stainless hydrometer - does it exist?

[davou]

I cant for the life of me find any company offering stainless steel hydrometers. Is this a thing or do I have to make it myself?

 

[mxstar21]

Do you mean a stainless hydrometer test jar? Not sure how a stainless hydrometer would work nor how you would make.

For the test jars, I have only seen glass and plastic, not sure the need for a stainless one. Try NorCal Brewing, they have thread going where they will make just about anything and they do great work and are very fast.

 

[day_trippr]

I cant for the life of me find any company offering stainless steel hydrometers. Is this a thing or do I have to make it myself?

"Make that hydrometer"

Cheers! (There will be challenges, but we're rooting for you! )

 

[davou]

I mean the hydrometer itself. I imagine it would work just like a glass one, except that the markings would need to be etched to the outside rather than be on a paper inside of the tube?

density of steel 7.859 g/cm^3 (grams per cubic centimeter)
density of glass median | 2.52 g/cm^3

Seems like the stainless one would need some kind of float attached to it, otherwise it would need to have a hollow space equaling at least 8 times the actual volume of the steel that makes up the tube.

 

[day_trippr]

Maybe not. Looking at the relative densities, consider how much thicker a glass stem needs to be to have even a prayer of surviving versus an SS tube.
I reckon you could easily source SS sheet one third as thick as the typical hydrometer.
And remember how much shot is sitting in the end of the typical hydro...

Cheers!

 

[mxstar21]

What is the point of doing it? I can't imagine how much it would cost and the fact there is no benefit over the glass laboratory set you can buy for like $50. I like making my own stuff too, but this one seems a little out there.

 

[Spartan1979]

What is the point of doing it? I can't imagine how much it would cost and the fact there is no benefit over the glass laboratory set you can buy for like $50. I like making my own stuff too, but this one seems a little out there.

I imagine the point is it wouldn't be breakable.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I imagine the point is it wouldn't be breakable.

challenge accepted!

 

[TallDan]

Make a good prototype. I'd back the kickstarter to bring it to production.

 

[SGTSparty]

I imagine the point is it wouldn't be breakable.

This ^^^^ there's a thread of all the broken hydrometer on going here. Last check was about 2182 broken hydrometers by members.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

This ^^^^ there's a thread of all the broken hyrdometer on going here. Last check was about 2182 broken hydrometers by members.

I can assure you that not one hyrdometer was broken in that thread.

 

[mxstar21]

Just saw this hydrometer in the new Northerrn Brewer catalog and it me think of this thread. Made out of polycarbonate and they say it's virtually unbreakable. Might be a better option than trying to make a stainless one and a lot cheaper at only $9.99.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/herculometer-triple-scale-hydrometer

 

[kh54s10]

Just saw this hydrometer in the new Northerrn Brewer catalog and it me think of this thread. Made out of polycarbonate and they say it's virtually unbreakable. Might be a better option than trying to make a stainless one and a lot cheaper at only $9.99.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/herculometer-triple-scale-hydrometer

$9.99 for this or $40 - $50 for stainless steel?? No brainer. The solution has already been achieved.....