Rocquette Roaster Build

Brett_H

Cool... Take lots of pictures!!

galumay

Well here is a picture of my new 450mm sieve for the bean cooler, I realised I needed a bigger capacity for the Rocquette and some 'back of the envelope' calculations of cylindrical volume suggested the 400mm diameter ones wouldnt be big enough, took a bit to find a 450mm one but this looks very nicely made and should suit the task perfectly. [attachimg=1 width=700]

Brett_H

Nice...

bcspark

galumay wrote:

Well here is a picture of my new 450mm sieve for the bean cooler, I realised I needed a bigger capacity for the Rocquette and some 'back of the envelope' calculations of cylindrical volume suggested the 400mm diameter ones wouldnt be big enough, took a bit to find a 450mm one but this looks very nicely made and should suit the task perfectly. [attachimg=1 width=700]I use a stack of two metal sieves 5mm&2.5mm .These were found onsite in mining supplies and are used for fossiking. The reason for two is the 5mm lets the residual chaff through but no normal beans.The 2.5mm catches 90%of chaff and the small and broken beans

Koffee_Kosmo

Galumay and I were discussing the merits of larger roasters well before this project got under way and in the end I suggested and was decided to build a fluid bed roaster from some drawings I had from way back in 2009 / 10 but Im not sure if the drawings have since been refined in any way ? Are you using the blueprint plans I drew up or have you made changes ? My ideas also came from Roaster Rob originaly - so I need to acknowledge that fact KK

galumay

Koffee Kosmo wrote:

Galumay and I were discussing the merits of larger roasters well before this project got under way and in the end I suggested and was decided to build a fluid bed roaster from some drawings I had from way back in 2009 / 10 but Im not sure if the drawings have since been refined in any way ? Are you using the blueprint plans I drew up or have you made changes ? My ideas also came from Roaster Rob originaly - so I need to acknowledge that fact KK

I have modified some aspects of Roaster Rob's original plans, mainly to allow a dump valve set up for roasted beans to bean cooler and a feed valve to allow loading from a hopper. I managed to stalk Rob online and ended up being in contact via Skype so he is helping me with any queries as I go. The critical elements of his original design are the perforated plate specs and the overall dimensions of the different parts of the roaster for the targeted capacity.

Brett_H

Brillant!! It's an amazing design... Can't wait to see it in action! These home roasters are excellent vehicles for er.... home roasters....

galumay

The basic fabrication is now basically complete, should get the Rocquette home in the next couple of weeks for final assembly and then testing! Photos will obviously follow when it arrives!

Koffee_Kosmo

Yes I am waiting to see how it comes together for you Thanks for keeping us in the loop KK

galumay

Ok, after several months of teasing, here is the first photo of the beast! Its far from complete, but the basics have been fabbed and we will do the rest at home.

Koffee_Kosmo

galumay wrote:

Ok, after several months of teasing, here is the first photo of the beast! Its far from complete, but the basics have been fabbed and we will do the rest at home.

I am keen to see what this baby can do It also looks like a totem pole art sculpture ??? KK

Brett_H

Very cool!!

galumay

Well its been 9 months in the making, but we are nearly there!! click here for video

Koffee_Kosmo

:thumb: I am very happy that you have made forward progress Keep the updates coming KK

galumay

Yes, got there in the end KK! Gawd knows I need it, picked up another customer this week and the poor old KKTO runs flat out for 8 hours one day per week just to keep up with the basic orders! Hopefully will fire up the gas tomorrow and all being well we may get the first roast out of it!

Koffee_Kosmo

galumay wrote:

Yes, got there in the end KK! Gawd knows I need it, picked up another customer this week and the poor old KKTO runs flat out for 8 hours one day per week just to keep up with the basic orders! Hopefully will fire up the gas tomorrow and all being well we may get the first roast out of it!

That KKTO has kept up with your demand without complaint - worth every cent you paid for it (if I do say so myself) Let's hope I haven't let you down by recommending this new roaster design KK

galumay

That is very true KK, but at the end of the day if the Rocquette can do 2.5kg in 15 mins or so it will be 4 times faster than the KKTO - and that is a direct impact on my hourly rate. I think you steered me on exactly the right course, the alternative was spending $15-20k on a commercial roaster - not to mention the enjoyment the project has brought to everyone involved!

Brett_H

Brilliant stuff! I'm pretty sure Dominion in Townsville uses or at least used a similar roaster with terrific results!

askthecoffeeguy

looks like a great design I'd like to see some detailed photos - my brother is a boiler maker I want to chat to him about building something similar!

galumay

I will take some detailed pics, there are some things that we can improve on, but it is functional as is, I roasted 10kg on it yesterday. I expected to sacrifice some batches but the very first roast on it looks fine. I will do some blind tasting when it de-gasses a bit. I also have RoasterRobs drawings which were largely the basis we used for construction.