Homemade all-grain brewing equipment

[Petefin]

Hi Guys,
I have now been making kits and using a couple of King kegs for the last year with good success and now thinking about all-grain brewing.
As an engineer with an extensive workshop, I am getting bored during lockdowns and needing a project!
I would like to fabricate my own kit. I already have a Inkbird temperature controller but am unsure of all the other kit I would need. Can't find much info on the web, but I reckon I need a stainless tub with heater element, pump and spray bar, filter and cooling system, second tub for transfering mash, etc.
I know I could buy a complete system but they aren't cheap and would enjoy the engineering challenge.
Is there any plans or guidance out there available?
Cheers, Pete

 

[Griff097]

Have a look on YouTube for Flag and Fez brewing, he details his 3 vessel system which he built and modified from scratch.

 

[Dads_Ale]

Hi
Hopefully this link still works. I also enjoy tinkering.

Kitchen All Grain Guide | The HomeBrew Forum

It needs an update as I have some new kit now, but I am still using the mash tun (in preference to a SS brewtech one)

Also this one on a home made whirlpool paddle.

Whirlpool | The HomeBrew Forum

 

[Buffers brewery]

Hi @Petefin how are those King Keg caps of yours going?

When it comes to “home-made” brewing equipment it’s a mixture of repurposing an original piece of kit and building a “thingy” of your own design. Assuming you’re not looking at building your own “all-in-one” there are lots of choices/decisions to make, like...gas or electric? Circular or rectangular mash tun? Mash tun capacity? Recirculating? Sparge or no-sparge?

Having done a couple of brews with my son in his kitchen I decided I was going to be an outdoor brewer and heat by gas. After a couple of brews I decided to go down the HERMS route to improve mash temperature control and at the same time automate my sparging.

As said above, a bit of YouTube research helps but it still took me a couple of years to “finalise” my kit although there’s always something to “tinker”with

If you want to check out my (some might say overly complicated ) kit you can see it on my brewday blog The Chaos that is a Buffers Brewery brew day

Good luck

 

[Petefin]

Hi Buffers Brewery, the caps are working a treat, no leaks whatsoever.
To be honest, I'm not sure what equipment exactly to go for. I have no problem building quite a complex system with pump and spray bar. I already have a Inkbird temp controller, but need some guidance on what to put together. Two lads at work have complete systems, but due to the existing covid rules, am unable to have a look.
I'm not in a panic, but would start collecting bits as they come available, for example, an electric tea urn?
I think I would have to see a couple of systems in the flesh before I can start fabricating anything.
I was hoping someone would have a few diagrams of kit and how it all worked, but I guess I will have to be patient until the lockdown is over with.
It is difficult to know what I would be better off buying ready made or what I could fabricate, some kit might not be worth the trouble to put together if it is available at a reasonable price. But I do fancy the challenge of building my own system.

Cheers, Pete