Anyone know where to find a clear/see through lid for a bucket. I hate not being able to see what is going on inside my bucket... especially when I have a sour in there. Before you all tell me to get a carboy, I have a carboy with a Lambic in it, and 2 Better Bottles fermenting away right now, as well as a plastic conical with a Brett Blonde in it (saran wrap on top so I can see in), and only had the bucket empty for the current batch. I was thinking about cutting a hole in a lid and epoxying a piece of plexi-glass over it, but some people say that "glues" won't adhere to HDPE. Thoughts? Thanks.
I wouldn't go there. trying to epoxy something together would just lead to lots of cracks and crevasses that won't get cleaned for future batches. I really think by the time you spend buying glues and adding up your time you'd be better off with a, well, better bottle They're worth $25. Saran wrap sounds like it would be too thin, unless you use several layers. In this you lose your visibility. Maybe a cut of glass with a weight on top to hold it to the lid. Personally, I would have this end poorly with broken glass in my beer.
you won't find clear HDPE. US Plastics does not have any clear buckets or lids either, and i will go out on a limb and suggest that if they don't have it, it does not exist. if you look hard enough you might be able to find a specialty plastic bucket that is clear, but i doubt it will be standard 5 gallon. and you can guarantee it will be a fortune. you really do need another carboy. saves alot of headache. cutting and gluing ain't gonna work. special glue is needed and even then if the plastics are not compatible it won't work. Cheers.
Sanitation will be a concern, but the major problem I forsee is oxygen permeability. The epoxy and plexi glass will likely let in more oxygen than you'd want, especially if you're going to be keeping a sour in there for awhile.
