Anyone know if nylon zip ties can withstand boiling temps and if it would be wort save? I have an idea floating in my noggin…lol
What’s your idea? Nylon melts at higher temps than 212°F, but most nylon is NOT food safe.
I built a hop spider tboday and added a stainless veggie basket in the bottom. I took the center plate out and wired it all together with coper wire…I was just wondering if nylon would have been better… Now I know thanks!
You made the right decision! A bit of copper is a good thing, as it’s necessary for yeast metabolism.
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+1 To the right decision.
Post up some pics of your creation!
Heck yeah! I think I need one of those…
I,ll see if I canpost in ythe mornin
Well Tankie? Its raining here and that could be a fun project… Sneezles61…
OK here I tore apart a cheap stainless steamer basket and wired it back together with copper wire…here you should see how it fits in the mesh bag. I,m thinking it will keep it open at the bottom,give it weight,and allow a boil to better penetrate the bag.
Won’t the bag melt when in contact with the bottom of the pot?
I plan on keeping it anch or two from the bottom
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I’m wondering if you have documentation on this statement. Hardware stores sell nylon elbows, tees, etc. fittings for water lines as a cheaper alternative to brass. In the medical profession, we use braided nylon suture in surgery. The suture is very inert and causes very few suture reactions. Are there different types of nylon? Would zip ties not be the same type of nylon as pipe fittings?
The problem is that nylon is a very generic term, as it just describes the base plastic. There are literally hundreds of different fillers, additives, colorants, plasticizers, etc that can be added to change the way the material behaves. Materials for medical and food handling certainly are, but I wouldn’t count on a zip tie being safe for food unless specifically rated for food contact. The properties necessary to make a zip tie, such as UV resistance, being pliable, yet strong in tension require different additives than needed for a water line elbow.
Makes sense. Thank you for the explanation.
Would cotton string work? I use it in cooking - and it should be (may be) the same basic material as the muslin bags I use for hops.
Just curious…what’s the benefit of the strainer/collander? I’m wondering why the bag alone wasn’t sufficient?
My thinking was one complaint of hop spiders were there light weight, then there tendency to restrict actual boil in the hops. By using the “fins” of the steamer if you will, my theory is it will give it weight to stay in the boil, keep the bottom open promoting better circulation, and with positioning over the biol column, boil into the hops themselves
