC
frozen food container as a housing (I forget the brand - was one of those frozen pasta dinners, I sometimes take them to work for lunch)
old cellphone charger, from my box of wall-warts. (4v, I tried a couple others I had (7v & 5v), they threw the magnet, the 4v one was the winner)
lids from old containers to stick fan to, and to raise it up slightly.
all held together with hot-glue, fan glued into the container, and magnets glued to fan.
only thing I bought was the stir bar itself, and while not part of stirplate per se, I use a dollar store pasta jar as my "flask" - it has thick glass walls, and a somewhat thinner, but relatively flat glass bottom.
finally, not related to the stirplate, but in the first picture to the left, another good dollar store find (dollarama here in Canada) - small glass jars sold as (awful) salt shakers. (3/$1). They were just what I needed to try freezing yeast. I'll know in a few months if that was a success when I try thawing it and making a starter from it.
I used a 4" 120VA variable speed fan with some rare earth magnets. Works like a dream.
1fast636 said:
You may want to put a short wooden dowel in the center to raise the magnets up towards the top of the enclosure that you are putting it in.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
How do you plan to vary the speed? It's fairly complex to DIY an AC speed control that is capable of low speeds.
ClaudiusB
Well-Known Member
Those type of fans use a shaded pole motor which you can control with a light dimmer from your favorite building supply store.
Looks like aluminum blades...If the blades get in the way, you could snip them off with some avaiation scissors, or maybe just flatten them out. Need to be careful that you dont throw the balance off too much though.
Hang Glider
Beer Drinker
Bells Brewing maker of Bell's Two-Hearted and other fine ales, can answer that directly.
(click the link)...
(click the link)...
Couldn't find any crap computers yet but tore apart a DVD player and got to thinking any one ever use one of these I just took the DVD drive out cut the wire for the motor and tapped it into my power (will be getting speed control in next
Few days) and it worked and it's metal little topper so the magnet chills right on top here are some shots let me know what ya think
Few days) and it worked and it's metal little topper so the magnet chills right on top here are some shots let me know what ya think
Great idea! Let us know how it turns out.
In essence, you will be "breaking" the hot wire.
1. Attach the neutral directly to one of the two leads on the motor (If the wires are color coded it will be white, if not try to follow the wires to the plug prongs. The neutral will be the larger of the two if your plug does not have a round ground prong)
2. Attach the black wire on cord (or "other" black wire) to one black wire of your dimmer. Attach remain black wire on dimmer to remaining fan wire
3. If your cord has a round ground prong, then there should be a third wire in the cord that will be green or bare copper. This would attach to the green wire of the dimmer. If you have a two wire cord, simply cap/tape off the green dimmer wire.
LoloMT7
Well-Known Member
You can use a glass canning jar or something but a flat bottom surface is needed for the stir bar to spin properly. The Flask is nice also cause you can go straight from boiling your starter on the stove directly into an ice cold bath in the sink to cool
Check out this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/erlenmeyer-flask-mason-jar-239409/Thanks a lot wiring was a breeze, exactly how you said to do it and she is working like a champ not to build my enclosure and get a stir bar this weekend prolly with some DME and yeast nutrient time to harvest some heady yeast going to try and see if the Conan in my cans from awhile ago will pull thru if not there new breed of yeast there using will be up in line
Stealthcruiser
Well-Known Member
What's that, that it is sitting on......The aluminum thingys?
The_Mad_Scientist
Well-Known Member
Just something to share with everyone. One of the cheapest flasks I could find...and the one I use with my diy stirplates
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MYVV9U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003MYVV9U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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Hang Glider
Beer Drinker
do your homework - my first flask did NOT take heat/cool well, like the good stuff should - it cracked and I lost all my starter in the ice-water cooling bath. My current flask is VWR (cat # 89000-370) and it does fine.
boochuckles
Well-Known Member
OMG that is a $150 flask! It better clean the kitchen when you are done for that price
Just go to morebeer.com and get the 2L flask with DME and Nutrient included. $23 bucks. Get more than $59 bucks and shipping is free.
Also keep in mind the batch size and appropriate starter size to suit. For 10G batches, a 2L flask is not big enough. I made that mistake already. I am looking to upgrade to a 4L or 5L soon.
That's true for a 10 gallon. Just get 2, 2L flasks. Then you'll be golden.
