How to Make a Mash Tun
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BlightyBrewer
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Road Runner
I assume you mean the manifold on your mash tun BB?
I'm just putting mine together as I type this. I'm using a small fine half round file to file out the burs inside & out of the pipes. Then cleaning the slots that I cut with a junior hacksaw, by just running the hacksaw blade through a couple of times to clean the slots.
I guess you could also clean the pipes with emory cloth if you have any, or wet/dry paper. That would clean excess burs.
Not sure what you could clean the flux off with, maybe caustic soda?
I didn't solder mine, I'm just using a push fit, so I can dismantle it for cleaning.
I'm just putting mine together as I type this. I'm using a small fine half round file to file out the burs inside & out of the pipes. Then cleaning the slots that I cut with a junior hacksaw, by just running the hacksaw blade through a couple of times to clean the slots.
I guess you could also clean the pipes with emory cloth if you have any, or wet/dry paper. That would clean excess burs.
Not sure what you could clean the flux off with, maybe caustic soda?
I didn't solder mine, I'm just using a push fit, so I can dismantle it for cleaning.
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Road Runner
QUOTE (andy @ Dec 11 2005, 04:59 PM)OK, some coolbox mash tun heat loss results using water only, approx 15 litres.
Time______Temp (degC)______Delta Temp decrease (degC)______Temp decrease/min
15:12______68.8____________0_______________________________0
15:38______66.4____________2.4______________________________0.092
16:16______63.2____________3.2______________________________0.084
16:43______61.1____________2.1______________________________0.078
Tun wasn't pre-heated hence the initial quick drop I guess.
With grain + mash liquor quantity then there would be less air space in the tun so I'd expect better results. I'd also pre-heat it with some boiling water.
Ok, got my cool box mash tun all completed now. So thought I'd conduct a temp loss experiment.
Cool box pre-heated & had 15 litres of water at 66'c. Cool box wrapped in a King Size duvet (4.5 TOG).
After 90 mins the temp was 62'c, so 4'c loss.
Mmmm. May need a higher TOG rating perhaps
Although hopefully with the grain in too, that might help keep some heat in.
Just a thought on the un-insulated lid though. I wonder if it would help if I filled the lid with some Polystyrene balls. May help with the heat loss perhaps.
Time______Temp (degC)______Delta Temp decrease (degC)______Temp decrease/min
15:12______68.8____________0_______________________________0
15:38______66.4____________2.4______________________________0.092
16:16______63.2____________3.2______________________________0.084
16:43______61.1____________2.1______________________________0.078
Tun wasn't pre-heated hence the initial quick drop I guess.
With grain + mash liquor quantity then there would be less air space in the tun so I'd expect better results. I'd also pre-heat it with some boiling water.
Ok, got my cool box mash tun all completed now. So thought I'd conduct a temp loss experiment.
Cool box pre-heated & had 15 litres of water at 66'c. Cool box wrapped in a King Size duvet (4.5 TOG).
After 90 mins the temp was 62'c, so 4'c loss.
Mmmm. May need a higher TOG rating perhaps
Although hopefully with the grain in too, that might help keep some heat in.
Just a thought on the un-insulated lid though. I wonder if it would help if I filled the lid with some Polystyrene balls. May help with the heat loss perhaps.
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Road Runner
I don't have a dog, or dog fleeces 
I folded my duvet double & stood the cool box on it & wrapped it round twice. It was off the floor standing on a wooden chair. So pretty well covered.
I did think about that expanding Polyurethene foam stuff too. But thought the Poly Balls would be easier to get into all areas of the lid. Also I thought if it needed to be removed for any reason, say excess condensation building up in the lid, then it would be easier to just remove a rubber plug & empty out the polystyrene balls. And make a horrendous mess I guess too
I think you can get bags of them from craft shops.
But if the lid was filled with foam, maybe condensation wouldn't build up any way.
I folded my duvet double & stood the cool box on it & wrapped it round twice. It was off the floor standing on a wooden chair. So pretty well covered.
I did think about that expanding Polyurethene foam stuff too. But thought the Poly Balls would be easier to get into all areas of the lid. Also I thought if it needed to be removed for any reason, say excess condensation building up in the lid, then it would be easier to just remove a rubber plug & empty out the polystyrene balls. And make a horrendous mess I guess too
I think you can get bags of them from craft shops.
But if the lid was filled with foam, maybe condensation wouldn't build up any way.
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deadlydes
If the commercial version sells for £48 then there's room for some profit 
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Road Runner
A comment on the Thermos Cool Box/Mash Tun thermal efficiency.
I did a 2 hour mash in mine last weekend, with 4KG of grain & 11 litres of water. Temp at start of mash, following warming up the Tun, was 65'c.
The Tun was wrapped in a King Size duvet 4.5 TOG.
I checked the temp after 1 hour & it was still 65'c.
After the 2 hours was up, the temp was a whisker over 64'c.
So it lost less than 1'c in 2 hours.
I was well impressed with that.
I did a 2 hour mash in mine last weekend, with 4KG of grain & 11 litres of water. Temp at start of mash, following warming up the Tun, was 65'c.
The Tun was wrapped in a King Size duvet 4.5 TOG.
I checked the temp after 1 hour & it was still 65'c.
After the 2 hours was up, the temp was a whisker over 64'c.
So it lost less than 1'c in 2 hours.
I was well impressed with that.
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deadlydes
DAAB:
very well
i cant remember the exact amounts at the moment but last mash i think i used 15L of water and around 4.5kg of grain. start temp was 66 and final on average was 65 (in the center it was still 66). i usually wrap it in a sleeping bag also.
i friend borrowed it last weekend and used 15l of water and 5.5kg of grain didnt wrap it as wanted the temp to drop start temp 65.5 final 65.5
all of these were over 90 mins. so very good indeed i think
very well
i cant remember the exact amounts at the moment but last mash i think i used 15L of water and around 4.5kg of grain. start temp was 66 and final on average was 65 (in the center it was still 66). i usually wrap it in a sleeping bag also.
i friend borrowed it last weekend and used 15l of water and 5.5kg of grain didnt wrap it as wanted the temp to drop start temp 65.5 final 65.5
all of these were over 90 mins. so very good indeed i think
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Bigster
:huh: Whilst thinking through what my set up is going to be I , maybe incorrectly , thought i am going to need another boiler if I am going to use my electrim boiler thing to mash as well.
It would be great to hear your views on the 3 options as I see it:
1. If I stick with the electrim boiler as a mash tun as well I will need to transfer from the boiler in to a brew bucket with a sparging bag, clean out the boiler and reheat some water(how much needed?) to 80 c then sparge and run off in to another brew bin. Then once thats done back in to the boiler. Phew.
2. Modify a brew bin to act as another boiler so that once the mash is finished in the electrim boiler ( with sparging bag ) I already have the 80 c water ready to sparge through the electrim and in to the other brew bin then back in to the boiler.
3. I have an old cool box I could convert. I could heat the water up in the electrim whilst the mash is under way then sparge through the coolbox tun. Again at some point I would need to transfer back in to the boiler.
Also 2 questions on the coolbox mash tun -
Do you need a sparging bag - guess not?
The impressive plumbing manifold set up at the bottom is providing a means of filtering (a bit like the hop filter) or is there hot water being pumped round this to maintain the temperature. Sorry if this is a rodney bleedin obvious question
It would be great to hear your views on the 3 options as I see it:
1. If I stick with the electrim boiler as a mash tun as well I will need to transfer from the boiler in to a brew bucket with a sparging bag, clean out the boiler and reheat some water(how much needed?) to 80 c then sparge and run off in to another brew bin. Then once thats done back in to the boiler. Phew.
2. Modify a brew bin to act as another boiler so that once the mash is finished in the electrim boiler ( with sparging bag ) I already have the 80 c water ready to sparge through the electrim and in to the other brew bin then back in to the boiler.
3. I have an old cool box I could convert. I could heat the water up in the electrim whilst the mash is under way then sparge through the coolbox tun. Again at some point I would need to transfer back in to the boiler.
Also 2 questions on the coolbox mash tun -
Do you need a sparging bag - guess not?
The impressive plumbing manifold set up at the bottom is providing a means of filtering (a bit like the hop filter) or is there hot water being pumped round this to maintain the temperature. Sorry if this is a rodney bleedin obvious question