Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

As per my welcome thread http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5365 , I'm slowly building a glasser.

Inspired by the great work of bt1 and Newstilla, the design I'm using is slightly different in a few ways. Hopefully mine will one day work as well as theirs.

The one I'm slowly building uses:

The smallest Primus lantern glasses, 80 x 80 (from BCF).
a 3" x 80mm high with 6 x 19mm pipes RC with the 3 x 2 reducer soldered to it.
a 3" x 200mm packed section which can be easily added or removed under the RC.
a 2" x 400mm shotgun PC with 7 x 12.7mm inner tubes
a 2" 180 bend with Triclamp at one end to remove the 180, PC...etc from the main column.
4 x 3mm plates with 1.5mm holes. 3mm to hopefully add extra stiffness (had lying around)
4 x M10 304 stainless threaded rod, nuts and washers (cheap from Stainlessstore)
EPDM channel (from Clark rubber) instead of the usual silicone gaskets.

The entire still will be soldered together with soft solder (bernzo) only.
As MacStill has pointed out many times in the past, it's great stuff to work with and is definitely strong enough. I tested the RC at water mains pressure with the outlet blocked for several hours, with no leaks.

I intend on running a 25L boiler (electric) and will build a parrot eventually.

The EPDM channel sealing the glass and other sections is a bit experimental at this stage. Here's the link to the type I'm using http://www.clarkrubber.com.au/u-section-5mm-x-5mm-08.html
If this fails, I can easily switch to silicone gaskets.

The glue I'm going to try, for gluing the channel end to end and to the glass, is Selley's Kwik Grip (solvent based). I've been looking at many different glues that might be suitable.

The reason I chose this one to try out was that it seems to stick EPDM to EPDM and EPDM to glass fairly well. It will handle up to 130 degrees when dry. It's actually polychloroprene (neoprene), which appears to perform the same as, or better than silicone for chemical resistance to ethanol and other alcohols http://mykin.com/rubber-chemical-resistance-chart-3 It should have minimal exposure to the liquids anyway.

It also appears to be basically the same as http://www.gotstock.com.au/rubber-gasket-adhesive-high-performance-946ml-1300l-3mtm-scotch-griptm.html?utm_source=myshopping&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Tools+and+Hardware&utm_term=Rubber+Gasket+Adhesive+High+Performance+946ml+1300L+3M+S , but heaps cheaper.

looks fantastic dez :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Looking good so far dez :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Nice work Dez,

clearly well considered ...some nice new product solns. in there to consider ...that U section seal would make life easier by the looks.

Looking good, keep us informed on how she/it progresses.

cheers
bt1

so this build is like a bubbler, except glass construction, meaning no need for the glass sights.

is that somewhat right? any benefits apart from aesthetic value?

definately looks awesome. cleaning im sure is easier than alot too because the whole lot packs down.

i like it - might just have to do one for myself !!!!

Looking great so far dez. :text-+1:

Yep. This is certainly a bubbler.

I think the advantages of this type are best explained in bt1's and Newstilla's glasser threads:

http://aussiedistiller.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3015

and

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

So far, the most difficult part of the build has been drilling the 100's of 1.5mm holes for the plates.

mymumsaidimcool wrote:i like it - might just have to do one for myself !!!!

You definitely should try building one. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Nice find on the EPDM channel :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I understand that you would need to glue the ends together to stop it from leaking at the join, but is it really necessary to glue the seal to the glass? I think you would get a good seal when under pressure of the threaded rod, and being removable would make it easier to clean, and if you break the glass you can easily slide the seal onto a new one. Plus it reduces the amount of glue expanded used to the gap it path. :think:

This is a great build Dez , the glass bubblers do look pretty cool when running , you should knock the corners off the plates mate it gives me shivers thinking about how sharp it would be if you brushed by it and cut yourself. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

And by "gap it path" I mean vapour path. :angry-banghead:

Bootross wrote:I understand that you would need to glue the ends together to stop it from leaking at the join, but is it really necessary to glue the seal to the glass? I think you would get a good seal when under pressure of the threaded rod, and being removable would make it easier to clean, and if you break the glass you can easily slide the seal onto a new one.

You're probably right, and I'll try both with and without glue..
If the EPDM U-channel was a bit softer (had a lower "shore" rating), I'd feel more confident about the pressure alone sealing the gap.

Ideally, I'd like to use only EPDM or something like Expanded PTFE.....or "ePTFE" (which is unfortunately way too expensive).

If the U-channel doesn't work out, the next thing I want to try is EPDM "quad" rings. Apparently they compress and seal very well.
One good thing about quad rings is that I can still glue only the underside outer edge to the plate to stop them ever sliding around.......and they won't be be anywhere in the vapour path, or ever immersed in condensate.

1 2many wrote:This is a great build Dez , the glass bubblers do look pretty cool when running , you should knock the corners off the plates mate it gives me shivers thinking about how sharp it would be if you brushed by it and cut yourself. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks 1 2many. The ones that are up and running definitely look cool, and made me want to build one.

I share your concern and will definitely be rounding the corners off a bit.

Looking very good Dez :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Things have been a bit slow lately due other commitments.

Had a change of mind on the EPDM channel due to it being a bit too hard and not compressing enough.

I blew some compressed air down the column and couldn't safely put enough pressure on the channel (especially with the glass) for it to completely seal properly.......and the more I read, the more I think it's best not to have any glue anywhere.

Instead, I found some 3mm closed cell EPDM sponge that compresses and seals very well. I also tested it for several days sealing against Acetone, Metho and Prep-Sol for good measure. It didn't deteriorate in any way. The stainless rod at the corners of the plates will go through it to keep it aligned on the plate. I'll put the holes in after I round off the corners on each plate.

I've also finished putting together the product condensor and soldered the triclamp flanges on the reflux condensor and bend.
I tested both the PC and RC blocked at one end and with water mains pressure for leaks.

I'm wondering if it's worth making/getting one of those tri clamp sock filters later on to sub in above the RC for botanicals........ There's about 2-3 inches of usable space under the tri clamp. Has anyone tried this with any success?

Looking great :handgestures-thumbupleft:

where did you find the 3mm closed cell EPDM sponge. Very interested in this build since I'm starting to get the itch for a bubbler again and have just been recently offered 3" SS pipe at a good price. I my self like compact stills as i always pack them up afterwards (since for me a keg and 4" bubbler took up too much space and i wanted a new bike lol)

Please report how this thing runs :) :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I got it on ebay from the UK a while ago, but had forgotten I had it.

I think there are a few suppliers in Australia like http://www.gardineraust.com.au or http://www.indgas.com.au/foam--sponge

A 1m squared should be more than enough to do 1 or 2 stills. It should be cheap for that amount.

Sexy bits you got there Dez, coming along nicely.

quick question regarding the first mini condenser - what's the deal with that? for added reflux?

Thanks mymumsaidimcool.

Do you mean the reflux condenser, or the copper section underneath it?

If you mean the section underneath, it's meant to be just an optional packed section I can add in to hopefully produce cleaner/purer distillate when I want it. I'm going to fill it with lava rock and also buy some packing from MacStill to try.

Beautiful build so far mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:cant wait to see a video of it running :pray:

Coming along nicely Dez,

That sponge gasket is a real nice touch and much simpler..nice add.

I'm wondering if it's worth making/getting one of those tri clamp sock filters later on to sub in above the RC for botanicals

As a suggestion, at some of the super markets you can get oversized double knitted SS mesh food sieves. I simply sized it cut off frame soldered to a copper ring to create a sieve basket insert for the top section. Or better sandwich the edges of SS sieve in a copper ring, say 1/4" left over cut length wise.

bt1

Dez wrote:Thanks mymumsaidimcool.

Do you mean the reflux condenser, or the copper section underneath it?

If you mean the section underneath, it's meant to be just an optional packed section I can add in to hopefully produce cleaner/purer distillate when I want it. I'm going to fill it with lava rock and also buy some packing from MacStill to try.

reflux condenser... self explanatory really. haha cheers!

i wasnt 100% sure what its for.