Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Copper is only tricky to tap if your tap is blunt or no tapping fluid.
Copper is a sticky, as far as metals can be, and soft metal.
Sharp taps solve alot of issues people have with it.
Also if it has been work hardened it will be easier to tap.

Just dont think that you can reef on the bolts when doing them up or you will strip the threads right out.

Thanks for the tip mate, that's pretty much what I'm reading.

The threads won't be structural obviously, I'm not going to need much pressure to hold the seal :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I scored a piece of 2" out of the scrap bin with a 90° silver soldered onto the end. Obviously my little MAPP torch doesn't have enough grunt to desolder it, so today at work I hit it with the oxy :handgestures-thumbupleft:

It still has 150mm hanging out of one end to mate up to the blockhead, and I'll soft solder the PC straight into the (now empty) side. Going to hard solder the PC internals in so I don't fuck them up in this whole operation. I'll probably chuck a thermometer in the top as well, for shits and giggles.

It's not much, but it is 5 minutes closer to completion!

Was in the mood for a bit of hard soldering today so I finished my downcomers and the blockhead > PC section as seen above.

Hey Zac what are you brazing on there,
i use a pizza stone which has seen better days and doesnt like brazing heat. I need something cheap that doesnt take the heat away or crack. any tips, cheap paver from bunnings perhaps?

This is just a spare paver mate, seems to handle it fine... And it doubles as a sander to flatten the flanges once they're soldered :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I need to order a flat seal for the join, but it looks alright. I'm going to run a thermometer just to the left of the elbow, too.

Got the flanges on my 4th plate section this morning and mocked up the column. Pisa rings a bell! Will be putting some work in levelling this rig up before I get the SG's on!

Zak Griffin wrote: Pisa rings a bell!

I know not what you speak of :teasing-tease: :D

dogbreath vodka wrote:

Zak Griffin wrote: Pisa rings a bell!

I know not what you speak of :teasing-tease: :D

Me too :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I think it's only one module that I'll have to redo the flange on, the rest should come good with a sand. I hope :think:

not flat or solder flowed underneath?

Bit of both. I'll get the spirit level out and see what I can do.

I just made 2 up myself, hammered that is on concrete. Bout to go solder them up. will see if i get same problem.

One way i stop solder running under is i make sure i use a good serving of flux, liquid, and just before i solder i get a dry rag and wipe the bottom of the ring and the surface im soldering on to remove flux there to stop it from flowing there. Although if you add too much solder it will flow too. I also tap them down im place.

Today was a good day!

I cruised up the hill today and caught up with Bryan and got a bit done on the Heart of Gold :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The master at work;

The biggest job for the day was to get the boiler TIGged up.





3" SSG fill port, 1/2" thermo port, 1" element socket, 1" drain and some legs. It comes in at just under 600mm to the top of the still port :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Also had a box of goodies rock up today from an incredibly helpful member. A 500mm 2" with a flared end for the PC, a couple of 2"-1" reducers for the PC and parrot and a couple of 3" bits for later.

And the boiler in its home... 1500mm of headroom to go!

Zak Griffin wrote:got a bit done on the Heart of Gold

Looks nothing like a running shoe

That's the Infinite Improbability Drive at work :-B

Hope you don't have to distill in there.
Unless you have one big ass vent/extraction unit. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :D

It'll be nice and cosy in there in winter, in summer I'll drag it outside :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Even better, I just moved into an all expenses paid rental for work, so now I can finish building this rig and start running it while I'm away at work and turn the little shed at home into an ageing cupboard! :music-deathmetal:

That's more like it!
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: