Fattie piston

[383inTheD]

I've had my MAK for 3 months now and sad to say I haven't made myself a fattie piston yet. So this weekend I plan to change that and following the directions (Cowgirl's Country Life: How to Make a Fattie (Fatty) Piston) provided by cowgirl I'll succeed.

One question I'd like to ask those who've made a piston, what material did you use for the "food friendly plastic disc to fit the inside of the 2" diameter piece."?

 

[nepas]

I used sched 40 pvc 2" ID and cut 8" long. Sanded and took off all cut burrs.

For the packer i am using a LEM jerky gun pusher.

I have a friend that is a Tool & Die maker who teaches in Canada. He is going to make me a fatty piston and ram out of stainless steel with an air vent to eliminate any air pockets in the fatty.

 

[TentHunter]

Another related question for Jeanie:

I've seen your How to make a Fattie Piston web page. But what did you use to fasten (or glue) the pieces together? Is the standard glue food safe or is the a special glue for the Schedule 40 potable-water-safe PVC?

 

[cowgirl]

Dan, here's another pic of the piston.. (you've probably already seen this) Cowgirl's Country Life: Fried Potato and Ham Smoked Fattie
Some people have been attaching pvc caps (like the one I use) to BOTH ends of the piston rod and just using the cap to push the fill out onto the meat.
I think it works OK but doesn't quite give it a full seal.... I'm not sure if the caps are a very tight fit inside the 2" diameter pipe. This leaves food inside of the tube.
Any food grade plastic will work... a plastic lid cut to size... you can cut out two discs if needed for strength and just glue them together.
Good luck with it!

Cliff I used a heavy duty glue... the inside of the disc does not come into contact with food. It's safe to throw into the dishwasher too.