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Post by Ken on May 18, 2020 12:56:08 GMT -6
Maybe I'll look into the cutting board option that Jim posted. Something I read earlier suggests that delrin is easier to cut so I hope the HDPE is not a pain for me to form. Sounds better though, I agree. Thank you for the offer though. Much appreciated. I have used cutting boards for some projects and it cuts and machines easy. Your jig saw should be no issue. Nice. Thanks Drez.
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Post by jkor on May 18, 2020 14:08:05 GMT -6
Yes, HDPE is very easy to cut. Easier than Delrin but Delrin is more rigid so it's better for machined parts.
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Post by Ken on May 18, 2020 14:22:34 GMT -6
Yes, HDPE is very easy to cut. Easier than Delrin but Delrin is more rigid so it's better for machined parts. Okay, that's the play then. I'll order one of those pieces mentioned earlier. Cheers and thanks.
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Post by jkor on May 19, 2020 10:23:29 GMT -6
Maybe too late but what about wood? A disk of oak, or cedar?
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Post by Ken on May 19, 2020 10:40:54 GMT -6
Maybe too late but what about wood? A disk of oak, or cedar? I walked through the Home Depot the other day looking for suitable materials. Clearly there is a bunch of wood products there but every time I saw wood of any kind, I ignored it. I imagine it would absorb something and then be hard to clean. This cap I have now, covered in foil... it stinks. You can't clean it. I don't think it's impacting my beer because I go right to the boil afterwards but still... it stinks! I ordered the cutting board that Jim linked to on Amazon. My jigsaw is handheld and I'm not really looking forward to trying to cut this thing in a circle. But I will attempt it.
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Post by jkor on May 19, 2020 11:29:27 GMT -6
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Post by Ken on May 19, 2020 11:55:19 GMT -6
Thanks for that. I got a little dizzy reading that but I could see attempting something like that so I don't find myself ordering a new cutting board.
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Post by pkrone on May 19, 2020 14:30:56 GMT -6
I made this one from foam board and then covered it in foil. It works but keeping it clean is tricky so I just need a solid piece of something that is safe to have in the mash environment and easy to clean. You could just place a sheet of foil over (mostly under) the foam board and toss it after every batch. I tried aluminum tape over foam board for a while, but it eventually leaked. It just wouldn't stick to the foam board very well. My latest iteration is foam board covered with Gorilla duct tape and then aluminum tape over that. So far so good. I tried a couple of other things too. A thin bamboo cutting board just didn't float well enough to do the job. I also tried a plastic potted plant tray. It floated ok, but since that particular plastic isn't oxygen impermeable, I still had to cover it with foil. My biggest barrier is that I mash in a converted sanke keg. The lip on it requires me to have either a 2 piece cap or a flexible one, like the plant tray.
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Post by Ken on May 19, 2020 14:43:11 GMT -6
Hi Pete. Welcome.
Yeah, the foil is a PITA. This HDPE stuff that I ordered is supposed to float so that will be good. I'm going to try it. If I whiff, I might use the foam board with foil underneath and just toss it afterwards as you mentioned. I'm hoping this cutting board idea works.
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Post by jkor on May 19, 2020 17:39:25 GMT -6
The density of HDPE is *just below* water so it won't float like the foam. It will be mostly submerged.
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Post by Ken on May 19, 2020 17:43:47 GMT -6
The density of HDPE is *just below* water so it won't float like the foam. It will be mostly submerged. Really? I thought Jim mentioned that it would float. Huh. I really can't have it submerged. It needs to protect the mash from 'surface intrusion' of O2. I think I have a ½" thick HDPE cutting board. I should throw it in the pool and see what it does. Also, will the thickness of the mash have an impact on this? Water + grains in the MT possibly enough to keep it afloat? If this thing arrives and I cut it up and it sinks... I would rather just keep it and use it as a nice cutting board.
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Post by jkor on May 19, 2020 17:53:24 GMT -6
It will float but it will be just barely above the surface. Water has a specific gravity of 1.00 (wort a little higher) so anything below 1.00 will float. HDPE is about 0.95-0.96 (95% of water). Extruded Polystyrene (pink foam board) that you get at HD has a SG of 0.025 (2.5% of water). So, approximately, pink foam board will float 97% above the water, solid HDPE will float 5% above the water. Maybe 10% above for wort.
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Post by Ken on May 19, 2020 17:53:48 GMT -6
The Google Machine says this: I can only assume that there are variables... weight, density, I dunno. I just set an HDPE cutting board (about 15 x 12 x ½") in the pool. It floated. It slightly sank and a smidge of water came up over the top but it was probably 95% floating. It's also possible that if I cut this thing just right (highly unlikely! ) it will wedge in the MT so no worries about it sinking.
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Post by jimdkc on May 19, 2020 19:06:01 GMT -6
I think it will be fine. If you have a router, you could always route out some of the center to make a sort of dish shape.
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Post by zymot on May 19, 2020 19:41:18 GMT -6
What is the diameter of a brewing bucket? Sacrifice an old brewing bucket and cut off the bottom. We know that is HDPE, and it is food safe and can stand 180°.
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