What to do with a Jester Clone?!?!

[user 40839]

******* kids. @#$@ 'em.

So we had a baby a couple of months ago. Our first. She's cute, she cries. We don't sleep. People tell us to enjoy it, they grow up so fast. I can't wait until she grows up, so she'll sleep during the night, and I can have her help me brew. But that's a whole other thing.

Anyways, in addition to costing me sleep, she's also cost me my man cave. Since we needed a nursery, my office (work from home) was sacrificed, and the man cave converted to a new home office. Meaning... no more room for my real baby, which is now shoved in a corner, unbefitting of the lady she is - my five tap Irish coffin Jester clone:

I have two choices. Either sell her (sniff!), or repurpose her. There's a small closet off the room she's currently in, and a friend of mine suggested putting her in there, and running the shanks through the wall. Which, I'll be honest, sounds awesome, but also means ripping her apart, and forgoing the woodwork, coffin, etc. and just stripping her to a basic keezer. It's doable, but the thought of this has me cringing - almost like turning a princess onto the street for a life of crime. Similarly, my wife's suggestion - finding her a new home where she'll be loved - has me cringing just as much.

So what would you lot do? Sell her off (and have no clue how much to even ask for her - I know what she cost to put together, but know also I can slice that amount in half, and can't really put a price on the amount of work gone into building her) and use the money to put together something more utilitarian, or just remember it's wood and materials, and strip her back to her skeleton?

 

[kenny_d]

I would say sell it off to a deserving home and use the money to work up the new project. If nobody buys it at the price you're looking for, tear her apart!

 

[Psylocide]

Enjoy fatherhood... they grow up so fast.

You'll be wishing she was still a crying immobile baby when she's running around throwing all of your brewing equipment down the stairs saying "HA HA! HA HA! I SPANK'A YOU!", in a few short months.

Yeah.

Sorry to hear about the other stuff though.

 

[user 40839]

You'll be wishing she was still a crying immobile baby when she's running around throwing all of your brewing equipment down the stairs saying "HA HA! HA HA! I SPANK'A YOU!",

Hahah, if she's able to somehow get my Brutus down the stairs, I'll be impressed! (Appreciate the sympathies though, we're told often it gets better. Can't wait for it to get better!)

 

[user 40839]

I would say sell it off to a deserving home and use the money to work up the new project. If nobody buys it at the price you're looking for, tear her apart!

That's probably the way I'm leaning. Although I have no clue how much I'd charge for her. I see kegerators/keezers going for anywhere from $50 on Craigslist (HAH!) to people expecting $1,000 for them. As mentioned, I know what I paid which is deffo on the higher end of that, by the time the materials, components, freezer and whatnot were bought, plus the hours of time gone into it and the... emotional attachment!

Honestly am screwed. Really don't want to part with it, and really don't want to tear her apart but I do have to pick one or the other...

 

[electrolight]

If you are ever going to move/have space again, then toss her in the attic, she looks well made, you'll just need to dust her off.

If you'll never have the space again... it's probably best to just sell her... What about a garage? What about friends? I let my friend keep mine for 18 months till I had room again... he didn't mind as long as I kept at least one tap operational... lol. He was sad when I took it back though... so careful, they may "lose it".

 

[ChefRex]

If you get rid of her you will regret it and will not be able to replace it for a long time plus hold it against your daughter where as you can easily have another child

 

[FrozenOcean]

That's a beautiful piece of furniture. Can't you just stick it in your living room or something? TV room? Dining room? C'mon... There must be a few square feet to be had.

 

[user 40839]

Honestly, I'm a lucky man with a very supportive wife. She's basically saying "sell it, and use the money to build a new one that'll work". That said, she doesn't want it upstairs - and we wouldn't have the room for it if we did. She's about four feet wide at the collar, and a little over two feet deep. (The keezer, not SWMBO!)

So now kinda leaning towards selling it, since I'd hate to chop her up. How much would you guys think is fair for her?

 

[user 40839]

Okay, I've apparently been away from the internets too long - I just popped by Kegconnection and saw the price of gear. When did it jump THAT much?!? Granted mine is five years old now (!!) but when did stainless Perlicks jump to pushing $50?!?! To buy five faucets, shanks, tailpieces, manifold, regulator, gas and liquid disconnects, plus tubing, that's pushing $500 right there, and that's not including a freezer and temperature controller?!?!

Looks like, against all better wishes, she's gonna get undressed!

 

[abeasst]

Jester Clone??

 

[LandoLincoln]

Yes. Jester clone.

 

[user 40839]

Yup. Every keezer of this make, mine included, is just a facsimile thereof.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f252/keezer-project-31221/

 

[abeasst]

Noted.

 

[user 40839]

Well, after much soul searching, consultations with the wife, figuring out how much it'd cost to replace, I did the deed. Last night, armed with impact driver and Dremel, amidst a beer or two and several tears, she was stripped bare.

While am rather distraught about several weeks of planning and many days of work being wiped out in about 30 minutes, I have to say I'm still excited to see her rebirth and to get the taps flowing again. And, when all was said and done, the level of craftsmanship that went into her construction wasn't as high as I liked to think. If I build another Jester style, she'll be a monument to this one and better!