SC/TO

[staylor]

Bwahahaa, hey Peter, what's netiquette? Is there somewhere I could find out about that? And while I'm asking, what are threads???

Come on dude threads...threads are like clothes man.  :icon_rr:

Yeah, groovy baby... I expect this thread to be thread-bare in a while. ;-)

[Jeffo]

Peter, what is this, 1998? It's a postmodern internet now. (I'm not sure what postmodern is. I think it means the future.)

[ButtWhiskers]

This last bit of thread reminded me of a damn funny site:  http://justfuckinggoogleit.com/

[George Coury]

Well, I certainly stepped in someone's horse apples, especially since it wasn't even my question.
Peter, I actually had searched it on the GCBC and why I had some knowledge of it, but never came across the literal translation of the acronym.  Actually, hadn't thought of Googling it ( it being an acronym), which I admited in my post is a great tool.
Just thought this a great site for getting answers for my coffee roasting with generally usually a very congenial and helpfull crowd. I'll just try to keep my dumb questions to a minimum now since you say so!
Was it OK that I thanked javaman for the links?? I just want to be correct on my netiquette.

[peter]

This isn't going into 'debate mode' gsc76.  Don't flatter yourself that any of my post was directed at you.

The best forums are the ones that can strike a healthy balance between people doing some of their own homework, overly-repeated subjects, causing members to answer the same questions over an over.  When that happens, questions get answered even less.  Common sense is all we're asking for.

It was swell of the javaman to provide the links.  Don't get sarcastic, of course it was OK to thank him.  My question is why was it laid on him to find and copy the links?  Wouldn't it have been more helpful for the one with the question to apply the effort, and post something like, "Hey I was wondering what SC/TO stands for, so I did some googling, and for those others who were perhaps wondering the same thing, here's a couple links I found."?

Common sense in the posts, and using the PM system.  Is that a lot to ask?

[George Coury]

This isn't going into 'debate mode' gsc76.  Don't flatter yourself that any of my post was directed at you.

The best forums are the ones that can strike a healthy balance between people doing some of their own homework, overly-repeated subjects, causing members to answer the same questions over an over.  When that happens, questions get answered even less.  Common sense is all we're asking for.

It was swell of the javaman to provide the links.  Don't get sarcastic, of course it was OK to thank him.  My question is why was it laid on him to find and copy the links?  Wouldn't it have been more helpful for the one with the question to apply the effort, and post something like, "Hey I was wondering what SC/TO stands for, so I did some googling, and for those others who were perhaps wondering the same thing, here's a couple links I found."?

Common sense in the posts, and using the PM system.  Is that a lot to ask?

Sorry, but the fact that you quoted my post in your rant did indicate to me that your rant was directed at moi.
Otherwise, I generally agree with your remaining comments without the attitude.
My post was a feeble attempt to be complimentry to the GCBC in general and the Javaman in particular.

[John F]

After the "just google it" ruckus I decided to try a CGBC search just to see what would happen and it turned up an old BW post that I'm reposting here. 

Once I get the roaster from Finer Grind I might move this topic to the equipment discussion forum and see how mods and initial test go etc..etc.. but I found this post useful to the discussion:

My personal recommendation is to use a West Bend Stir Crazy and a Sunpentown SO-2000 Turbo Oven (dial version, not the digital).  You can get the Stir Crazy new at Target for $30, or it's pretty likely that you can find one at a Thrift Store if you have a couple of those nearby.  Newegg.com has the Sunpentown Turbo Oven for about $50 usually with $10 shipping, and it comes with the best casserole bowl you'll ever find...  Take a 2"x1/8"x36" aluminum bar, available at Home Depot for about $6 and bend it into a ring by wrapping it around a 5 gallon bucket. 

There are some websites discussing SC/TO:

http://biobug.org/coffee/turbo-crazy/ <--my fave

http://homeroast.pbwiki.com/SCTO

http://www.toomuchcoffee.com/phpbb2_index2328.html

If you never crank the thing up full blast, you don't need to worry about the stir bar clamp mods, although adding thickness to the stir bar as shown is a good thing for better agitation.  You can use JB weld to fix the clamp rather than the copper cap, as well, if you wind up melting the thing off - I did this on my first couple of Stir Crazies, but now I use slower ramps and never turn the oven dial past about 440, so it doesn't get hot enough to melt any of that stuff.  Knocking out four 20oz batches in an hour really rocks, and you don't have to worry about running out of propane.

The 3rd link is dead so I'm going to pimp Peter....(Mr. Googles)  website cuz it's good!

http://peter4jc.googlepages.com/

John F

 

[John F]

Some follow up:

I got the set up in the mail yesterday (Thanks Finer Grind) 

But I had to work late and didn't have time to do anything with it. I managed to steal some time out this afternoon to do my initial mods thanks to Peter and BW for the PM's. Peter sort of prompted me to try this out and BW gave me ideas to start with so here is what I've started with.

An Aluminum spacer with a slot.
A metal wing nut with some washers.
A copper cap that I'm going to stuff some tin foil in.
Some 1/4" copper sleeves on the stir arms (nothing flatted yet they are just slid on).

Fist test run should be any second now. 

[peter]

John, some thoughts for ya...

Leaving a slot in the spacer will insure that chaff has a way out.  But unless you have a way to close it, heat will find a way out too.  I suggest overlapping the ends.  The tension will keep it shut, and you can then prop it open during the periods in the roast when chaff is an issue, or when you choose to let some heat out.

The stirring arm mods will help for large batches.  But the same problem will remain as the stock arms have for small batches; the mass of the beans is too small to cascade over the arms, and simply ride around in clumps in front of the arms, giving the "angel's wings" effect.

Keep the posts on your progress coming.

[John F]

Leaving a slot in the spacer will insure that chaff has a way out.  But unless you have a way to close it, heat will find a way out too.  I suggest overlapping the ends. 

I think my aluminum is too stiff to overlap and push the end in like your set up. That's what I intended to do but it's too springy. I'm going to make some kind of door for it right now and run a test batch in about 15 min.

For the arms I'll see how they do today and adjust accordingly.

Roast notes in a bit....

John F

[peter]

You may just have to beat that aluminium into submission.  It's not easy, I worked mine around a 4" post in my basement 'til it was almost exactly the diameter of the SC.  Before that, I tried a hinge that would open and close.  Remember, those things get durned hot.  And if you can orient the door, or hinge so that its hinge is vertical and then open it toward the inside, it'll help catch the circulating chaff.  That's if you check the direction of the air from the TO.

Good ruck, glasshoppa...

[ButtWhiskers]

Leaving a slot in the spacer will insure that chaff has a way out.  But unless you have a way to close it, heat will find a way out too.  I suggest overlapping the ends. 

I think my aluminum is too stiff to overlap and push the end in like your set up. That's what I intended to do but it's too springy. I'm going to make some kind of door for it right now and run a test batch in about 15 min.

For the arms I'll see how they do today and adjust accordingly.

Roast notes in a bit....

John F

I must agree, that is an awful large hole.  You can probably get by with a little sliding door for temporaries, though.

If you have access to glass wool, use that instead of aluminum foil inside the cap.  Copper and aluminum transfer heat very efficiently.   You are trying to insulate the drive shaft from heat.

You may just have to beat that aluminium into submission.  It's not easy, I worked mine around a 4" post in my basement 'til it was almost exactly the diameter of the SC.  Before that, I tried a hinge that would open and close.  Remember, those things get durned hot.  And if you can orient the door, or hinge so that its hinge is vertical and then open it toward the inside, it'll help catch the circulating chaff.  That's if you check the direction of the air from the TO.

Good ruck, glasshoppa...

  Hear, hear!  Use your espresso fu to have your way with the aluminum!

[John F]

Here is how it went down.

The slot is not as big as it looks in the pic and my desire to do a roast NOW beat my wanting to build a door and roast later so I went with it open full time.

I put it all systems go with a 12oz batch set the temp at 400, hit the power, timer, temp probe....GO.

I saw first evidence that things were happening at 5 min.
Hit 300 degrees measured with probe riding on top of and inside bean mass at 4:12.
Hit first crack at 10:40
At 14:40 I didn't see any evidence that second crack was imminent so I bumped the temp to 450.
Hit second crack at 16:59 and concluded roast a few snaps in.

Pretty cool for a first run and I actually like this 12oz batch size a lot as it just about fills a mason jar. 

Now I'm going to look for glass wool.


John F

[FinerGrind]

Here is how it went down.

The slot is not as big as it looks in the pic and my desire to do a roast NOW beat my wanting to build a door and roast later so I went with it open full time.

I put it all systems go with a 12oz batch set the temp at 400, hit the power, timer, temp probe....GO.

I saw first evidence that things were happening at 5 min.
Hit 300 degrees measured with probe riding on top of and inside bean mass at 4:12.
Hit first crack at 10:40
At 14:40 I didn't see any evidence that second crack was imminent so I bumped the temp to 450.
Hit second crack at 16:59 and concluded roast a few snaps in.

Pretty cool for a first run and I actually like this 12oz batch size a lot as it just about fills a mason jar. 

Now I'm going to look for glass wool.


John F

Cool - it works!  Thrift store stuff has not been rigorously tested. 

[John F]

Cool - it works!  Thrift store stuff has not been rigorously tested. 

It worked for sure!

I don't know what a profile like 11min to first crack and 17min to second will give me in the cup from this type or roaster.......yet. 

It looked to have plenty of power and the SC took the mods on the stirring arms and bolt/cap without a hitch. With the 12oz batch the beans were flowing up and over the arms getting plenty of agitation and I didn't have any reason to worry about them. I could hear the cracks just fine, the probe rode right inside the bean mass, and roast visibility was excellent. 

The GG is whisper quite and the handle on/off feature is pretty cool.


It rocked right on out.

Thanks again FG.

John F