Aluminum Stirring Rod Mod - SC/TO

[dlofx]

After browsing the topic specific to the SC/TO set-up, I came across a post from Sea330 about an aluminum stirring rod that he had created. The rod he created can help solve one of the key issues of melting related to plopping the oven top over the stir-crazy base. So I inquired, he sent the only other one he had and I promised to provide a review! There are a number of pictures here so everyone can see what I'm talking about!

Remove four screws underneath base holding motor in.


Remove the two nuts holding the base together. (I used a 9/32 socket)


A picture of the stirrer in there.


An image of the stirring rod resting on its side. If you can compare to the stock one, you can see how it is identical.


This is the stirring rod standing straight up. The threads are perfect matches to the original, even fitting the stock cap if you wanted to do that for some odd reason! I plan to use a nut and washer to keep everything on there tight.


The bottom cut-out fits the motor perfectly. I had little to no play in the one he sent me, but to be safe you could always use some plumbers tape if wanted.


This is a picture of the stirring rod being set back into the bottom, fitting nicely into the stock cut-outs.


This shows it completely reassembled. The height is perfect and the stock rod holds in place as the original did.


The stirring rod is a direct replacement of the original plastic one and was turned by hand by Sea330 out of aluminum. It is a flawless recreation. I feel this is a very worthy update mainly because I fiddled around with the socket/bolt combination before this. I did get something that worked effectively but it took a good deal of tweaking to get it to that point (finding all the parts, adjusting nut heights, having to add plumbers tape to motor, compensating for play in socket, etc). The time saved makes it worth every penny in my book.

When this arrived, it was as simple as taking the four underside screws off and the two nuts holding the base together. Once off, simply pop it in, bolt it back together and watch it turn as good as the original. Some may see this as unnecessary, but I am completely confident that this part will now outlast the machine itself and be transferred from machine-to-machine in the future. It also alleviates any concerns I have of everything melting! Thanks to Sea330 and hopefully any fellow members with an SC/TO set-up can find this useful. I know he has no plans to make them commercially, but it never hurts to ask nicely

[peter]

My only concern (which may be totally unwarranted) is that the aluminum will transfer heat very well, and could shorten the life of the motor.

Any thoughts on that sea330?

[sea330]

Yes I agree, heat will transfer I only use my S/C for a sample roaster, The max I do is 1 to three loads then I let it cool down. I  never intended for this setup to run in a production type of mode. In the beginning I did run allot of coffee using this method roasting for family and friends but I purchased a  2 Kilo drum roaster used, life is good now, I run a little over 100# a month and what is sweet, it pays for all of my hobby roasting toys and my greens. SC/TO is the best method I have found for learning the roasting process on the cheap with oustanding results.

[sea330]

Thanks Derek for the very nice post, The next batch I make will figure the time it takes to throw them together, I think maybe I could make them a little cheaper by not doing so much machine work and just cut 11/16 round stock to the right length, 1/4 " high temp spacer midway on the coupling, screw them together should eliminate allot of the heat transfer. I found a 40rpm 220 volt ac motor that would fit in the SC enclosure, the specs on the motor torq is much higher then the stock motors that come with the Stir Crazy, the only thing is they have 7mm drive shafts, sure would make it easy to drill the hole in the coupling, square hole is a pain.

Rich

[dlofx]

Thanks Derek for the very nice post, The next batch I make will figure the time it takes to throw them together, I think maybe I could make them a little cheaper by not doing so much machine work and just cut 11/16 round stock to the right length, 1/4 " high temp spacer midway on the coupling, screw them together should eliminate allot of the heat transfer. I found a 40rpm 220 volt ac motor that would fit in the SC enclosure, the specs on the motor torq is much higher then the stock motors that come with the Stir Crazy, the only thing is they have 7mm drive shafts, sure would make it easy to drill the hole in the coupling, square hole is a pain.

Rich

I'm definitely interested in that motor...mainly because I showed a video to my local roaster here (30/30 coffee) and he said the turning speed is more in line with the speed of his cooling tray. That said, I am getting amazing results on this set-up and am super happy for Peter's recommendation when I was previously researching the Behmor. I don't regret the decision at all and it so much easier and I have so much more control than the whirley-pop I was using before.

As for the heat, Peter, I agree that it might not be the perfect solution, but I think that is only a concern if you plan to roast batch after batch. I have been roasting solely what I consume weekly and for that, it is an ideal solution for me. I'll update with some additional photos when I get everything to where I want it for other people to see.

PS: Sea330 Let me know when that check arrives!!

[sea330]

I will let you know when the motor gets in and tested out. I found them little 110 volt to 220 wall worts that they use to convert abroad voltages work well, very cheap, they are good for 100 watts, plenty for what we use them for. The small 110 volt 30 rpms motors that will fit in the S/C enclosure don't have enough torq, so I am hoping the 220 volt ones will work. They advertise anywere from 12 to 25 watt motors, that should be plenty, will see.
Rich