I’m pursuing having a Brewtus 10 stand welded, though using mild steel (and then powder coating it) versus using stainless, largely due to the greatly increased cost of SS. With regard to the “official” Brewtus plans and the “gas bar”, I have the option to bolt on black pipe to the exterior, of course.
However, I do like the concept, but I’m uncertain if black pipe is compatible with / can be welded to mild steel. I figured I’d see if anyone else has done this kind of variant, and if so, if they’ve had any problems.
Cheers!
PS. If you have any other tips/tricks for a mild steel build, please feel free to share!
My three tier is mild steel. Weighs about 300 lbs. I just used high temp paint. Are you planning on welding the pipe, or using clamps. I used Berringer/Stauf clamps that weld on, then bolt the pipe in with plastic inserts. I’m not sure why you would want to weld the pipe.
I went the route of using black iron pipe for the gas, rather than having the gas beam. My welder wasn’t 100% comfortable with the gas beam concept. In retrospect, I wish I had the gas beam. Everything works fine, but it was a challenge getting all the parts together as I wanted to have low pressure pilots on mine as well to make sure the RIMS was effective.
I also used banjo burners on mine which made it a little more difficult than the original Brewtus plans. Mounting was the challenge.
I would make sure that the powder coating will hold up. There is a ton of heat coming from the burners and a lot of it is being transferred to the stand itself. The steel around the burners is extremely hot during my brew sessions.
I know that doesn’t answer your question about welding the pipe, but may give you something to think about.
The problem with the gas beam is that all welds have to be gas tight, no porosity. I’ve got a pile of stainless steel in the garage, along with some stainless MIG wire, waiting to get turned into single tier sculpture.
Re: powder coat. You’ll need something sort of out of the ordinary, at least high temp near the burners. I’ve got power coated bumpers on my Jeep that just don’t hold up well to rock rash either.
My frame is made from bed frames, which have some, but not much paint. The paint in the hot areas has long since burned off. Rusting of the steel frame is not a significant issue because I store my rig in the garage where it stays dry, but if you are going to store it outside or in an out building, rust could become a problem over time.
