Bt1 build blog V2 - Glass

[bt1]

China=fail
lab supplies= expensive
Another importer/builder of stills=fell through

the lantern glasses do fine and tough but well accept there's no dents as such it's break and replace.

bt1

[MacStill]

China=fail
lab supplies= expensive
Another importer/builder of stills=fell through

And you never accepted my offer of putting you onto a supplier :roll:

[bt1]

That's true mac

And in hindsight I wish I had...truly

but being afflicted by the Irish dilemma I expected to suffer a little more...I've suffered enough at my own oversight/ignorance/pride as a result...but happy now.

at peace
bt1

[Dominator]

BT I am still (geddit... still) so in love with this rig. I think I have read the build thread half a dozen times. I am trying to think of another way to fit the PC and reduce the uneven weight on the column. With the offset condenser like you have got, what temp does your distillate come out at? How far down the column does the coil for the PC go?

Watching this thing run, with the full glass main column would be mesmerizing. You could fill it with water, have the off take feed back to the boiler and put it in the house as a water feature/piece of art.

[Dominator]

Oh and I forgot to ask. What diameter are the lantern glasses you used?

[bt1]

Howdy,

http://www.primusaustralia.com.au/index.php?p=line&sid=1286334965&arch=1
$11.95 @ BCF stores. These are the medium size...large could be used but overkill imho.

I think they are about 88-90mm ID but there is a larger one as well

The cold finger is about the entire length of the offset head...it's about balanced in the now cooler months as i can vary out put temp of spirit from about >18c up to >+26c so i end up with the magical 20c for alco meter calibration.

It is fun to use... and allows you to predict...like the puke video you see problems well before it hits top plate.

bt1

[Dominator]

Awesome, thanks mate.

[bt1]

Dom,

I am trying to think of another way to fit the PC and reduce the uneven weight on the column

If you have the time why not look at a Jackson cross flow condenser...it was my first choice but wanted to cheap complexity and costs down so offset cold finger it was!

bt1

[Dominator]

Yeah I was toying with a similar idea to the Jackson, but have it on a 30degree or so angle with a open 3/4 take off tube at the bottom. The problem I am having is how to stop the liquid from the top of the condenser flowing back down the column. I was thinking maybe have perforations instead of a full opening where the main column joins to the column. That way the majority of the liquid will flow out and the vapour can come up into the condenser.

[Yummyrum]

Why not stick a boka head in it.You wouldn't need a valve as you would collect all.There would be nothing left to run back down

[Dominator]

Yeah I had considered that too yummy. The down side if a boka style head is the distillate will come off hot, ideally I would like to have my product come of at 20deg to make reading my parrot easier.

[adam89]

Very inspirational BT1.

This seems like a brilliant build to undertake for a first timer. It would be very easy to see what is happening and diagnose any problems if they occurred.

Do you think that the column would handle a shotgun condenser with either a 180° bend or 'block head' design coming off to the side if the threaded rod was upgraded to 10 or 12mm.

Adam.

[bt1]

Howdy,

This seems like a brilliant build to undertake for a first timer.

Yep agree...it's possibly the simplest, cheapest bubbler type still, bang for buck I could imagine.
You have no issues that require real high level skills, it's basically assembly stage by stage. It would look good just with a bit of attention to build order.
There's no massive amount of soldering, sight glasses, fitting or turning down plates to fit column etc.

The other issues is it's weight. It weighs stuff all and easy to setup and pull down as a result. You can make it modular by adding joiner sleeves and make it 4,5 x plates and rock filtered section if your after really clean Vodka styles.

Do you think that the column would handle a shotgun condenser with either a 180° bend or 'block head' design coming off to the side if the threaded rod was upgraded to 10 or 12mm.

Not sure. The torsional forces of a significant weight increase may cause the tower to lean as the gaskets take up compression on the side of the condenser and expansion on the opposite side. There is affair amount of give in those thin gaskets when you add up 2 gaskets per section would be my only concern.

From observation any noticeable lean on a bubbler really does impact on plate performance regardless of which design is used.

Centralising the mass to reduce leverage would be the goal...hence the first choice comment to Dom about a Jackson cross flow...Just on that it can be offset as well eliminating the spirit flow back down the neck point Dom raised. Or the cold finger could be angled rather than offset as I did.

The rod itself I don't think matters realistically cos its really only there to provide section tension to hold the gaskets. The next design eliminates the rods and just uses 4 x SS wire leads and adjustable crimps to give you some idea on this point.

There's no cooling shortfall with the cold finger if that's your main concern?
Having looked at the off set for many hours I seriously wonder why Boka builders don't use it...it's far simpler and avoids costly bleed/need valves.

bt1

[drunkmore]

Not sure. The torsional forces of a significant weight increase may cause the tower to lean as the gaskets take up compression on the side of the condenser and expansion on the opposite side. There is affair amount of give in those thin gaskets when you add up 2 gaskets per section would be my only concern.

I don't think there would be any more tension on your glass with torsional force.
It won't be on the glass, it will be on the rods so unless the rods bend significantly the pressure on one side of your glass shouldn't change much
(I need to learn how to put drawings in )
You could also extend the the rod upward and put support bars across to transfer the weight bak to the rods

| | | = threaded rod
O_______O__________ x. O = nut
O O ____ = extra plate or flat bar
| | x = connection to extra weight


Fug that was not easy on iPad you could also run another rod all the way to the bottom to help support


Hope his is clear

[drunkmore]

:angry-banghead: I tried to edit my little pic but it didn't work :angry-banghead: :crying-blue:

[bt1]

Hello all,

I don't think there would be any more tension on your glass with torsional force.
It won't be on the glass, it will be on the rods so unless the rods bend significantly the pressure on one side of your glass shouldn't change much
(I need to learn how to put drawings in )

I've found with last two builds 6mm rod is insufficient to hold without twisting the larger heavier return heads. This leads to gasket issues that re occur. For anyone contemplating shotguns, rock filtering sections, or 4"/100mm 180's I would strongly recommend upgrading to 1cm rod not the 6mm.

Past 1cm rod imho it destroys the aesthetics of the concept and suggest cross braced would look daggy.

bt1

[VARocketry]

bt1 and others:

I've enjoyed this thread.

Are their any other glass build threads around that anyone can offer links to? I'd like to see a build with a long column of glass.

Or a condenser build of glass.
Thanks.

[bt1]

Hello,

New's build...nice, clean quality build...

http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=5049&hilit=+glass

There's a few over at US HD site .. but it well cluttered.

cheers
bt1

[bac206]

Looks fantastic. I'm in the pondering stages of a column at the moment and I love the look of this. What dimensions did you make your plates? And how thick are they? Cheers and congrats on a fantastic build.

[Brendan]

I love the silicone gaskets... Our stills can be brothers :D