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Steve SPF said:
I have a few of these now, part of a bar rental/home brew supplies business that's going ok.

Luckily for me 'rustic' is in right now :)
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Is this rustic enough? I'm using pallet slats to cover the walls in my tractor shed. Looks nice and new and matches the house on the outside, but turns back a few pages of time when ya go inside.
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The patchwork is completely intentional, not just poor workmanship by a stingy old fart [me]. It's a look that reminds me of days gone by, hanging out in my step-grandfather's old shop keeping myself out of trouble and out of earshot of my step-dad who was quite good at finding things for me to do if he got it in his head I wasn't earning my groceries. The concrete in my shop is a little flatter and I am putting insulation (you can see it at the stitch line to the left and a few rolls on the floor next to the saw. I put sheetrock (because it's safer than dessicated wood) behind a little wood burning stove (you can see the unfinished stack on the extreme right edge) that I probably cut a few metric tons of stovewood for when I was a teen. It's a King Stove and Range product made in Sheffield, AL and must be at least 100 years old. The model is a Corona No. 80. Little did I know back in the day how significant that name would be in more recent times. Gonna cover the sheetrock with some left-over corrugated metal for a heat shield after I demo a little pre-fab shed this structure was built to replace. I had just finished relocating the spare lumber from the racks you see to the left. I built those in hurry to get all the expensive lumber up off the floor before I finished the roof. The new ones are surface mount, but have 4" lag screws holding them at the top. I don't think I need to worry about the lumber falling. I have another brace to add to it after I finish the section of wall that isn't covered yet. I'm just over 1/3 the way done with that section as of yesterday. Gotta break down more pallets and remove the nails and cull out the stuff I can't use. You can see what I'm doing with that material right in front of the tractor. Some of the repurposed sheet metal from the old shed will be used to build some lean-tos on the back part of the property to store stove wood.

So far, other than pouring and finishing the concrete (simply because I didn't want to), I've done EVERYTHING in this shop myself. Can't blame anyone but me if something doesn't hold up. My paternal grandfather (not my step-grandfather) was a master carpenter/cabinet maker, and growing up out in the boonies where I did, I learned a lot of skills. I grew up so poor, I couldn't even pay attention.
 
RoadRoach said:
Is this rustic enough? I'm using pallet slats to cover the walls in my tractor shed. Looks nice and new and matches the house on the outside, but turns back a few pages of time when ya go inside.View attachment 17759

The patchwork is completely intentional, not just poor workmanship by a stingy old fart [me]. It's a look that reminds me of days gone by, hanging out in my step-grandfather's old shop keeping myself out of trouble and out of earshot of my step-dad who was quite good at finding things for me to do if he got it in his head I wasn't earning my groceries. The concrete in my shop is a little flatter and I am putting insulation (you can see it at the stitch line to the left and a few rolls on the floor next to the saw. I put sheetrock (because it's safer than dessicated wood) behind a little wood burning stove (you can see the unfinished stack on the extreme right edge) that I probably cut a few metric tons of stovewood for when I was a teen. It's a King Stove and Range product made in Sheffield, AL and must be at least 100 years old. The model is a Corona No. 80. Little did I know back in the day how significant that name would be in more recent times. Gonna cover the sheetrock with some left-over corrugated metal for a heat shield after I demo a little pre-fab shed this structure was built to replace. I had just finished relocating the spare lumber from the racks you see to the left. I built those in hurry to get all the expensive lumber up off the floor before I finished the roof. The new ones are surface mount, but have 4" lag screws holding them at the top. I don't think I need to worry about the lumber falling. I have another brace to add to it after I finish the section of wall that isn't covered yet. I'm just over 1/3 the way done with that section as of yesterday. Gotta break down more pallets and remove the nails and cull out the stuff I can't use. You can see what I'm doing with that material right in front of the tractor. Some of the repurposed sheet metal from the old shed will be used to build some lean-tos on the back part of the property to store stove wood.

So far, other than pouring and finishing the concrete (simply because I didn't want to), I've done EVERYTHING in this shop myself. Can't blame anyone but me if something doesn't hold up. My paternal grandfather (not my step-grandfather) was a master carpenter/cabinet maker, and growing up out in the boonies where I did, I learned a lot of skills. I grew up so poor, I couldn't even pay attention.
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Bloody top notch it looks to me mate!
Looks like you paid just enough attention;).
I remember wood working with my old man when I was young them days were sooo boring and seemed to go on forever. Me and my bro would piss fart around and in the end he would just say bugger off the both of ya:D!

These days I'd kill to get a day with the old man in the shed...
 
Trialben said:
Bloody top notch it looks to me mate!
Looks like you paid just enough attention;).
I remember wood working with my old man when I was young them days were sooo boring and seemed to go on forever. Me and my bro would piss fart around and in the end he would just say bugger off the both of ya:D!

These days I'd kill to get a day with the old man in the shed...
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Thanks for the flowers. If there's one Aussie culture facet that was easy to adopt, that was the innate re-use of everything until it can't be re-used. When an Aussie throws something away, it's DONE, and they're probably gonna find the best scrap price they can for it. The Missus is from SA, down around the Barossa Valley, but lived in Port Pirie (about 3 hours north of Adelaide) before I stole the bestest Aussie gal from the country in 2006. Her dad was a master builder as well, and he's had nothing but praises for my efforts. I must be doing something right, but that's not hard to do if you're as critical of your own work as I am of mine. My second trip down-under back in 2000, I spent probably as much time with her brother as I did with her. He was building a new veranda from reclaimed barn timbers, reclaimed steel posts, reclaimed roofing, etc, etc. The only thing he bought new was the decking to go on the veranda. That was probably when he decided I wasn't just another Septic Yank trying to steal his sister. Been down there 12 times now, and I love the culture of small-town Australia. It's just too expensive to live there. Otherwise, I might be making moving plans right now. I'd just have to give way too much of what I spent a lifetime earning to the Aussie government, who like ours, doesn't deserve a penny of it.
 
Pallets are really useful, we've seen quite a few bars made from them. Usually pretty well made though so stripping them must be a pain! Great work that; I really like the look.
 
That looks great man. Really like the look.
 
Taking an inexpensive fermenter and doing a little custom work.
Will have internal heat, cooling coil, thermal well, balloon for expansion, and a purge valve.
Gonna add it to my existing glycol setup. The PID I have will control both fermenters simultaneously.

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Was looking for ways to simplify my brew day, including looking at some AIO systems. Decided to stay with the 3V but give this herms coil a try. IC Herms setup was annoying. this should make it easier and it sits lower in the HLT. Looks like it will be easier to flush out too
Mounted up with some camlock fittings
 
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As a small batch BIAB brewer who brews in my kitchen, one of the issues I’ve always had was lifting the bag from the kettle after mashing and transferring it to another kettle to drain without making a mess. My grain bills average ~7+ lbs. dry and saturated ~20+ lbs. So, holding the bag until it’s drained isn’t an option. I’ve tried lifting the bag and placing a strainer underneath, but the bag overhangs and is still too close to dripping down the sides of the kettle, which has happened, and my wife wouldn’t be too keen on the idea of having a pulley attached to the kitchen ceiling. So, in an episode of madness I conjured up this thing (pics. are of a dry run, but I brewed this morning and proved its efficacy).

It’s ugly as sh*t but works great. After mashing, I slip this contraption over the kettle, which rests on the handles, hook the bag loops onto the antlers, roll it up and lock it in with the chain so it doesn’t unwind. From there, I can drain, squeeze and then lift the bag away from the kettle without making a mess. It’s actually very stable.

The funny thing is, after I finished I realized I can weld something similar out of steel flat bar, cylindrical in shape, that would contour the kettle and look a heck of a lot better. Oh well, that’s why it’s a prototype.
 

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Its getting the job done! Down the road, i wonder if you could use a smaller size pot to slide partway inside, drill drain holes at bottom. Maybe you could fashion something to sit on the kettle to hold the pot handles up higher., or weld on some lugs on the side of the pot to rest the drain pot like some of the all in one systems use
 
WesBrew said:
Its getting the job done! Down the road, i wonder if you could use a smaller size pot to slide partway inside, drill drain holes at bottom. Maybe you could fashion something to sit on the kettle to hold the pot handles up higher., or weld on some lugs on the side of the pot to rest the drain pot like some of the all in one systems use
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Thanks. That could work. I’d probably have to get a larger BK first because mine is only 6.5 gallons and when I add the grain, I’m pushing the limit, and I don’t think I could find another pot to fit inside, which is a similar height since it’s just under 12” in diameter. Plus, it would be another piece of equipment to clean.
 
Semper Sitientem said:
Thanks. That could work. I’d probably have to get a larger BK first because mine is only 6.5 gallons and when I add the grain, I’m pushing the limit, and I don’t think I could find another pot to fit inside, which is a similar height since it’s just under 12” in diameter. Plus, it would be another piece of equipment to clean.
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Great work !

This is what I've done with my setup with that pot with holes drilled In bottom Idea I also cut some strips up the side with grinder just to help things along. But I wish I just kept the holes in bottom that way when I sparge I know the liquid is flowing down through the grain bed.
 
I have always been concerned about leaving moisture inside my counterflow chiller. Of course I'd blow it out well with compressed air after rinsing the wort pipe out, but still, 30 feet of copper tubing would never come dry, and even though copper has antibacterial action, I would rather it be dry in there.

So I took a Harbor freight funnel (the smallest one in the set) and hot-glued a small 12 volt computer fan into the big end. I cut the small end to open it up a bit, and connected the fan to a wall wart power supply. Placing a foam filter over the far end, I stuck the funnel-fan into the near end and turned it on, letting it suck air through the pipe. I usually let it go for several hours or overnight, depending on ambient humidity (dry air dries it faster). The hose clamp is not tightened around the funnel; I just didn't move it away before jamming the funnel end into the silicone tubing.

It certainly can be used for any hose that needs drying inside.

(For the cold-side water hose, green in the photo, I don't care if it stays moist. I pour a few ounces of StarSan into one end, then use compressed air to distribute it throughout the hose length (it comes out the other end). That prevents mold and bacteria inside the hose.)

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Cool idea Don! I usually hang my one end of my hoses in front of a (gas forced air) furnace vent. Like you, I feel better knowing they are dry on the inside. I don't do that with my immersion chiller simply because the inside only comes in contact with water.
 
Donoroto said:
I have always been concerned about leaving moisture inside my counterflow chiller. Of course I'd blow it out well with compressed air after rinsing the wort pipe out, but still, 30 feet of copper tubing would never come dry, and even though copper has antibacterial action, I would rather it be dry in there.

So I took a Harbor freight funnel (the smallest one in the set) and hot-glued a small 12 volt computer fan into the big end. I cut the small end to open it up a bit, and connected the fan to a wall wart power supply. Placing a foam filter over the far end, I stuck the funnel-fan into the near end and turned it on, letting it suck air through the pipe. I usually let it go for several hours or overnight, depending on ambient humidity (dry air dries it faster). The hose clamp is not tightened around the funnel; I just didn't move it away before jamming the funnel end into the silicone tubing.

It certainly can be used for any hose that needs drying inside.

(For the cold-side water hose, green in the photo, I don't care if it stays moist. I pour a few ounces of StarSan into one end, then use compressed air to distribute it throughout the hose length (it comes out the other end). That prevents mold and bacteria inside the hose.)

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Excellent idea
 
Donoroto said:
I have always been concerned about leaving moisture inside my counterflow chiller. Of course I'd blow it out well with compressed air after rinsing the wort pipe out, but still, 30 feet of copper tubing would never come dry, and even though copper has antibacterial action, I would rather it be dry in there.

So I took a Harbor freight funnel (the smallest one in the set) and hot-glued a small 12 volt computer fan into the big end. I cut the small end to open it up a bit, and connected the fan to a wall wart power supply. Placing a foam filter over the far end, I stuck the funnel-fan into the near end and turned it on, letting it suck air through the pipe. I usually let it go for several hours or overnight, depending on ambient humidity (dry air dries it faster). The hose clamp is not tightened around the funnel; I just didn't move it away before jamming the funnel end into the silicone tubing.

It certainly can be used for any hose that needs drying inside.

(For the cold-side water hose, green in the photo, I don't care if it stays moist. I pour a few ounces of StarSan into one end, then use compressed air to distribute it throughout the hose length (it comes out the other end). That prevents mold and bacteria inside the hose.)

View attachment 18338
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I usually just add star sans and plug the ends
 
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