Danger, Will Robinson, Danger !!

[snapperhead]

Anyone that knows the name of the robot from "lost in space" gets 10 points ??

Danger Will Robinson.jpg

This is the basis of my idea for an alembic styled pot still. Its just more for fun and learning than trying to build for efficiency, and I want to make something that people go "dude, what the fuck" when they see it in the lounge. I will be making a Lyne arm that starts off at around 200mm diameter off the head and form a curvaceous taper down to an unusual looking shotgun style condenser (Lyne arm and condenser will resemble a racing 2 stroke engine expansion chamber and stinger)

Because I need to cast things in my foundry, I will make all sorts of stuff for it, like a boiler cradle, clamps, fittings and handles, etc, etc. It is a chance for me to push all my skills to a new level and try and make something a little unique at the same time. It will have a shrouded boiler so I can get play with making a one off gas burner to power it.

I am going to give myself a year to build this freak of nature, I am in no hurry. I see the castings taking the longest as its a complicated process, start to finish, But that first drop will make it worthwhile (I need lots of acetone for the workshop)

And just to make sure you all know that this build is for fun, the little toy steam engine and torch generator will be incorporated into the workings to recharge the batteries for the few electrical parts on it, steampunk as fuck

[Stevem109r]

His name was ROBOT or full name Robot Model B-9

[kingy]

Stratus nimbus

[1 2many]

Sounds like a fun and interesting build, what metals do you plan on casting. I am looking forward to seeing your build plenty of pics please. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[snapperhead]

I really want it to look like its straight out of a 20,000 leagues under the sea kinda deal, with a star trek twist in places.

With the castings, I want to have a practical use for the bronzes I have been researching and gathering for a few years. Its a big time hobby of mine to alloy my own bronzes to ancient recipes, around 3600BC and onward. All are lead and zinc free so they are perfect for vapour safe conditions. The boiler cradle and external components will most likely be from Aluminium because I have lots of it and its just altogether easier than copper based alloys to cast. Plus I can anodise them crazy colours for the sci-fi look

My metal forming skills are basic at best, but I am tooling up right now so I can make almost everything I need from sheet in the future. I am not really doing this yet so I can make my own booze, but it will no doubt become more important when it starts dribbling out the bronze parrot.

[1 2many]

I can't wait bring it on. Bronze and aluminium castings polished or not will look awsome :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[snapperhead]

I am going to try and do regular updates to keep the ball rolling for me, so many projects at once can slow progress.

I am tooling up so I can shape the expansion chamber/lyne arm from sheet. Picked up an awesome N.O.S set of panelbeaters hammers and dollies, which should give me better results than my Stanley claw and sledge. I will try and shape the sections in 2 shell halves, weld the seams, then do the final shaping using my ghetto anvil and hammers. I am unsure as yet how many sections will be needed to make up the arm, but will most likely depend on how good the shells turn out. I am thinking I need to fab a quick and dirty wooden die and plug, to get the basic shells pressed out in one go, then play with hammers to get all the pleating out.

Ive been searching all over other sites for anything similar to this build for tips and lessons, but to no avail. Bucket loads of copper-smithing vids on viewtube luckily, and Im keen to just leap in to this and try.

I need to make a couple of other convex anvils next, it's carving time, now wheres the chainsaw gone.

Made this from a rail carriage hook and an old sleeper offcut and it works a treat.

Anvil.jpg

[snapperhead]

Been doing a small bit more whenever I find the time. Metal shaping is a huge learning curve for someone that is used to cut/weld/grind/bog/paint, but its just so much fun to annoy the neighbours with.
I Made the mistake of using the thin base of a copper header tank out of a villa from 1907 for the first dish off the boiler. Didn't count on the tarnishing and verdigris spots becoming pin holes and then just holes as I beat the shape into it. So I have dissected a copper, diesel fuel tank from an old boat for a much thicker and better piece of sheet, for remaking the boiler lid shape. I intend to fit the cap permanently to the boiler and the "boil ball"& "lintel/lentil" section will be removable for cleaning and maintenance. And the expansion chamber/lyne arm will mount to the top. Since nothing is a standard size (I havent measured a thing yet) I am going to attempt to make some one off clamps in my foundry, to hold the sections together.

Copper monstrosity.jpg

My imagination far exceeds my knowledge and skill in doing this, luckily I dont know when to give up and I dont have anything better to learn (I would say "do" but.......)

I have read posts about led backlit sight glasses, pyrex glass tube vertical thumpers, SSR electro heat controllers, DIY needle valves and so much more. Its actually hard to hold back and stop trying to add as many "bells and whistles" to this journey (build) as I can.......damn, just remembered something about a steam whistle now.....stop it, stop it, stop it.

This pot maybe become my Never-ending journey

[1 2many]

Wow you have come a fair way with this project already and it even resembles the robot . Real nice work. You forgot about real time temperature telemetry :)) :)) thats what i am researching now. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[googe]

Looking good Willy :handgestures-thumbupleft: I had to look up verdigris, it's the.green acid stuff on copper for the other dumbies like me. Can you copper clamps in your foundry?. Good luck mate, looking good so far.

[snapperhead]

Thanks dudes, feels slow to me, but thats cos I think about this more than........ other stuff ATM

Pure copper is so freakin hard to cast that I dont even consider it right now (gas inclusions and porosity). But I have around 6kg of 1c, 2c, pennies and 1/2 pennies that I want to use. They are bronze (copper/tin) and I would really like the thought of using some of the reserve banks currency to make slightly elicit hooch. Long story longer, I want to make the clamps from bronze. I would use my own brasses that dont have any lead in them, but I dont trust zinc in the vapour stream either.

Anyone know of how safe pewter is in vapour conditions ? Its a tin/antimony alloy and its apparently safe in modern food conditions (old pewter was tin/lead)

[MacStill]

You could make the clamps from uranium if you like, they dont come into contact with the vapour path and have a seal preventing it ;-)

Hmmm bright green glow in the dark clamps would look pretty groovy :laughing-rolling:

[snapperhead]

But that would take the small amount of Uranium I got off Osama Bin Laden for my real life, on the wall periodic table.
Osama Bin Laden don't surf by the way

[snapperhead]

progress 1.jpg

Progress, however slow is still going in the right direction, so I am very happy. My initial idea was to build 1 boiler with 2 different heads (pot/boka), and now I seem to building both at the same time. My second attempt at making the bolier cap has really worked out, its so close to what I need that I am happy to move onto the other pieces. Learning curves may be steep, but what a "figjam" feel you get from knocking out a copper shape, from sheet made from an old fuel tank, "priceless"
My first "holed" cap is perfect for my take on a Boka, I will use the holes and tears to my advantage, and cover others with polished old bronze half pennies.

progress 2.jpg

From what I understand so far, the "Lentils" on the old school alembics were water cooled. So I am going to fit a water cooled external ring on the centre perimeter and a water cooled ball (with a helical cone base for turbulence) in the centre of the vapour path through this lentil thingy. I will be having a large sight glass on this thing just so I can see how much of a waste of time it was, but the skills from just doing it will be worth it for me anyway.

And on the left is my future low wines tank, 150 litre. nom nom nom

[snapperhead]

Its been 2 weeks so I wanted to post a few progress shots

Got a few so a multi post, have no idea max, but 3 per post should work

Overall progress

progress3.jpg

This is the boiler extension and flange face, from flat sheet, looks around 300mm, but this build is allergic to tape measures, so Im guestimating.

Boiler extension.jpg

Boil ball with clamping flange, managed to fold the flange line in a place that a couple of holes were and gone now. (they were from the handle rivets as this used to be a pot plant holder)

Boilball.jpg

More coming up

[snapperhead]

This is inside the lentil, opening would be over 100mm wide

inside lentil.jpg

And this is inside with my turbulator/ vapour splitting choke thing, Its to force the vapours towards the watercooled mid section, and get them spinning before the neck..

inside lentil 2.jpg

And this is it from the vapours view. I was going to try and water cool this thing, but thats going to be too much work.

Octurbulator bottom.jpg

I got more.....

[snapperhead]

Only 1 more pic

Its the start of the neck/ lyne arm. Pic makes it look like a pelican that swallowed a dolphin, but it is more graceful up close and personal.

heron neck.jpg

Altogether things are progressing nicely and it should look quite unusual by the time its done. But the light at the end of the tunnel for this build is a long way off yet, and I am resisting the urge to do anything but gather copper and think about the neutrals rig.

[punchy21]

Nice work snapperhead :clap: :clap:

[Kimbo]

I'm hooked, cant wait to see this thing run :clap: :clap: :clap:

[cps1]

From one copper steampunk to another : That is seriously nice work.

I particularly liked how you turned that bit of copper that looked like crumpled paper in the first picture into that nead lid for the boiler

Look forward to seeing the Lyne arm finished