Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Haha thanks mate.

Still got a lot of work to do though...plate drilling, condensers, coolant piping 8-}

I reckon she'll be on time though :D

thanks for the tutorial mcstill, i used it for my recent potstill build and it works a treat :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I'm after some advice on joining the ends of the 1/4" rings together. Can you soft solder them or do they need to be brazed? If you braze them, what type do you use?

Braze them mate, I just use the 2% rods from a plumbing joint.... just make sure you clean em right up to shiny after brazing or the soft solder wont stick ;-)

Thanks Mac. Do you need to use flux for brazing?

nup :D

Yummyrum wrote:Cheer Brendan.

Recond you might have been able to make that "The nthree week bubler challenge" in hindsight.

Brendan wrote:Haha thanks mate.

Still got a lot of work to do though...plate drilling, condensers, coolant piping 8-}

I reckon she'll be on time though :D

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :)) :)) :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:............ :handgestures-thumbdown:

Was asked awhile ago how to keep the easy flange real flat.
It is a problem for those that are doing sight glasses.

If you buy a ferrule and use it to check/adjust your easy flange it will make it so much faster at getting it flat.
It's used to check only, all the adjustments will be done on a flat block/anvil with your hammer.


If it still leaks or you break the glass... use two gaskets pressed together on the flange side of the glass.
That gives you more leeway with the flange.
Just keep in mind that it is now thicker and you won't need to tighten your clamp up as much.

Hope this helps
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV

Just a correction to the above post.

The flange should be flat as possible and only IF you are NOT using tri clamps on your sight glasses should you use a second gasket.

With the way I have been doing sight glasses it would work well.
With a tri clamp it wouldn't work.



By using the ferrule to ensure it is flat you shouldn't need it anyway.
I didn't use two gaskets on one side to correct any warpage, as it fits well

That was just a suggestion if you get stuck.
Good workmanship will always beat makeshift repairs.
:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks to the gent for the PM as I wasn't thinking of using a tri clamp :angry-banghead: :roll:

DBV

dogbreath vodka wrote:Was asked awhile ago how to keep the easy flange real flat.
It is a problem for those that are doing sight glasses.
DBV

A few ideas I have used that may help those making easy flanges.

If after making the ring out of say 1/4 copper tube you find it is too thick.... I have compressed the ring by hanging a piece of wire each side of the vice jaws and compressing the ring in the vice. I use a bit of alloy drink can, which is easily cut with scissors, as a soft liner on the vice jaws. Work around the ring say 40 - 60 degree at a time and wind the vice in to flatten the ring to the wire thickness, but don't overdo the tightening and also compress the wire.



Once you have soldered the rings on to tube and you want to ensure the mating surface of the ring is flat.... I use a 5" angle grinder fitted with a 1 mm thick flexovit cutting disk for this purpose...



A bit of practice and you can do a bloody superb job of smoothing a semi-flattened easy flange ring after it is soldered on. I do this with the grinder running full speed, but a speed controller as used to control power to the boiler will control the speed of a brushed angle grinder. Don't use grinding wheels as they are too aggressive at removing metal. Only hold the grinder on the ring for a couple of seconds at a time and check your progress.

The cutting wheels are not designed to grind on the sides, so you might consider using old wheels that are worn down a bit for a couple of grinds and then throw them out.

CAREFUL you dont slip and cut your doodle x_x

:teasing-nutkick: :laughing-rolling:

MacStill wrote:CAREFUL you dont slip and cut your doodle x_x

:teasing-nutkick: :laughing-rolling:

Mac, I'd probably be better off without it. So far it has got me into too much trouble!!

Hell, it has given me a lot of fun though.

Howdy howdy,
Sorry if this has been covered but ive been reading for hours and my eyes are starting to hurt. Im looking at making one of these easy flanges as i have just learnt how to soft solder (thanks Mac).
Anyyway, i got a little confused with 'hard solder'. Can i use propane/mapp to silver solder the 2 ends of the 4mm tube to make the ring?
If so, what type of solder is best for this application? Im close to a bunnings, masters and reece plumbing
And will ezi weld 801 be useful?

Cheers in advance!

davecuds wrote:Howdy howdy,
Sorry if this has been covered but ive been reading for hours and my eyes are starting to hurt. Im looking at making one of these easy flanges as i have just learnt how to soft solder (thanks Mac).
Anyyway, i got a little confused with 'hard solder'. Can i use propane/mapp to silver solder the 2 ends of the 4mm tube to make the ring?
If so, what type of solder is best for this application? Im close to a bunnings, masters and reece plumbing
And will ezi weld 801 be useful?

Cheers in advance!

Yes mapp gas torch will silver solder the ends of 4mm tube.
There are rods of silver solder in the plumbing section of bunnings.
Ezi weld not required for silver solder. Use as flux for soft soldering.

Thr silver solder sticks at bunnings are about 750MM Long with a tag on the end saying %of silver rhey have 2% 5% & 15%.
I normally use the 5% .

davecuds wrote:Howdy howdy,
Sorry if this has been covered but ive been reading for hours and my eyes are starting to hurt. Im looking at making one of these easy flanges as i have just learnt how to soft solder (thanks Mac).
Anyyway, i got a little confused with 'hard solder'. Can i use propane/mapp to silver solder the 2 ends of the 4mm tube to make the ring?
If so, what type of solder is best for this application? Im close to a bunnings, masters and reece plumbing
And will ezi weld 801 be useful?

Cheers in advance!

Tradelink sell a 3mm 15% silver hard/brazing rod that is good with the BernzOmatic 7000/8000 torch using propane on 2" tube. As the tube size goes up you struggle to get the heat into the job, but only yesterday I used 15% silver to do join two and a half inch copper OK. Tradelink sell this to me by the rod for around $12/rod, although they have a RRP of around $19 on this product. These rods are a good long rod for the money.

Bunnings have a 5% silver hard rod that is OK for copper. I have not been happy with it joining copper to SS.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/rods-brazing ... 1_p6330060

For copper to copper you do not need flux.

Bernzomatic have a couple of flux coated hard rods through Bunnings... I have bought these rods and found them to be unusable even with MAPP Pro gas, as they require too much temperature to melt.

Yummyrum wrote:Thr silver solder sticks at bunnings are about 750MM Long with a tag on the end saying %of silver rhey have 2% 5% & 15%.
I normally use the 5% .

G'Day Yummyrum, are you sure of this for Bunnings? My local Bunnings only has a 2 pack of 5%, and I cannot see anything else on their web site.

Back to the OP.... You can use soft silver solder to do easy flange, although the hard silver solder is a far stronger product,
I would definitely hard silver solder the ends of the 4mm together, and that is easily done with propane and the right hard silver solder rods.

Yummyrum wrote:Thr silver solder sticks at bunnings are about 750MM Long with a tag on the end saying %of silver rhey have 2% 5% & 15%.
I normally use the 5% .

OK, I have found your product at Bunnings, Yummyrum. My local Bunnings doesn't carry this range of product at all.it would be handy if they did because of their opening hours, especially on weekends.
http://www.bunnings.com.au/search/produ ... s%20silver

and that is easily done with propane and the right hard silver solder rods.

Hard silver rods needs Mapp gas having tried and used many rod grades, never got Propane gas to do the job ... just not hot enough.

bt1

bt1 wrote:

and that is easily done with propane and the right hard silver solder rods.

Hard silver rods needs Mapp gas having tried and used many rod grades, never got Propane gas to do the job ... just not hot enough.

bt1

Just to clarify that ..... bt1
I gather you mean a normal propane torch using air ... not oxy?

Cause you can melt copper with the right torch, this is a propane and oxy it will go past 1800 deg C


Which is why I need to be careful at times not to overheat the work I'm doing.

That photo is of a 6" pipe and easy flange using 2% silver solder... also use 5% at times. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV