Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 SWMBO said something just the other day 1. I keep making brewing more complicated as I go along. 2. I am very pedantic about my beers (They turn out good this way) 3. In the last 12 months My home brew setup is getting more and more stuff (SWMBO is convinced the house will be converted into a full on brewery)...... Anyhow I am wanting to make a stir plate I have old computer fans laying around doing nothing so I thought i would put at least one of them to good use and build a stir plate going to order a 12V power adapter off ebay and a dimmer switch just needing a good enclosure which I am sure to find. 2 things I am looking for is the stir plate bar and a cheap flask I used a large jar for stepping up and a couple of starters but want a proper pyrex flask so it won't break if I put it in cold water to chill. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 And dont forget some rare earth magnets, get more than you think you'll need, I use 3 \xd815x2mm per side stacked and glued (or an old hard drive magnet can be used Ive seen) Erlenmeyer flasks are not all that cheap, I got a 2L one from Melbourne for around $40 but wished I had bought a 5L, there worth the cash though, you can go straight from using it to boil on the stove to an ice bath. Enclosure I used one of SWMBO's old jewelry boxs, its great because the lid is spring loaded and easy to access the inside Have fun :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 Ok so rare earth magnets no worries I will source some of them Cheers for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 ohh and the only place I could find stir bars at a reasonable price was the States, I got 2 for about $7 I think. I bought 1.5" long ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 ohh and the only place I could find stir bars at a reasonable price was the States, I got 2 for about $7 I think. I bought 1.5" long ones. I couldn't find any on ebay so was going to try the online brew shops failing that I know I can get them from northern brewer in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=stir+bar&_sacat=0&_from=R40 US ebay mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Hiya GrahamB8. ...Enclosure I used one of SWMBO's old jewelry boxs' date=' its great because the lid is spring loaded and easy to access the inside[/quote'] So how much jewelry did that cost you? or doesn't she know it's gone yet? [lol] Anthony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=stir+bar&_sacat=0&_from=R40 US ebay mate Cheers I have it set to finding things in Australia only as I order most of my parts for work through Ebay. Thanks heaps I seen the $6.99 ones all good will order them tonight so a few weeks to get here, Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 or doesn't she know it's gone yet? [lol] SHHHH!!! And I lied I just measured one of my stir bars and its actually 50mm, though you get what you think you will need to suit your setup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 50mm ok well I will work on the stir plate in the next couple of weeks once everything comes through once done I will upload photo's but maybe the Flask might have to hold off till after xmas but all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 lol, you must be reading my mind... I have been gathering bits and pieces for the stirplate over the last 2-3 months and am now only waiting on the dim switch which I bought from Ebay 3 weeks ago!!.. All up this stirplate has cost me $10.50 which is the fan, magnets, dim switch, power supply and $15 for 2 stir bars I got the other day. I already have flasks etc.... but hey, $40 for a 2L flask??.. they certainly saw you coming that's for sure!! I am just finding something to mount it in now. Am thinking of using a just a cd cover on top of the fan. Don't need anything speccy only need something to hold the flask steady and just away from the magnets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 I expect most of my parts that I have just ordered from overseas will get here in the coming weeks so might not get the time to put it together maybe till after new years I am about to wind down brewing for the hot months last 2 batches going in next week till the weather cools down again. In the meantime I will have a new stirplate ready for next brewing season..... Trying to convince SWIMBO in allowing me to get myself one of those big freezers [innocent] anyhow seems a lot of us are on the same page. This hobby gets more and more interesting as I go along learning more and more hopefully will get an all grain set up too next year the hardest part will be getting the grains as I will have to travel to either central victoria or 300km to melbourne to stock up on grains but anyhow it will work out eventually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I expect most of my parts that I have just ordered from overseas will get here in the coming weeks so might not get the time to put it together maybe till after new years I am about to wind down brewing for the hot months last 2 batches going in next week till the weather cools down again. In the meantime I will have a new stirplate ready for next brewing season..... Trying to convince SWIMBO in allowing me to get myself one of those big freezers [innocent] anyhow seems a lot of us are on the same page. This hobby gets more and more interesting as I go along learning more and more hopefully will get an all grain set up too next year the hardest part will be getting the grains as I will have to travel to either central victoria or 300km to melbourne to stock up on grains but anyhow it will work out eventually. Wayne, if you have not already, register on AHB. You can then include yourself when you want to participate in a Bulk Buy for grain, when you get around to it. Will be cheaper than you purchasing grain by yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 if you can't source magnets for on the fan, you can take one from inside an old harddrive: They're very strong, easy to center, and the second magnet makes an awesome bottle opener that botletops cling to (up to about 15 at a time) Be careful with which dimmer you get, it has to be the right resistence both for the power source and the fan. Otherwise you'll have a very limited range of speeds or it will be far too sensitive to be very useful. Regarding the case, anything will do, but you can buy nice tidy cases for about a fiver. I haven't gotten around to getting a stirbar or proper jar, but a piece of stainless steel in a big sweet jar seems to do the business. I'd recommend having a connector for the power source instead of hard wiring it in. It makes the build a little more interesting and it makes it stronger and easier to store. Here's one I made earlier with just some water and black pepper in there to show the spin. I'm thinking of embedding a couple of LEDs in the plate later so I can illuminate the jar and gaze at its beauty [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Yeh the flask was 30 + 10 delivery, I couldnt find them cheaper without a trip to the big smoke which would cost me an hours fuel each way. I have a blue glowing fan ;) I would consider a box to house it in, even starters can 'blow off' which would be a worry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 and pinstripe it... and paint FLAMES on the side...[w00t] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 HERE is the dimmer I am waiting on and is perfect for the job HERE is the fan I scored. It has 4 LED lights in it but I want to disable these. I see no reason why I would need the LEDs HERE are the rare Earth Magnets I used. 10 for a $1 is good and they are a light weight so as not not restrict the fan. Glued 4 x 2 together and glued them evenly apart on the hub of the fan. I have 2 left over which I will put on the end of a rod to use to extract the stirbars as needed. Get a Power Supply for $3.01 and robert's your Mother's Brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordEoin Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I hope that dimmer works well for you, I had a right sh*tstorm trying to find the right resistance petentiometer for my fan. I'm not an electronics wizz, and it's too long ago for me to remember the calculations (although i might still have them on my computer at work) so I can't work it out at the moment. You'll find out soon enough...[happy] Even if the resistance IS too much, it's an external dimmer so the heat created by the dimming won't be trapped within the stirplate box. I got as close as i could, but i find that it has a little too much resistance so it's dead until about half way up the dial, so it's twice as sensitive. No great loss [biggrin] Funny enough, the best guides on selecting a dimmer can be found on forums for weed growers and gamers (Basically people with too much time on their hands). While brewing forums tend to be more like 'bleagh, this is eating into my drinking time and confuses my drunken brain' or 'on/off is fine'[biggrin] And those LEDs will be no bothers to disable, you just need to clip the wires. Clip them close to the source (away fom the fan) and put a bit of masking tape (or a blob of glue) on the open ends. If you clip them closer to the LED you run the risk of the wire coming loose and 'flicking' against the fan, making a lot of unwanted noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 That's fine, I know these dimmers work as there are numerous people at AHB with the same dimmer without any issues [biggrin] Once I get it am am going to assess pulling it apart and reconstructing it internally to the plate. Time will tell though if I do this or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 flash :) My dimmer switch is a computer fan one that is compatible with the fan, it even has the back plate to fit in the back of a pc, which I used as a face to glue to the inside of my jewelry box. My power came from the modem lead Telstra supplied me that I didnt need, the A&V matched the fan....nearly [biggrin] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Waters Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 HERE is the dimmer I am waiting on and is perfect for the job I've got that dimmer and I think the same fan - I used them to make my second stirplate and they work a treat. Only problem is I never seem to use them these days. I really need to start selling stuff on ebay and stop buying stuff [rightful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne (Captain Yobbo) Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 I expect most of my parts that I have just ordered from overseas will get here in the coming weeks so might not get the time to put it together maybe till after new years I am about to wind down brewing for the hot months last 2 batches going in next week till the weather cools down again. In the meantime I will have a new stirplate ready for next brewing season..... Trying to convince SWIMBO in allowing me to get myself one of those big freezers [innocent] anyhow seems a lot of us are on the same page. This hobby gets more and more interesting as I go along learning more and more hopefully will get an all grain set up too next year the hardest part will be getting the grains as I will have to travel to either central victoria or 300km to melbourne to stock up on grains but anyhow it will work out eventually. Wayne, if you have not already, register on AHB. You can then include yourself when you want to participate in a Bulk Buy for grain, when you get around to it. Will be cheaper than you purchasing grain by yourself. Cheers Bill I did sign up a while ago but forgot the username and password so will sign up again thanks for that handy info.. I am glad I dug this thread up the telephone exchange burnt down after I last posted on here Thanks for all the other advice people I wasn't being rude I had no net access at the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamianM2 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Are these stir bars any good? http://proscitech.com.au/cataloguex/online.asp?page=l5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamB8 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I dont see why not mate, I use the second one down with the pivot ring and they work great. They also sell stir plates for around $300 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 $300?????? WTF!! You can make one for about $20!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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