Side by side test of 5Star bubble caps v others

[MacStill]

Jonno I think you have other issues that need sorting out before you go doing comparisons, from what I've seen you're yet to run yours properly :teasing-neener:

Your right, i'm still working it out haha, these bubblers aren't as simple as some make it out to be :laughing-rolling:

I'll get there in the end :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The thing is Jonno, they really are that simple to run.... had you bought 5 star gear you would've been running it properly the first time you fired it up :laughing-rolling:

When my customers need me I'm only a phone call away, so you get after sales service & customer support in real time ;-)

[Jonno]

That's all good, i couldn't afford the 5star gear and went with what i could afford :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I'm yet to taste the product i've made so far in me rig but it sure does smell good :D I can only imagine what its gonna be like when i get it right :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

The price difference compared with a Mac 4 SSG is only $50.72 8-}

[Jonno]

wasn't 2 months ago :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

Oh I didnt realise you had it that long, it actually clears up more for me than you realise.... Thank you :D

[Jonno]

No worries pal

[jdonly1]

Making me even more excited doc
I can't wait to get bubbling :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Same here,ours should be getting close :D

I'll be taking delivery of a few 6" rigs shortly mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Now ya talking :D :D :D

[Yummyrum]

Mac ,I ask this with absolutely no disrespect .

You have made many different Bubblers ,Some with perf plates some with small bubble caps ,some with single large bubble caps so you can definitely be considered an authority ,one which I highly respect .

Your response when asked by members as to which one is better has generally been along the lines of " In this size of Bubbler (4") ,there is no noticeable difference "

So I'm left wondering How Doc has found there to be such a noticeable difference between apparently fairly similar ( but obviously different ) multiple cap plates .Its not like we are comparing a Single cap to Multiple Caps .

Perhaps What Doc is seeing may be different .At the end of the day perhaps the Product will taste the same ?

[MacStill]

Thanks Yummy, I do like well thought out questions... good stuff !

My responses are generally fairly broad when talking about various plates, and I do believe that for the "average Joe" there really wont be a lot of noticeable difference to the end result being product.

One thing I've always tried to avoid is long drawn out discussions on various plate designs, I've seen many a topic on this throughout various forums that has always ended in tears after some pretty nonsensical debating.

Another thing that has often happened in the past is I get asked things, then explain, and then the yeah but he said, or they reckon.... so I simply just answer "they aint much different"

Now when we get guys like Doc who like to push things with his curious mind, and likes to experiment with variables due to his vast experience I of course would answer him differently and in private.

Like anything I guess there's going to be slight differences that if exploited to the full potential, well of course those differences are going to be noticeable, however for us average fellas running the same way time after time I doubt there's really enough difference to warrant an encyclopedia type explanation.

I gave up using perf plates a fair while ago now, I've also used and bought the first lot of bubble caps SD brought into Australia & the very first thing I did after my first run with them was drill the holes in the risers out because my take off speed was dramatically slower than with perf plates, the drill worked and improved things hugely so I guess the original design wasn't that well thought out.

A well designed plate, be it perforated, single bubble cap or multiple bubble cap will all work well, but get it slightly wrong and you could end up with a dog of a still you cant run to it's full potential.

I hope this satisfies your curiosity :smile:

Cheers.

[Yummyrum]

Thanks Mac :handgestures-thumbupleft: Catch'n what your throw'n .And can't wait to see Docs video either .

[Jonno]

that is a top question and a real good answer mac.

I remember reading early on in your plated columb days mac you were quite happy with perf plates and were pretty much against using caps. I'm gonna guess it was due to cost at the time? Now its more to do with caps are easier to make then drilling a bazillion freaking holes.

I'm keen to get my hands on some of the perf plates to actually see what the 'run' differences are like. I do this hobby because i enjoy a drink but i think i like having different stills because it keeps the hobby fresh and new. I suppose its the same with all hobbies, you always wanna see and try different things :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Dominator]

that is a top question and a real good answer mac.

I remember reading early on in your plated columb days mac you were quite happy with perf plates and were pretty much against using caps. I'm gonna guess it was due to cost at the time? Now its more to do with caps are easier to make then drilling a bazillion freaking holes.

I'm keen to get my hands on some of the perf plates to actually see what the 'run' differences are like. I do this hobby because i enjoy a drink but i think i like having different stills because it keeps the hobby fresh and new. I suppose its the same with all hobbies, you always wanna see and try different things :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I remember reading somewhere mac saying bubble plates are easier to run than perf. Something about it being less likely to flood. :think: Can't remember exactly.

[MacStill]

Yeah bubble caps can kind of run by themselves, whereas I reckon you really need to drive a perf plate rig.

Flooding shouldn't really be an issue in either type of plate if your downcomers are sized right, in my early days perf plating I sorta just followed the crowd thinking 1/2" DC's were ok, but soon realised they were actually stupid so I always did oversized after that.... as an analogy, it's kind of like putting extractors on a V8, you want it to breath not choke up to get the most out of it.

:D

[bt1]

hello all,

small changes and design improvements do make a difference as mac said.

As an example my current glass stills are 89mm dia so should by all accounts/general theory have a off take lower than 100mm col.

two very minor changes where made. Centre to centre of each 1.5mm plate hole was reduced from the std 5mm to 4mm and the undersides of every hole back drilled/countersunk with a 2.5mm drill. Not much really, can handle more heat obviously, but it has a much better take off rate than my 100mm cols.

bt1

[troglodyte]

Flooding shouldn't really be an issue in either type of plate if your downcomers are sized right, in my early days perf plating I sorta just followed the crowd thinking 1/2" DC's were ok, but soon realised they were actually stupid so I always did oversized after that.... :D

Hi Mac, after looking at the downcomer pics on the 5 star website it doesn't appear that the size of the drain could be much larger than 1/2" ?? would you care to elaborate on or give the size of your downcomer ??

Trog.

[MacStill]

I'm referring to the area where the distillate leaves the plate, the opening at the top of the downcomer ;-)

[troglodyte]

I'm referring to the area where the distillate leaves the plate, the opening at the top of the downcomer ;-)

Ok....I would argue this is not the size of the downcomer, and having a larger entry is going to make 2 tenths of fuck all difference to how well it drains.
On the other hand they do look pretty.

Trog

[MacStill]

2 posts and you want to argue already, I kind of get the feeling your intentions here aren't great ;-)

I can tell you the opening of the DC makes a huge difference, and that the size of the opening is more important than the tube that delivers the distillate to the lower plate.

I know this because I've built & run stills with different variations of DC's, and since making the opening larger my flooding issues have disappeared.... FACT!

[jim]

The larger opening keeps the froth from clogging the drain. As the bubbles settle down, the liquid drains through the smaller hole. Its really two different states. Commercial plates deal with this by having a "calming zone" where no froth is generated near the DC, but having an oversize opening has much the same effect.

[Aussiedownunder01]

I have to agree with mack I have 5 perf plates in a 4 in column ,downcomer 3/4 on top of plate dropping to a 1/2 j cup
And on a run the other day I got 2 litres of 90 % every 10 min with no sign of flooding