I just bought 12# of hops from Hops Direct and plan to experiment with MAJOR dry hopping. To help submerge them, I bought 2 x 2" chrome steel ball bearings. My question is if anyone knows how E52100 chrome steel does in beer? From what I could find, it should be fine but throwing it out to the group.
Dave
If I recall correctly, two types of metal + acid = battery. So my guess is you’re ok so long as there is no other type of metal in there, and no scratch through the chrome. But I’d wait and see what the resident experts say.
Here’s the link if you want to take a look.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007B2A3VQ/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1
Dave
I weigh my nylon paint bags down with either sanitized marbles or ball bearings (or metal nuts occasionally). I’ve never detected any adverse effects.
I’m not a metallurgical Engineer, but an Engineer, so here foes.
These are made of a Chrome Steel used for ball bearings. The chrome content is 1% or so, and the carbon content is there to make it hard and tough for the high bearing loads.
Stainless has 10% or more Chrome. 304 SS that most of us have in our set ups is 18-20% chrome so the it is “rust free”.
With the lower chrome content it may be best to put one in a glass of beer for a week or whatever length you will dry hop with and see what happens. If it comes out pristine then you are good to go, if you see corrosion then you need a plan B. I use some 304 SS elbows and nipples that are not in use for my dry hop weights. I also have some glass marbles that are also used.
Or you could just skip the weights. I’ve never found them to make enough difference to be worth using.
Jeff, not a bad idea. I’ll give that a try. I should have thought about the piping but just wanted to order something when I bought all the hops!
Dave
FWIW, on the times I use chrome bearings as weights, they come out pristine. I usually use glass marbles though.
Good to know. I’ll report back on the bearings in beer test. Starting today and back from a work trip on Thursday. Perfect timing…
Dave
Weigh the hop bag down with hot stones and make a hoppy steinbier. ;D
OK, beer turned black and so did the bearings. Can I put them in to a zip lock and go that route or was that just a $30 experiment gone awfully wrong??? 
And really glad I posted and got your advice Jeff. That would have ruined a good beer and a lot of hops…
Wow. I’m glad I didn’t use the ones you have, Dave. I’m assuming mine are SS but not chrome plated which would make sense, because that clearly never happened to my beers. Better in a glass of beer than the entire batch though. I’d just go with marbles then . I use 8 or 10 and it’s plenty to sink alot of hops. I dry hop pretty heavily.
Yes, but how did it taste?
Yea, the chrome level is way too low now that I look at it. I’m not giving up though! I’m thinking about setting them in lucite or something similar or wrapping them in WaterWeld.
Dude, it was nasty looking. It smelled like liquid metallic pale ale. :o
Seems like a lot of work for something that has negligible benefit.
Whoa! Like I said not a metallurgist, but thought give it a try in a glass as an experiment just to see. Glad it saved you some angst over ruined beer.
You know me, I like to tinker!
I have one wrapped in water weld curing now. Will try it out when I get home on Thursday. Or maybe I’ll just buy a handful of SS pipe fittings…or marbles.