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Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:20 amby filb
Hi all i still have a cranky still i got duped on from ebay sadly .
although i have had it all resoldered with lead free solder by a buddy i havent gotten around to buying a new still just yet finances y'know.
question is can i still use the still without the packing as a pot still and maybe make up a worm for it an cool it that way or just cool it using the cooling ports on the colunm
is this still capable of doing very much it does produce the 95% neutral the guy said it would when packed I haven't used it as a pot just yet and just want to know if it could be .
untill finance allows me to get something else.
i had it resoldered after reading on here that the solder had lead in it but never thought of using it for parts at the time
any help or suggestions welcomed cheers :text-imwithstupid:
Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:25 amby P3T3rPan
Pics would help
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:18 amby filb
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/REFLUX-ALCOH ... 1c3f88efacIts one of these :angry-banghead:
BACK TO THE STILL HEAD
DIMENTIONAL & FURTHER DETAILS
The reflux tower is approx 550mm in height
and is made of 32mm diameter copper pipe
The outer (water jacket) is 50mm copper pipe
The water inlet & outlets are ½” rigid copper
The condenser unit is over 1 meter
of coiled 3/8”annealed copper tube
in a 50mm jacket
All joints are brazed and or
soldered (LEAD FREE) to ensure strength
and a proper durable seal
As per the add he has put on ebay
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:49 amby filb
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Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:04 amby ekul
I'm not sure how true it is but i've read that those stills contain lead solder.
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 11:56 amby Kimbo
Hi filb,
If you can find a way to take the packing out then you should be able to run it as a potstill mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:
* Note: Some butchering may be required
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 12:38 pmby rickyd
Giday mate
Is the rig the all copper one from ebay guy copper still man
copper.jpg
who calls himself cranky old bastard ?
if its a reflux all you need to do is get all the packing out and hazzar you will have a pot still
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:03 pmby filb
Thats the rig and i have removed all the packing.
so i can use this bad boy as a pot still and just use the cooling ports on it and don't need to make a worm?
are these stills as bad as other people have said? Like i wrote in op i have had it all resoldered with lead free solder just in case it did have lead solder
but is it an effeicent reflux still or a p.o.s still best used as a pot still? :text-imwithstupid:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 3:57 pmby rickyd
filb wrote:Thats the rig and i have removed all the packing.
so i can use this bad boy as a pot still and just use the cooling ports on it and don't need to make a worm?
are these stills as bad as other people have said? Like i wrote in op i have had it all resoldered with lead free solder just in case it did have lead solder
but is it an effeicent reflux still or a p.o.s still best used as a pot still? :text-imwithstupid:
I guess I don't know that many people I heard these ones are good I was just about to buy one as I need another reflux. I personally love the reflux still as I make mostly neutrals which I then flavour with chocolate or cake flavourings colors etc I will now hold off till I hear more about them
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:07 pmby rickyd
filb wrote:Thats the rig and i have removed all the packing.
so i can use this bad boy as a pot still and just use the cooling ports on it and don't need to make a worm?
are these stills as bad as other people have said? Like i wrote in op i have had it all resoldered with lead free solder just in case it did have lead solder
but is it an effeicent reflux still or a p.o.s still best used as a pot still? :text-imwithstupid:
sorry I only answered part of your question yes you could use it as a pot still not sure on if u need a coil but they work perfect as a reflux as ling as you are r running it right u shld get into the 90% range to make neutral spirits I also make a lot of wood chip drinks my jack d soaks on 100 g of jack Daniels chips from the barrels before flavouring and it comes out great . All the feedback I have heard about them is that they are ok work well as reflux etc I am waiting to speak with mac before I decide which one to get
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 4:09 pmby Kimbo
If you have replaced all the solder, then you should be fine ;-)
the other down side to these is that they are very slow..... you will grow out of it in no time at all.
you are much better off getting something a little more modular which you can add to later on if you like and not have to get rid of the original still :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 5:45 pmby filb
OK cool let me know what mac says as i to would like to know if it's ok for now.
Ill keep using it .it is a bit slow but i quess with some time spent using it ill get used to it and learning how to control it properly and if it's controllable at all.
y'never know it might just be able to be modified to work better someone on here would more than likley know how to make this a better still with only a little modifying or the addition of something thats what this forum is all about and it is a great help to those of us who really don't know a great deal about all of these things ^:)^
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 6:00 pmby MacStill
filb wrote:OK cool let me know what mac says as i to would like to know if it's ok for now.
http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4010&p=66633#p66944MacStill wrote:It's so busy here lately and one slipped through :angry-banghead:
There are things you can do to that rig to improve it dramatically, my first choice would be to throw it under a road train and celebrate :D
My second choice involves an axe and a sledge hammer.
I hope this helps :teasing-tease:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:13 pmby filb
thanks mac i have had it a while now and haven't really used it my buddy and i are using his turbo 500 and the cranky went into the shed
mate has moved to W.A now working in the mines and all i have is the "cranky" he took his t500 with him
i now have 3 40ltr fermenters full of wash and only the cranky to run them through fingers crossed i hoped there was something i could do with what i had
might just run as a pot still with no packing in it and cross everything it doesn't turn out to bad :text-imwithstupid:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:22 pmby MacStill
Just run it as a pot still if it's all you have, they're a temperamental thing to run as a refluxer for anything decently close to neutral.
The problem with these is the design, the whole 1" column is covered by the 2" water jacket making controlling coolant flow while maintaining steady column temps terribly painful :handgestures-thumbdown:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:44 pmby filb
Tell me about it .It does stabilize its temp for a little while maybe an hour or so but after that it's a bugger to keep a steady temp
so if i run it as a pot still roughly what temp should i try to run at. or should i just run it hard and fast and strip the 3 washes and then do a slow spirit run? :text-thankyoublue:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:50 pmby Kimbo
When running in pot still mode, you dont need to worry about temps. as long as your coolant is condensing the vapour.
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:20 pmby filb
cool thanks kimbo and mac and all that have replied
is there anything i could use at all to make this still a little more controlable in reflux mode such as a ball valve or needle valve if so where exactly could it be put?
I am going to run this as a pot untill i get a bit more of an understanding .
reading page after page of this forum does get a little confusing and i usually need to see something or watch it to get my head around it properly :text-imwithstupid:
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:28 pmby rickyd
filb wrote:Tell me about it .It does stabilize its temp for a little while maybe an hour or so but after that it's a bugger to keep a steady temp
so if i run it as a pot still roughly what temp should i try to run at. or should i just run it hard and fast and strip the 3 washes and then do a slow spirit run? :text-thankyoublue:
No need to monitor the temp if you running it as a pot still just as long as it cools enough to cool the vapour back to liquid I would ditch the jacket and run a copper coil up there u will get it steady then you could also do that to turn it into a decent reflux as well because it will stop the whole column cooling
Re: Cranky still
Posted:
Fri Apr 25, 2014 8:34 pmby rickyd
MacStill wrote:Just run it as a pot still if it's all you have, they're a temperamental thing to run as a refluxer for anything decently close to neutral.
The problem with these is the design, the whole 1" column is covered by the 2" water jacket making controlling coolant flow while maintaining steady column temps terribly painful :handgestures-thumbdown:
MAC would you be so kind as to unlock the rest of the board for me I cant answer the private messages I have nor buy something from buy and sell.
Please and thank you