New puck idea

TomG · December 18, 2005, 02:02:04 AM

Iceman, It's the the main ingredient in jello. The Knox brand is found in almost any food market.

TomG · December 18, 2005, 02:04:50 AM

How about egg white?[}:)]

Malcolm Eade · December 20, 2005, 12:24:56 PM

Hi All
I have read with some interest the posts and replies on puck making.
As I am new to all this and some has been over my head but the more I read the more I learn.
What I would like to ask is what is the binding agent and has any one tried it ???

I have oak sawdust and chips a plenty. I produce about 2 ton a week all English oak and to buy the ready made pucks is a bit of a sore point. So How can I make my own.

If any one would like free Oak Chips you are most welcome to come and help yourself. I am base in Shropshire.

Oldman · December 20, 2005, 01:50:57 PM

I would guess to say that it will take a little more than non-flavored gelatine and a mold to make a successful puck. Put some of the Bradley wood pieces under a low power microscope. Then look at your saw dust. Next Oak is a hard wood, but if you take a couple of piece of the Bradley Oak and bite down on it you will find that it is not really hard. It is more like a sponge in that you can easily compress it.

Perhaps this comes from the wood being soaked in gelatine or perhaps Bradley has a method of "opening" up the wood. This might be something as simply a soaking the wood in water. Then speed drying it, and then re-soaking/ drying. Again, without a doubt the Bradley pieces are not hard but quite compressible.

I believe it is this expanse in the structure of the wood that allows for a complete even burn within the 20 minute cycle. I base this on this my observations that when the Bradley puck is through burning there is no more ash on the bottom of the puck then the top. If someone turned it upside down without you looking other than the leading edge you could not tell which side had been against the burner.

It will be interesting to see which member here can create a successful puck. It will further be interesting to see it done in a timely manner to justify the labor verse the monies spent on a Bradley puck. Personally I will just stick with the Bradley puck. Maybe one day he will create on made out of citrus wood. [:D]

Olds

liquid25 · December 20, 2005, 04:36:15 PM

I'm glad people are working on making pucks. I also plan on figuring this out. I'm sure that Bradley isn't happy. They've figured out a way to turn 20 cents of product into $15. It's the same with jerky seasonings - take 10 cents worth of salt, 10 cents worth of spices, mix them up and they are worth 5 bucks. That being said, Bradley makes great products but I think the pucks are a bit overpriced.

jb9 · December 21, 2005, 04:43:47 PM

Interesting reading. I'm working on a new version of a puck design. I'll try to get details up later today.

I wonder if they have a process of steaming the wood that causes some of those changes. It's probably pretty simple, whatever it is.

Probably an important thing to remember is the pucks don't have to look like original bradley pucks, they only have to make enough smoke without excessive ash.

As a side note, I can see how Bradley wouldn't be too excited about such a thing, but you have to expect a bit of that to happen when you make all your profit on consumables. I work for a gigantic, multinational IT solutions provider and last I heard, about 60% of our profit comes from ink cartridges. If there was no reman/refill market we'd make more, but we do fine the way it is.

BigSmoker · December 21, 2005, 10:46:18 PM

I want whiskey barrel pucks[:D].

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

Thunder Fish · December 22, 2005, 12:41:44 AM

I would like diamond willow please! [:p] [:p] [:p]

JJC · December 22, 2005, 01:14:39 AM

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BigSmoker
 I want whiskey barrel pucks[:D].

Jeff

Some say BBQ is in your blood, if thats true my blood must be BBQ sauce.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I second that!!!

John
Newton MA

headgames · December 22, 2005, 06:35:33 AM

Iam currently making my own pucks . have not bought pucks since my first batch of 60. I am fortunae in the fact I have some wood working tools and most machining tools at work . I started with OAK saw dust and hydralicly compressing it worked just o usable but only with in 6 hours as I found oak once compressed eventualy expands back some . I currently am runing green apple wood through the wood jointer letting it dry for a month then sending through my old meat grinder for consistant small chips then into my hydralic compresser . very very good pucks now . currently have hicory drying . once I have my wood chips made I can turn out about a puck a minute in the press.. a lot of time yes .worth selling to others . no . but to me worth the effort for personal use . I do not use any binders .and it dont seem to work damp.and I get a full burn... I was planning on sending OLDS some free samples of my apple wood after christmas when he lets me know how the Ts13101 control is going to last in Norberts rig . later

If ya go home hungry.........You were at the WRONG HOUSE !

TomG · December 22, 2005, 04:32:10 PM

Good show Headgames. How much pressure are you using and do you have any idea how much each puck weighs?

-Tom-

headgames · December 23, 2005, 03:09:08 AM

damn never thought about weighing them . will check when I get back to the states . but I am compressing about 1 1/2 inches of chips in 1/2 inch . and there is no pressure gauge on the hydralic ram . which is on the side of a exhaust bending machine . Its the ram used for expanding the tubing to a larger size. only comment I can make is they are SOLID but they fully burn.[:D]

If ya go home hungry.........You were at the WRONG HOUSE !