T500 alike build

[virge]

Hello, I am new to this forum. Now that I have more spare time, I decided to buy some 2" copper tube and start to experiment with building reflux stills. I will build a Boka at a later stage once I am cofident I can make the reflux coil and get hold of a needle valve.
For now I started making a T500 alike, coil and all.
I made 500g copper saddles from 15mm copper pipe but I feel they are too heavy.
I would like to buy T500 stainless steel saddles which are in fact Pall rings but the South African importer never has stock.
Can anybody give the size of the T500 stainless steel saddles, it is a cylinder shaped saddle and I would like to know the lenght and diameter in mm please. I found a Chinese manufacturer who sell samples in 1 KG bags and I need the size to be able to order them.
Thanks

[RC Al]

SS Scrubbers have been proven to be better by litteraly hundreds of accounts on the forums, dont bother? Ditto on copper mesh. Scoria is another option that will do better than the saddles.

Maybe consider the Boka or a ccvm - as tall as will fit in your stilling area. Whilst the t500 is touted as a good starting place, an actual 100% clone without many modifications is a waste of good materials and time in my book, it is a vm still with a liebig condenser, have a good read up again before going too much further

A coil wont be hard, use a former and ensure that the pipe is annealed decently, possibly again if a section work hardens as you go

[Professor Green]

:text-+1:

Scrubbers and some copper mesh rather than homemade copper saddles is a far better way to go.

You are definitely better of going straight to the boka. You'll be making a coiled condenser for the T500 clone anyway.

[virge]

Thanks for advice. I bought 2m of 2" copper pipe and I split it in 3 pieces, one 30cm for the coil and plates for the boka, one 1m for the packing column for the boka, one 60 cm to experiment with and I have one 10cm piece left for the boka plates.
I never brazed or soldered copper tubes before and I never made copper tube coils. I downoaded instructions for coils making but I ended up with kinked coils near the end so I gave up and decided to play with the T500 style. I will continue later with the boka.
Because I did not want to use brass in the vapour path I decided to make a curved bend on the coil water input in order to get rid of the brass elbow. Now I have this curved 1/4" tube in the way and I am not sure I can slide inside copper mesh or SS scourers for more than 20 cm. This is why I want to use for the rest the original T500 SS saddles. Because of the weight of the saddles, the copper mesh or scourers might not be enough to keep the saddles in place and I might have to find a way to keep them from dropping in the boiler.

[virge]

:text-+1:

Scrubbers and some copper mesh rather than homemade copper saddles is a far better way to go.

You are definitely better of going straight to the boka. You'll be making a coiled condenser for the T500 clone anyway.

Thanks Professor, I do have both copper mesh and SS scourers but I want to test this T500 copy which I already made.

[virge]

I was convinced I had good stainless steel scrubbers. I have searched around and it was the only place I found and bought 12 of them. Check the magnet sticking on them. What do you think?

[scythe]

304 stainless is magnetic.
304 stainless is also known as 18/8 stainless and is what cutlery is generally made of.
316 stainless is not magnetic, also known as "marine grade".

Soak 1 scrubber in soapy water and rinse it with clean tap water, leave it damp somewhere and see if it rises in a day or 2.
If it does then ditch them and find something else.

[RC Al]

The process of being spun off a lathe can also imbue magnetism

[virge]

Thanks guys, I was about to throw them away. You saved my life.
With nobody giving me the size of the T500 Pall Rings I can not order them from China and the scrubbers were the only way to pack the column.
I will definitely do the rust test.
My first ever sugar wash (WPOSW) is bubbling away and will be ready in about a week. I will do a first run with some 10L of mixed wine I had around.

[scythe]

You don't need the exact size that the t500 uses, I would probably go smaller anyway so that you get more surface area.
Just have them big enough that they can't fall through the retaining plate.

[virge]

Thanks Scythe,

Yes you are right but I just wanted to get an idea. Probably 6mm would do. I do not have a retaining plate but even if I find it necessary I will have a roll of copper mesh above it.
I tested the copper saddles I made from 15mm copper pipe cut in 10 mm pieces and split in 3. I made about 600g and they just cover the coil. I found that they are a bit too long and probably I have to cut them in 5 mm pieces. In this case I am worried I will have to make more of them. I found that I have to shake the tube a bit to get them out.

[virge]

I just finished this baby, vinegar run done. Now ready for the first spirit run.
It is packed with copper saddles to cover the coil, then stainless steel scrubbers and finally copper mesh.