DB's easy aeration tube
Posted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:11 pmG'day, thought I'd share my take on an aeration tube for assisted aging using aeration.
I took a length of annealed 1/4" copper about 50mm longer than my aging jars (I age in pasta sauce jars cause I don't make much product) and bent it at 90 degrees a bit over an inch from one end. I then took an unravelled copper scrubber (could have used a stainless one but only had copper) and twisted the edge of it as narrow as I could get it then shoved it into the end of the bent end of the tube. I then cut the scrubber off close to the tube with scissors and crimped the tube over the scrubber with flat nosed pliers and finished it off with a few blows with my hammer. I tested the bubble size that came out the end each time I crimped it or took the hammer to it until I was happy I was making nice small bubbles. Some standard aquarium silicon tubing connected it up to my $15 aquarium pump and the little things works like a champ.
Gave it a soak in citric acid solution for a while before giving it a thorough rinse and dried by running air through it. Tested it out over the last week with some 1 week old BWKO (2nd gen) and it worked a treat. Still no substitute for longer times on oak but great for short term demands.
Here's the finished item
I didn't take a photo of the scrubber when i'd twisted it but here's what it looked like after I'd cut it off...you get the idea...
This is probably the best photo I've got of the end with the scrubber inside, after being crimped.
And the result:
Easy way of getting fine bubbles without any soldering or drilling. Hope somebody finds it useful.
I took a length of annealed 1/4" copper about 50mm longer than my aging jars (I age in pasta sauce jars cause I don't make much product) and bent it at 90 degrees a bit over an inch from one end. I then took an unravelled copper scrubber (could have used a stainless one but only had copper) and twisted the edge of it as narrow as I could get it then shoved it into the end of the bent end of the tube. I then cut the scrubber off close to the tube with scissors and crimped the tube over the scrubber with flat nosed pliers and finished it off with a few blows with my hammer. I tested the bubble size that came out the end each time I crimped it or took the hammer to it until I was happy I was making nice small bubbles. Some standard aquarium silicon tubing connected it up to my $15 aquarium pump and the little things works like a champ.
Gave it a soak in citric acid solution for a while before giving it a thorough rinse and dried by running air through it. Tested it out over the last week with some 1 week old BWKO (2nd gen) and it worked a treat. Still no substitute for longer times on oak but great for short term demands.
Here's the finished item
I didn't take a photo of the scrubber when i'd twisted it but here's what it looked like after I'd cut it off...you get the idea...
This is probably the best photo I've got of the end with the scrubber inside, after being crimped.
And the result:
Easy way of getting fine bubbles without any soldering or drilling. Hope somebody finds it useful.