Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Perforated & bubble cap plated columns

Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:40 pm

So I've decided to do a Bubbler build thread, only I've already finished the still and been using it for a couple of months.
I figure I owe it to all those here who have shared so much knowledge and advise, and hopefully my contribution to the wealth of knowledge accumulated here may be of some help to others.

Enough with the mushy stuff, here's the finished product
IMG_0885.jpg


I think i'll do a series of posts with details of each component to break it down a bit.
I started on the boiler first so that's the logical place to start I suppose.

Cheers,
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equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
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180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby markus » Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:59 pm

:-bd
Nice job
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby db1979 » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:08 pm

Nice work :handgestures-thumbupleft:
more pics needed though :teasing-tease:
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Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby bluc » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:18 pm

How is that plumbed? Whats pipe on left for :-B
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:21 pm

The Boiler...

- 110l capacity
- 2mm copper sheet bottom and sides
- 1.2mm top cone
- 4" Tri ferrule column connection/fill point
- 1" drain valve
- ½" copper tube handles

I already had the copper sheet for another unrelated project, it was quite costly but it was literally more expensive to buy half sheets (minimum size to suit my needs) than full sheets and I knew I'd find something to do with it.
The size and shape was largely a product of maximising capacity with the materials on hand, determined in particular by the biggest cone I could make.
All joins are 15% silver solder, except the tri ferrule which is 45% silver solder. The top cone in particular really took some doing, lots of solder and oxy/acet (luckily i've got a good supply ;-) )

20170630_185332.jpg

20170701_132127.jpg

20170701_132610.jpg

20170701_141043.jpg

20170701_143352.jpg


...
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Mr Tinker
 
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equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:39 pm

...

20170701_145051.jpg

20170819_134924.jpg

20170819_134934.jpg

20170819_144148.jpg

20170817_173508.jpg


I'll try to keep posts coming daily.

Cheers
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Mr Tinker
 
Posts: 60
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:41 pm
Location: West of Brisbane
equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby woodduck » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:41 pm

Ohhhh I can tell I'm gonna love this thread :happy-partydance: ^:)^
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby A&O » Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:42 pm

Amazing stuff. Please can you enlighten me as to why 15% for the seams and 45% for the 4” column connection?
Thanks
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:18 pm

bluc wrote:How is that plumbed? Whats pipe on left for :-B

Hey Bluc, I just didn't like the look of flexible tubing so I hard plumbed it.

IMG_0902.jpg

IMG_0903.jpg


The dome nuts are just dust covers.

A&O wrote:Amazing stuff. Please can you enlighten me as to why 15% for the seams and 45% for the 4” column connection?
Thanks


Hey A&O
I used 15% because it's what I always have for soldering copper pressure pipes, no flux required and it runs nicely on the copper. 45% because it is better for dissimilar metals particularly where there is a large difference in co-efficient of expansion (the amount a material expands and contracts with temperature change). Copper and stainless are quite different, copper-brass not so much. probably wouldn't matter too much at the temps we run, but I've got the stuff so might as well use it.

Cheers,
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Last edited by Mr Tinker on Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mr Tinker
 
Posts: 60
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:41 pm
Location: West of Brisbane
equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby bluc » Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:24 pm

Lines look awesome :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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equipment: 2" pot with 2" shotty 400mm long 5x 1/2" on a t500 boiler.
50l keg boiler 4" still mount 4" sight glass 1" drain..
4 plate 4" bubbler, 600mm packed section

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby A&O » Tue Nov 14, 2017 10:26 pm

Cheers great explanation. I have learnt so much in such a short period of time.
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby ThePaterPiper » Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:30 am

So do you have two rc’s running in line there? Does that help with speed of adjustment/accuracy or both?
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:34 pm

Hi ThePat

ThePaterPiper wrote:So do you have two rc’s running in line there? Does that help with speed of adjustment/accuracy or both?


Seeing as though you ask, i might as well cover the RC today.

The Reflux Condenser...

- 4"
- 160mm long
- 12 x ⅝" tubes in primary condenser
- approx 1m x ¼" tube on secondary condenser
- ¼" inlet/outlet connections
- ¼" inlet needle valves

I spent a lot of time reading about RC's here and anywhere else I could find any useful information.
I found the general consensus is that building an RC to handle full reflux at decent power input, results in long response times and difficulty dialling in take off rates.
Obviously taking steps to reduce lag time and get finer control, affects the ability to hold the still at full reflux.
I thought about ways of getting the best of both worlds and came up with this idea...

20170917_120725.jpg

20170917_120815.jpg


The idea was that once you are done with full reflux, close the valve on the primary condenser and use the secondary for partial reflux.
The reality is that at the heat input I'm running at the secondary is slightly under size and the primary still needs to be cracked slightly open.
I had planned to increase the secondary capacity but have found it works just fine like it is.
Get in the ballpark with the primary and make the fine adjustments with the secondary. Because the volume of the secondary coil is so small response times are much faster.

The cooling water connections are inlet one side, outlet the other, and water is directed where it need to be via internal plumbing...


20170916_173532.jpg

This is the view from the top, with water inlets on the left.
The Primary is fed by a distributer ring right to the very bottom (better seen in the second photo) and primary outlet is at the very top centre.


20170916_173603.jpg

The view from the bottom, here you can see the distributer ring better, with holes corresponding to the gaps between riser tubes. The Secondary inlet/outlet drop straight through the bottom plate into the coil.


20170916_131125.jpg

It all fits nicely, I had to deform the risers slightly in places to allow the internal plumbing to pass freely

...
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Mr Tinker
 
Posts: 60
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Location: West of Brisbane
equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby nuddy » Wed Nov 15, 2017 4:44 pm

This is beautiful. I love the effort you’ve gone to make this. That RC is out of this world designed.

Are you a copper smith by trade?
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:01 pm

Some more photos...
20170916_131542.jpg

20170916_131046.jpg

20170916_173458.jpg

20170917_120834.jpg

20170917_162431.jpg


I really like this RC and it works really nicely.
Having said that, far more simple designs do the job too and you don't have to go to these lengths to build one that will work for you.

nuddy wrote:This is beautiful. I love the effort you’ve gone to make this. That RC is out of this world designed.

Are you a copper smith by trade?


Hey Nuddy, Thanks.
Nah not a copper smith, I'm a Fridgy by trade, but I'm a Tinkerer at heart

Cheers
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Mr Tinker
 
Posts: 60
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:41 pm
Location: West of Brisbane
equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Lowie » Wed Nov 15, 2017 5:19 pm

Nice stuff Mr Tinker. I think we're all tinkerers at heart. Hardest part of that habit is to stop bloody tinkering with stuff when it works...Cheers.
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Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby ThePaterPiper » Wed Nov 15, 2017 6:43 pm

An absolute thing of beauty! Real out of the box thinking with both the dual condensor and the distribution ring at the bottom and return in the middle at the top. Very tidy work. I am jealous and I don't even have one to compare! :))
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equipment: 50L Pot Still with two inch column into a 700mm Liebig. Also have a 19l thumper interchangeable into the setup.

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby db1979 » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:23 pm

Following with interest!
^:)^ ^:)^ ^:)^
Love the out of the box thinking with your RC and the use of tie down straps to put together your boiler. Well done mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby bluc » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:28 pm

Look like they are but thought i would ask, on the boiler are the seams folded and crimped? :-B

Like the rc out of the box thinking :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Location: sunshine coast
equipment: 2" pot with 2" shotty 400mm long 5x 1/2" on a t500 boiler.
50l keg boiler 4" still mount 4" sight glass 1" drain..
4 plate 4" bubbler, 600mm packed section

Re: Mr Tinkers Bubbler

Postby Mr Tinker » Wed Nov 15, 2017 10:07 pm

Yeah Bluc, they are lock seams, sealed with silver solder internally to provide a smooth, “seamless” finish inside.

Cheers,
Mr Tinker
 
Posts: 60
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:41 pm
Location: West of Brisbane
equipment: 4" Copper Modular Bubbler, 4 Multicap Plates
110l Copper Boiler on Gas
180l Stainless Fermenter

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