Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Quick tutorial on how to make your own copper reducers/funnels. This can save you a fair bit of money.

You will need:
- Paper and pencil
- Copper sheet (or flattened pipe)
- Compass (not the direction kind)
- Ruler
- Good pair of tin snips
- Brazing equipment

This tutorial uses an example reducer size of 100mm down to 25mm (4” to 1”), with a length of 50mm. Length in this case is the distance between the lip of the small hole to the lip of the larger hole if you were putting a ruler along the reducer.

1. Draw a horizontal line, the length of your larger diameter (100mm in this case). Mark the centre.
2. Measure at a 90degree angle from the centre mark to a distance the length of the reducer (50mm here). Mark this point.
3. At the mark you’ve just made, draw another horizontal line, the length of your smaller diameter. Make it such that the centre of this line is on the mark.
4. Connect the 2 centres of the horizontal lines with a vertical line

5. Draw a line connecting the ends of the short and long horizontal lines, continue the line until it passes the centre points.
6. Extend the centre vertical line until it crosses the line you just drew

7. Place the compass pin onto the crossing point of the 2 lines you just drew in steps 5 and 6. Place the compass pencil onto the edge of the small horizontal line. Draw an arc, about 180 degrees. Repeat for the large horizontal line.


8. Work out the circumference of the large pipe size, this is π×D. So in this case, the circumference is 3.14×100=314mm. Divide this into a number of sections (the bigger the number, the more accurate you’ll be). In this case I’ll use 20. So 314/20=15.5. Set the compass distance to 15.5mm then walk the compass from the end of the large horizontal line, along the arc until you count 20 steps. Mark this point.
9. Draw a line connecting the mark in step 8 to the middle mark.
10. You’re done, cut out the grey area, then use it as a template for your copper plate, cutting out with tin snips. To shape the copper once it matches the template, gently hammer it around a piece of tube, then braze it together.

Few pics of the process:

Great Tutorial there Blondie :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
thanks mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

This is great! I think even I could pull this off.. :laughing-rolling: nah fuck it 8-}

do we get part 2 on the spout end of the funnel

flaring hell ...really bad pun that...
bt1

bt1 wrote:do we get part 2 on the spout end of the funnel

flaring hell ...really bad pun that...
bt1

Yep bad pun but great info blondie :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Nice tutorial BC
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Read somewhere that when you have folded the edges to 90 degrees you can tack a copper wire under the fold.
Then continue to beat the copper over it to form a nice rounded lip.

Never tried it.... could be a good idea. :think:

DBV

dogbreath vodka wrote:Nice tutorial BC
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Read somewhere that when you have folded the edges to 90 degrees you can tack a copper wire under the fold.
Then continue to beat the copper over it to form a nice rounded lip.

Never tried it.... could be a good idea. :think:

DBV

Yes that is how it is done
Best with hardened wire
Anneal edge to fold/wrap around wire

BourbonJunkie wrote:

blond.chap wrote:Quick tutorial on how to make your own copper reducers/funnels. This can save you a fair bit of money.

Bloody good stuff blond.chap. I have been wondering where I would buy, and how much it was going to cost me, to get a couple of reducers I need for a still I have been wanting to build, and you have solved my problem. After reading your post I have knocked out a 4" to 2" reducer, a 4" to 3" reducer, and a 3" to 2&1/2" reducer. I still need to get my hands on a few more bits and I will start building. Thanks a million! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Looks good mate nice work, How about introducing your self in the welcome centre just to let us know where you are headed in your project and what type of spirit you would like to make. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Bloody awesome blonde sorry been away working mate awesome is the only word thanks again mate

Looks beter than a bought one Bourbonjunki :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Great tutorial Blond.chap

Yes very nice

BourbonJunkie wrote:Thanks fellas, now I have to exactly what I am going to do with them. I was looking at changing our pot still, but my mate who gave me the pot still says it is only a loaner, and he doesnt want me to change it around so I cant cut it up up like I was going to. I have to see what it is going to cost me to buy some bits to try to make something up to replace the pot still. I have been reading about plates and thumpers and I was going to pit a plate at the bottom of the pot still to get stronger alcohol so I only had to distuill twice to get a good alcohol to make bourbon. If I have to start form the getgo what is the best way for me to go to make a good bourbon. I dont mind having to make something up as I have done plumbing offsidin and can solder and fab pretty good.

A new thread for this would be a good idea mate otherwise this thread will go very off topic :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Agreed :text-+1:

Good thread. this will come in handy down the track. Im unsure what you mean by....

the circumference is 3.14×100=314mm. Divide this into a number of sections (the bigger the number, the more accurate you’ll be). In this case I’ll use 20. So 314/20=15.5. Set the compass distance to 15.5mm then walk the compass from the end of the large horizontal line, along the arc until you count 20 steps. Mark this point.

Do you mean move the compass 15.5mm around and stop. then repeat untill you have moved it 20 times? If so you could use the arc length formula to find the point exactly with a protractor instead of approximation, i think that's what they are called, the thing with degrees on it.
Hope im not stepping on any toes but i would show the mathematical approach i would take. :handgestures-thumbupleft: Its not to hard once you understand it, couple of equations in a calculator and then just plot it on your copper

This formula is
s=rθ where s is the arc length, r is the radus and θ is radians.

to convert from radans to degrees you do

follow the one for degrees.

we have the radius which is 111.8mm. This is found my measuring the length from where the 2 lines meet in the center and then out to the perimeter, and the arc length from the circumference formula c=pi*d which is 314 mm so to find the radian θ we rearrange s=rθ to have s/r=θ (basically divide both sides by r) which is

314/111.8 = θ
314/111.8 = 2.81 radians.

To find the degrees now it is
degrees = 2.81*(180/pi) which equals 161 degrees.

If you have a protractor this will be easy to find 161 degrees.

I cheated a little using AutoCAD but it helps show it with all the dimensions displayed. my final arc length is over by 1mm but this is due to rounding :techie-typing:


So in short. find the circumference first. then measure from the center (where the 2 lines meet) out to the last circle for the overall radius. then divide the circumference by the radius. with this answer you have the radian measure which you then multiply by (180/π) to get degrees. then use a protractor, mark where the circle should stop for the arc length required and use your compass to draw your arcs/circles. I drew mine up in AutoCAD but the principle is still the same. I just wanted to show that it works and add something to the forum :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers
WTDist

Well that certainly simplified things 8-} :)) :))

1 2many wrote:Well that certainly simplified things 8-} :)) :))

Far can oath it did. I think I'll just run down to Tradelink and order a couple of reducers! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

If any one has a spare minute who understands the process explain it for a mathmaticly challenged person. :think:

I want to make 2inch to 3/4 and 4inch to 2 inch.

Thanks for your patience

Just have a quiet read through what blond chap has posted. That's how i do mine, it is quite simple once you get the hang of it.

Is there anything in particular that you don't understand, the math or the drawing side?

I get the drawing just don't get the math. How is the circumference 3.14 where did that come from?
Thanks wood il have another read and try and make sense of it