3" ss/copper build

[rash]

Hey, thought I would post up my build. nothing fancy and learning as I go.
current still is a very small pot head on an 8ltr boiler. So running a 23ltr molasses ferment has always been a long drawn out process, especially while trying to control the puking! :handgestures-thumbdown:
first stop was the demolition yard. apparently they don't keep copper as it is worth more to them to scrap it..... so found a bit of ex-hospital equipment in the form of a 3" ss column with t sections on it :handgestures-thumbupleft:
also checked out their ss sink collection and found one that one had a 2" copper s-trap hanging of the bottom of it. after a bit of wriggling, it fell off and I took them home to start my build.

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after a bit of searching, had to go to the local plumbing shop for the rest of my copper.... ouch
1mtr 2"
2.5mtr 1/2"
1/2mtr 3/4"
2mtr 1/4"
also bought map gas torch, silver solder rods and some lead free solder.

cut up my ss column to reconfigure and knocked up the pc shotty. 500mm long with 5x1/2" tubes.

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soldered on my easy flanges today and hammered out a dome shape from some flattened copper to finish off the bottom of the shotty. put a hole in it and silver soldered a bit of 1/2" to it. will leak test soon and solder it on.

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and that is where I am at now. still have to organise some tri clamps and ferules. make a rc and decide wether to go perf plates or bubble caps. prob looking at 4 plates all up. oh yeah, gotta build a boiler too. this may take a while.

any constructive criticism welcome!
Ash

[hillzabilly]

Love the shotty part but donot quite see were ya going with the SS colomn,pot still for now and bubbler in the future I presume.Will be very interested ta see what ya come up with the boiler,shall be a special one of a kind me thinks,build away.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rash]

Love the shotty part but donot quite see were ya going with the SS colomn,pot still for now and bubbler in the future I presume.Will be very interested ta see what ya come up with the boiler,shall be a special one of a kind me thinks,build away.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

thanks mate, the ss column will have a 4 plate tree arrangement with sight glasses for 1st and 4th plate.

[Sam.]

Do you know what the hospital used that gear for? :think:

[rash]

Do you know what the hospital used that gear for? :think:

Not sure.... but being hospital grade, it should not be hard to sterilise. Had a fluro tube running through it and was all spotless clean when i found it......
Ash

[rash]

Actually, after a quick google search, going off the stickers it had on it, it is a uv water sterilizer . Commonly used for sterilizing rain water after coming out of storage tanks. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Sam.]

Cool that sounds better than pumping some sort of bio hazard waste :D

[Azza76]

Actually, after a quick google search, going off the stickers it had on it, it is a uv water sterilizer . Commonly used for sterilizing rain water after coming out of storage tanks. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

On the money there mate they are used to kill bacteria in hot water circulation systems :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rash]

Cool, all safe. Nothing wrong with a bit of bio hazard though.... :mrgreen:
Leak tested the shotty this arvo and stayed dry. Started to solder the bottom on and ran out of solder.
Next step is to start on the rc. Time to start shopping for tri clamps too.

[Zak Griffin]

Good stuff mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Five Star Distilling have all of the clamps and seals you want

[rash]

picked up some more solder and finished pc shotty.

Good stuff mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Five Star Distilling have all of the clamps and seals you want

cool, have just sent through an enquiry :D

might have to get polishing while I collect the next bits.

Ash

[rash]

thanks to Sue at 5*, I now have clamps and ferrules! Thanks Sue! :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Also got a dial thermometer off ebay to weld in above the reflux condenser.
Spun up a couple of copper plates on the drill today. still deciding on sizes for bubble caps, risers and downcomers. Been doing lots of reading, but any recommendations for the 3", speak up! :-B

got 3" triclamps to split plate section of column into 2 modules. (second plate up supporting the tree). 4" to boiler, so have to tig up a reducer.
Planning on RC being 120mm long, 3" ferrule on bottom, reducer to 2" ferrule on top.

Pic update....

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Thanks,
Ash

[rash]

just scored over a meter of 1" copper. was thinking single 1" bubble cap per plate, 3/4" riser @ 25mm high, 3/4" downcomer @ 20mm high. 1" foot cap on bottom of downcomers.
or should I go 1/2" downcomers with 3/4" foot cap?
would be simpler if I had a 4" column haha :))

[Zak Griffin]

Will you fit 2x 1" caps and a downcomer on the plate?

[rash]

Will you fit 2x 1" caps and a downcomer on the plate?

Should be able to, how much plate area should i leave free though?

[rash]

Did a few hours searching and reading last night, and it seems that every 3" plated column build I found has ended up with perf plates... I am kind of determined to go with the bubble caps still. So I am considering the following thanks to Zak's question of fitting 2 caps per plate.
2 x 1" caps, 5mm high slots at 5mm apart. 30mm high cap.
3/4" risers 25mm high.
3/4" dc's 20mm high above plate, 70 high overall with 1" cup at bottom.
1.5mm weep hole on plate surface for drainage at end of runs.
plates around 150 apart.

Also rearranging configuration of modules a bit. 4 plates with only one being suspended by ss rod. will be able to add in another copper section of 3" later to fit more plates for neutrals, just want to get some rums happening first!

Ash

[rash]

Got stuck in for a bit this arvo. got some 1" bubble caps on their way and downcomer feet.

cut some bits

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silver soldered ends on

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cleaned them up with flap disc on the grinder

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next step is to make a jig to cut all the bubbler slots.
happy with the arvo's progress. :D

Ash

[Doubleuj]

Nice work ,Id like to see what you come up with for a jig for cutting the slots, the one I made was not the best...

[rash]

Nice work ,Id like to see what you come up with for a jig for cutting the slots, the one I made was not the best...

Jig worked ok, had to keep straitening the "teeth" as the hacksaw kept bending them over now and then.

jig.jpg

cut all the slots in the caps.

caps.jpg

silver soldered risers and downcomer to a plate.

dc.jpg

soft soldered caps on.

plate.jpg

So that's one plate done and ready to clean up. hopefully I can get a tick of approval from some others before making more. would like to know if anything needs changing before I proceed :D . oh yeh, just got to put a weep hole in too.

Ash

[Zak Griffin]

Looks the goods to me! Keep it up.