Congrats on finding a WBP I, they are as scarce as hens teeth.  There are
some instructions in the archives on how to install a switch to turn off the
heating element and use the WBP I to cool down the beans.  In answer to your
question-you can roast great coffee using your WB-I have a HWP and several
WB II's and I's and only use the HWP because it has a chaff collector.  I
still manually control my HWP, using the bean color, first crack and roast
aroma to determine when to stop the roast.  Starting out I would suggest you
roast the same type of bean several times keeping roasting notes (color,
time after first crack, presence or lack of oil on the beans) and most
importantly which roast you liked best.
I sell little or no difference between using a WB I or II and the HWP-just
gotta sweep up some chaff with the WB option.  I am giving my WB's to
friends who are starting to roast their own beans.  Have a friend in Mpls,
MN roasting with his WBP I out of doors to eliminate chaff/smoke from his
house and he is having no problems.

<Snip>
Can
<Snip>
like,
My motive for buying a HWP after using WB2 was ambient temps.  Roasting
outdoors with cold winter winds rushing into the popper wasn't fun.
Roasting indoors with the HWP solved that.  I think the HWP makes a more
consistent roast than the popper, because it handles ambient temps better.
mas

I always roast indoors, started with a WPII, then my wife got me a
HWP.   (The HWP has been used for around 285 roasts, so far.)
The advantages of the HWP are the chaff collector (also reduces visible
smoke), the visibility of the roasting beans and the cooling cycle.
The convenience is worth the money.
I don't think I could tell any difference in beans roasted in the HWP
or the WBPII.
Dave	Westerville, OH		just 25 minutes from SweetMaria's
<Snip>
Can
<Snip>
like,

You can just put the popper in an open cardboard box to control the wind
factor...
Angelo

<Snip>
... or move to Southern California.
mas - San Diego (just 41 hours and 58 minutes to SweetMarias)

On Thu, 28 Dec 2000, Michael Allen Smith wrote:
<Snip>
I've used both for several years -- bottom line for me is:
1. HWP = smaller quantity roasted per batch (1/2 cup). Much more
convenient -- chaff control means I can do it under my range hood without
setting off our smoke detectors. Well, at least not *every* time . . . 
Roast quality is not better or worse than the Poppery, but eyes and ears
and nose are still needed because the dial settings are arbitrary and
give different results with different types of beans.
2. Poppery II and Poppery I (AKA "The Poppery")  Larger quantity (+/- 3/4
cup). Maximum fuss & fun, chaff flying all around, sitting on an ouside
doorstep in the wintertime to keep smoke & chaff out of the house.
Wondering if it will ever reach a high enough temperature on a cold day,
if it is a Poppery II.  The Poppery II is built like a tank and gets more
than hot enough everytime no matter what, thank you very much.  I've never
paid more than $4 at a local thrift shop, but Poppery II's are few & far
between! Just my $0.02, and Season's Best to all, Scott

Chris,
Congrats on your thrift store find.  The thrifts are a great source for all
sorts of coffee stuff.  I found a 1930's Sunbeam Vacuum pot that's not only
gorgeous, we use it every day.
I'm a popcorn popper roaster with no real desire to go
automatic/electronic.  Yes, ambient air temps can be annoying, but dealing
with less than perfect conditions allow you to appreciate the art and skill
of home roasting.  Using familiar beans, I can come up with a pretty
consistent roast, and I generally learn a little from my less consistent
efforts.  I've only thrown away one batch that was just baking in the cold
for too long.  Different poppers roast differently.  I've found that the
Hamilton Beach Popcorn Pumper (tall and white, not short and yellow) will
get to a nice even second crack in under 20 minutes in temperatures in the
30's.  Other poppers have their own roasting profiles.  Pick up a few
different ones and try them, one for hot and one for cold, the extras make
great gifts to not yet roasting friends.
Automatics seem a little more like riding the bus as opposed to blowing
through the desert in the middle of the night.
MJW
P.S.  Here's a link I found to a photo of my Sunbeam:http://www.oldcoffeeroasters.com/images/VacPots/Sunbeam/38%20CoffeeMaster.jpg<Snip>
Michael J. Wolszon
Director, Information Resources
Texas Animal Health Commission
512-719-0773
mwolszon

On Thu, 28 Dec 2000, chris davis wrote:
<Snip>
	> Does anybody know the capacity of a WBPI?  6 ounces is as far as I've pushed 
<Snip>
Here's what I have found works for me, using a modified PopperyII. Turn it
on, fan only.  Pour in beans until they just begin toagitate but no longer
fly around.  Turn on the element.  Shake gently, enough to move the beans
around a bit until they get hot. As they heat up and lose moisture &
weight and gain in volume they agitate nicely without stirring or shaking. 
This will  give a maximum batch for that kind and batch of beans, taking
into account the inevitable different sizes & moisture contents. 
Scott

   >> Did you guys graduate from popcorn poppers and such?  
      Can anybody compare popcorn poppers with electronic 
      roasters?
I'm not sure I've graduated yet, but my past roasting life (some 20 years
and more) has included almost every sort of thing except popcorn poppers -
including the oven (on perforated trays), a wok (using spatulas to keep the
beans moving), a round ball thingie with a turning handle on a rack over a
gas flame, and an early electric roaster called the Melitta AromaRoast
(which does resemble a popcorn popper in most respects but wasn't as
effective as the poppers I see reported here).
Last year I bought a FreshRoast, which seems to me to be the apotheosis of
the popcorn popper - simple and mechnical but with chaff collection; and
about six months ago, I got an Alpenröst, which is the only device I've
owned that could be called even sort of electronic. I still use both of
these.
The most obvious advantage of the Alp over popcorn poppers, the FreshRoast,
and the two Hearthware roasters is volume: it roasts half a pound of green
beans in a batch.
The Alp's longer roasting cycle may also offer some benefit. I like the
FreshRoast, but even after I slow it down a bit, the typical cycle takes
from 5 to 7 minutes or so, and I sometimes get traces of scorched-tasting
coffee combined with an underlying baked taste, suggesting to me that the
beans over-roast on the outside before the interiors are done.
With the Alp, most batches enter first crack at from 12 to 14 minutes and
finish (to full city or just below) at from 16 to 18 minutes, and I rarely
get that unevenly roasted quality.
However, there are other differences. On Sweet Maria's Web site, Tom
suggests that the Alp mutes spicy or winey qualities somewhat compared to
the FR and HW roasters, and it does seem that way. I tend to favor body
over acidity myself, so it's not much of a problem for me. But the way the
Alp tames the rowdiest beans so I can enjoy them might diminish them for
fans of livelier coffee.
So there are differences - probably between any two methods of roasting -
but in the end, yes, we all do seem to spend time listening, sniffing, and
peeking. 
Kathleen

On Thu, 28 Dec 2000, Scott Odell wrote, without stopping to proofread,
alas . . . 
 
<Snip>
Of course it's the Poppery I that's "built like a tank", not the Poppery
II.  I've burnt-out two or three Poppery II's, but the P I just keeps on
keeping on, with nary a problem.  Scott
<Snip>

How do you modify the Poppery II to turn on the fan only?  As I understand it, that model
has a 20V fan and is wired in series with at least one of the heater coils, which "soaks
up" the other 100V from the 120V house current.
The original Poppery (I) had a 120V fan and is very easy to make this mod to.
Are you perhaps confusing the two?
=S
Scott Odell wrote:
<Snip>

In order to have the WBP II to cool only, just pull the II apart-3 screws
and you will see the wires-you need to put a switch between the heater
element and the load line and wire the fan motor directly to the hot side in
front of the switch you use to cut off the heater.  By the way-there are 2
different WBP II models-one has a fan that will barely move the green beans
around.  If you have this one-you will have to manually stir the beans to
keep them moving till enough moisture is driven off and they will move on
their own.  The "better" WBP II model acts just like my WBP I-sounds the
same and really moves the beans around.  The better model of the WBP II has
the "Poppery II" label printed in larger white letters versus yellow for the
"underpowered" Poppery II.

You're right, that was a typo - after fussing around with several of the
later WB models I would not bother with anything but a Poppery I, with
it's easily modified circuitry and hefty 1500 watt element. 
The other modification I like is to discard the original hood & butter
dish and cram a tin can of appropriate diameter (with both ends
removed)into the top of the roasting chamber.  As noted elsewhere this
chimney gives enough headroom to keep the beans from flying away with the
chaff.  I also drilled a hole right through the plastic side and on into
the heating chamber, drill-sized to accept the stem of one of
the Pelouze thermometers which Tom sells.  Not essential, but it's
reassuring to be able to monitor the temperature. Nothing original here -
I think this all resides in the archives in more detail.
Scott Odell
On Thu, 28 Dec 2000, Spencer W. Thomas wrote:
<Snip>
understand it, that model
<Snip>
<>. Turn it
<Snip>

 
Hello,
I'm a relatively new home roaster.  I bought a Fresh Roast roaster last fall 
and used it up until last week when I found a WB Poppery I at the thrift 
shop (on my first try!).
In reading the e-mails on this list for the last few days, it seems like 
everyone uses electronic roasters.
I'm wondering if the electronic roasters really improve the roast over 
popcorn poppers.  Did you guys graduate from popcorn poppers and such?  Can 
anybody compare popcorn poppers with electronic roasters?   It sounds like, 
with the electronic roasters, you still listen, watch and smell to determine 
when the roast is done.  What do the electronics in the electronic roasters 
do?
Thanks,
Chris

 
I did find all those wonderful directions for modifying the WBI.  That's why 
we call it FrankenRoaster now!  It's got the extra switch, a can, and a 
thermometer.
It also has my personal modification:  The chaff collector from my Fresh 
Roast fits perfectly into the top of my chimney can.  It's catching the 
chaff for me on the Poppery, though a little still escapes via cuts in the 
can.
I have to roast outside, so I'm not too sure notes will help.  The temp 
varies widely every day where I live, so every batch will be an adventure!  
My last roast was outside in 40F weather.  The WB heated up to 430 - 440F 
before it peaked.  My first roast was indoors.  The fire truck came.  No 
fire, but roasting 6 ounces sure puts out a lot more smoke than the 2 ounces 
in a Fresh Roast! hehe
Does anybody know the capacity of a WBPI?  6 ounces is as far as I've pushed 
it.  I don't want to ruin 7 or 8 ounces trying more, though...
<Snip>

Your tag-line gave me some good chuckles this evening...very good!
Coffenut  :^)
<Snip>

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or
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in
<Snip>
already
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compromise
<Snip>
and
<Snip>
like
<Snip>
will
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The truth {above} has been spoken! - Steve

(This is my second-ever post)
A few weeks back I decided on a lark to try a drum roaster setup that  
I saw at various places on ebay. I purchased a never-used Ronco  
Showtime 4000 rotisserie for $105 plus a roasting drum for $45, both  
on ebay. While I'm still learning how to use it well, it does a great  
job on up to a pound of greens. Very even roast, takes about 30  
minutes for a Vienna-French level, and it sure beats cranking a  
stovetop popper out in the rain here on the redwood coast of  
California. I also bought a small fan ($20)that I set in front of the  
rotisserie to send the smoke out of the garage.
Now I've got to start overdosing on those glorious varietals.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Russ Green

Sounds like you're having fun and enjoying the coffee, which is the bottom
line. You might want to figure out a way to increase/augment heat, 30
minutes is pretty long roast and likely to make a fairly flat roast.
(killing a beans acidic characteristics) 
Kona Konnaisseur miKe mcKoffee
URL to Rosto mods, FrankenFormer, some recipes etc:http://mdmint.home.comcast.net/coffee/Rosto_mod.htmUltimately the quest for Koffee Nirvana is a solitary path. To know I must
first not know. And in knowing know I know not. Each Personal enlightenment
found exploring the many divergent foot steps of Those who have gone before.
www.MDMProperties.net 
<Snip>