Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

im having a real shit go getting the sugar out of these. might have to let them soak for a week or so to dissolve it. I had 100psi going into them lastnight trying to push water in through it and it worked to start with then stopped. will just have to be patient with these I think. good thing im not in a hurry
Ben

Leave it on an ant nest for a couple of weeks?

If it was me I'd try hot water, faster moving molecules spread further apart means more sugar will get dissolved. If the water was also moving (maybe slow boil?) would also increase exchange and will speed up the time it takes to dissolve it all.

Great looking coil, good luck

yeh I was going to put them in my boiler and give it a run but it wont fit. I will make something up toniggt that I can run one of my elements in and boil this shit out of it.

Sounds good. Would like to hear others opinions as well, my worry would be the sugar forming a hard plug as it is a long way for the water/dissolved sugar to travel.. As you said it may just be a matter of time. Zaks idea might also work well, am interested to hear how you go.

Cheers

I would have to find some pretty hungry ants. ive got them soaking in a 20liter bucket with some laundry detergent to keep it from drying out and hopefully turn the sugar into a slurry. will keep you posted. I will make a small boiler tonight at work out of a piece of 5 or 6 inch stainless tube. and will cook them on tuesday I dont wanna have to make another one. will keep you posted.
Ben

Sure it will be fine... Here is a link with a few suggestions on how to remove salt from coil.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=24932

Cheers

If you heat the coil gently with the torch , would it melt like caramel or toffee and drip out......or turn into a hard solid lump

I would try boiling it for a while that way it won't scorch the sugar but will be hot enough to liquefy it,and using very low pressure compressed air connected. Making sure that the out let is directed back to the water so you don't get a boiling sugar coat.

This is probably why I have never heard of anyone using sugar for this task :think:

Normal white sugar would have been better as it's more granular like sand or salt and would have shaked out a bit easier. Castor being so fine as soon as you got it wet the idea of shaking it out would be over.

Stick it in your next wash and let it ferment out :))

Re getting the sugar out of the coiled copper the quickest way would be to have fresh water flowing against the sugar continually.
You could try using some small diameter vinyl hose like aquarium air hose that fits inside the copper pipe with room to spare and rig that up to a pressure sprayer full of water or an aquarium pump.
Start the water flowing and feed the tubing further into the copper as the sugar disolves out. Hot water would be fastest obviously but would probably soften the hose and make it hard to feed into the copper.

Perhaps just starting a syphon from a bucket with the vinyl hose and feeding that down the copper would be enough to do the job.

Be slow going but you'd get there.

Gotta agree that's not a bad idea EN77, blast/ dissolve those little sugar grains outta there . :handgestures-thumbupleft:

thats a good idea that. Ive got some 4mm blue festo air line that might fit down there. it will be a tight fit but it might just work. thanks for that will give it a go.
Ben

Looks great!

For anyone wanting to avoid this situation in the future, the correct medium to use for supporting copper tube for bending when an appropriate spring is not available, is fine, DRY, river sand, tightly packed and sealed by silver brazing (not solder).
Pays to heat the copper to clean it before filling with sand
DRY because the when the pipe is packed and sealed you can mark out your radius and anneal and re anneal as much as you like.
Any moisture and BOOM
River sand cos there is no salt to absorb moisture
The area being annealed can be contained with the use of damp folded newspaper strips allowing you to control the radius
For very tight radii and offsets it is best to use oxy/fuel gas to help contain the area of anneal
When complete cut off the brazed ends and tap gently collecting sand for reuse

sand would of been the way to go. finally this morning after soaking in soapy water and vinegar mix for the last 2 weeks and after having it connected to the tap outside for 2 days the sugar plug finally gave in and I had a fountain a meter high. I made 2 of these and have had the other connected to the tap all day and a sweet tasting water is starting to drip out of it so hopefully that one gives way tonight or tomorrow.
Ben

Great news mate your back in business patience paid off well done. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

great news ben .

was that soapy water and vinegar mix an idea of yours or did you read it somewhere ...what is the reasoning behind this combo ?....obviously it worked :handgestures-thumbupleft:


on with the show :clap:

gday. nah I didn't read it anywhere I just thought the acidity of the vinegar might help the soapy water eat into the sugar. maybe water by itself would of done just as good.
Ben

well it worked :handgestures-thumbupleft: ....hop'in the other one breaks on through to the other side tonight for you