Charlottesville Area Masters of Real Ale

Hey All,
Do any of you use a mesh bag, hop stopper, or Bazooka screen? I'm hoping to attach something to the inside of my kettle to filter whole hops and other chunky gunk--any ideas or recommendations?

I use a reusable nylon mesh bag for my hops.  It's big enough that it will hold whatever hop quantity you are using, whole leaf or pellet.  And the mesh is fine enough that I don't really find hops escaping.  Then after cooling the wort, I dump it through an 8" funnel into my carboy.  The funnel has a removable screen (very fine mesh) that does a fantastic job of removing even fine particles that I wouldn't expect a screen to catch.  I got my funnel from Maryland Homebrew Warehouse.  I see now that they also have 12" funnels, but the 8" one has worked well for me. 

My methodolgy is the same as Spidey's.  I use bags for hops and a funnel with a screen after cooling.

I have a SureScreen you can check out (that almost never use) if you want.  Lemme know.  But you can't use it over plastic tubing, canes, etc. 

I use one of these ...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xFxuooOKe4o

.... for whole hops. Takes 2 minutes to make and it doesn't really constrict the movement of the hops through the wort.

Pellet hops I just toss in and suck em up along with everything else through the racking cane.  It's so much simpler to clear that mess out in the secondary.  Whole hops on the other hand gobble up wort and clog everything up.

For pellet: I have something very similar to this, but I found that the PVC pipe kept getting in the way. Mine is made from copper pipe hangers, a (CLEAN!) toilet flange and some chain. I use a 5 gallon paint strainer secured to the flange with a pipe clamp. The length of the chain allows most of the bag to be submerged in the wort - allowing for a good amount of room for the hops to roll around in. Here's a photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyftp/1166485399/in/set-72157601534699592/

For flower: I use a few lengths of braided hose from a washing machine supply line. I pulled out the rubber insides and then attached the ends to a copper manifold I made. Works like a charm and cleanup is a snap! Here's a photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyftp/319197433/in/set-72157594414590652/