Source of stainless perforated sheet in Auck?

[Chris Coutts]

Hi all,

New to RealBeer, so hi everyone :-)

Gearing up to make a false bottom in a SS 50L pot. Needing a piece of stainless perf sheet... anyone know a place in Auck who supplies? About 400x400mm, and about 2.5mm diam holes, at 4mm centres. And 1.5mm thick should do it. Am I being too fussy?

Cheers for any advice

Chris

[Crusader-Rob]

get in touch with a sheetmetal shop, they may have access to stainless perf sheet.

allgrain.co.nz also has a perf false bottom, which is about 400 diameter. might be worth a look?

[Chris Coutts]

Thanks Rob, will do.

[Druid]

There's a place in Silverdale that will supply and laser cut you a slotted false bottom - they've done it for a couple of people before so they should have the template already there and it's not too expensive apparently - in the region of $50 or so I believe. Can't remember their name but googling laser cutting stainless should get you there pretty quick.

The reports I've heard are that a slotted false bottom will do a better job than perforated sheet. Certainly, that's what you'll find in commercial breweries.

I was going to get one made up for a 10g Rubbermaid but decided the hassle with getting it formed into a convex shape to lift the outlet off the bottom made it too much hassle.

[Richard Jack]

Now that's an interesting proposition. I'd be keen if anyone was wanting to combine purchasing power, although I'm looking for a slightly larger mash tun.

[Druid]

A couple of the guys at the guild have had them made up to go in converted keg mash tuns - I've seen one of them and it's damn near flawless.

If you needed to make it to fit a circular cooler mash tun, to get the dished profile required you could just do a brute force forming of the lasered plate in an appropriately sized circular cut-out in particle board/ply with a clamp (or sledgehammer).

In my circular cooler mash tun I've been suffering a fair bit of grain making it through my perforated sheet.  It then proceeds to block up my drain valve which is usually closed right down to limit the lauter/sparge flow requiring me to have to constantly tend it to release the build up.  

I ended up getting a purpose made slotted and formed bottom from the US, mainly because the hardware that allowed it to be fitted into the mash tun also held it down on the bottom, reducing the likelihood of anything making under the edges.

[Peter Smith]

can you post a link to the new false bottom mate....   I am not keen on those mid mash adventures    also if you went laser slots what mm slots would you go with...

[Druid]

http://www.homebrewing.org/Mashing-Made-Cooler-False-Bottom-10-Gall...

I should add that I haven't had a chance to use it yet but the slot width is smaller than the holes in the perforated sheet

[Peter Smith]

says its patented, struggling to see how?   have a very very good mate (he likes free beer) with a laser cutter, I think he can do up to 500mm square,  is the stainless about 3mm thick?

[Druid]

No, don't think it's as heavy duty as that.  Maybe 2mm perhaps?  

Remember, if you're using it in a circular cooler mash tun you've still got to form a dish where it's circumference is regular enough to seal against the flat surface of the cooler bottom so that nothing passes under the edges. 

[Peter Smith]

as an aside with current NZD you can land a 10 gal cooler into NZ for less then $100,  just got one for $97 on this link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F6SHTK/ref=oh_details_o02_s01_...

Thanks for the link Barry...

[Peter Smith]

Arrived yesterday just 6 days and $97     Amazon.com must be killing NZ retail....

[Matthew Kernot]

Not sure where in Auckland you are but I have picked up perf Stainless from Mackesy Stainless Steel Ltd in East Tamaki

http://www.finda.co.nz/business/listing/5fmx/mackesy-stainless-stee...

He had quite a few different types as well as mesh. Cut it for me too.

It was for automotive purposed rather than brewing