How to.... easy, easy flange.

Posts in this forum should be a complete method, educational, with pics where applicable,posts made in this area that don't fit this criteria will be moved at mods discretion.

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby RC Al » Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:51 pm

One observation - it's not just the face that needs to be flat, the clamp side needs to be pretty uniform to apply even pressure to the seal, consider using a drift to do it, you can control the angle much better than with a hammer face, a bolt or any type of rod could be used.

To free up a hand, use a ratchet strap or even bolt the whole section down with some threaded rod and a bit of wood
Be careful not to crush the pipe, especially if it's annealed
Last edited by RC Al on Sat Feb 16, 2019 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RC Al
Mentor
 
Posts: 1568
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast Area
equipment: 3 plate 4" glasser
2" Potty

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby woodduck » Sat Feb 16, 2019 9:41 pm

I have used the vice at times to flatten the flange. Seems to work ok.
woodduck
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:54 pm
Location: Good old country SA
equipment: 4 plate 6" copper bubbler, 6 plate 4" glass bubbler with 500mm packed section three way thumper sitting on a 50 ltr keg boiler with 6000watts, 2" pot still and a 2" boka.

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scottyd72 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:48 pm

I finished off my easy flange by grinding it down with my angle grinder. Turned out ok.

IMG_1168.jpg


IMG_1178.jpg


IMG_1170.jpg


IMG_1173.jpg


IMG_1175.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
scottyd72
 
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 10:09 pm
Location: Newcastle Aust.
equipment: Bokakob LM reflux with homemade cooling coil. Building a 3" bubbler...

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scottyd72 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:50 pm

In the third pic you can see a piece of 3" off cut that i cut and slid into the two flanges to trim the outside edge of the easy flange so it's aligned with the stainless one. It worked quite well.
scottyd72
 
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 10:09 pm
Location: Newcastle Aust.
equipment: Bokakob LM reflux with homemade cooling coil. Building a 3" bubbler...

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby db1979 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:58 pm

Looks like it'll work, but I reckon it could benefit from a sanding with about 240 grit to remove the rough marks left behind by the grinder disk. Put the sandpaper on a flat surface and run over it with the flange in figure 8 patterns to avoid high spots. The smoother and flatter it is, the less force needed to seal it up.
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scottyd72 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:28 pm

db1979 wrote:Looks like it'll work, but I reckon it could benefit from a sanding with about 240 grit to remove the rough marks left behind by the grinder disk. Put the sandpaper on a flat surface and run over it with the flange in figure 8 patterns to avoid high spots. The smoother and flatter it is, the less force needed to seal it up.

Ah great idea I’m on it! :handgestures-thumbupleft:
scottyd72
 
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 10:09 pm
Location: Newcastle Aust.
equipment: Bokakob LM reflux with homemade cooling coil. Building a 3" bubbler...

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scythe » Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:40 pm

Work through the grits properly however, its actually faster than trying to jump straight to a grit that is too fine.
Grinders are about a week 40grit i think.
scythe
 
Posts: 1860
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:34 am
Location: Central West NSW
equipment: Dreaming of a 4" bubbler

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scottyd72 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:33 pm

scythe wrote:Work through the grits properly however, its actually faster than trying to jump straight to a grit that is too fine.
Grinders are about a week 40grit i think.

I just sanded it with 120, i've got 480 there as well so I'll use that next.

IMG_1182.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
scottyd72
 
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 10:09 pm
Location: Newcastle Aust.
equipment: Bokakob LM reflux with homemade cooling coil. Building a 3" bubbler...

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scottyd72 » Sun Feb 17, 2019 5:45 pm

I've just sanded it with 480 and its as smooth as I'm going to get it, otherwise I'll probably go too far and wreck it lol

IMG_1183.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
scottyd72
 
Posts: 188
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 10:09 pm
Location: Newcastle Aust.
equipment: Bokakob LM reflux with homemade cooling coil. Building a 3" bubbler...

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby B-Man » Tue Apr 14, 2020 11:41 pm

Ok so just read every page in this thread, so just a recap

get a TS8000 to hard solder using some consolidated 5- 10% silver solder sticks from bunnings
- don't need to flux a hard solder

I read somewhere here you don't even have to flange the end of the pipe? so is this not needed?

Only use a thin amount of flux for soldering the flange on. bakers soldering flux is ok? ( I actually have some of that) but if a paste works better i might just buy some. i got a few joins to make. is there any special flux paste?

Don't flatten the flange for a 6" pipe before soldering. does this mean you do it after or just tighten the tri clamp down to flatten it?
flatten other sizes in a vice.
B-Man
 
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Dec 24, 2019 1:07 pm
equipment: keg 4" Bubbler

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby woodduck » Wed Apr 15, 2020 7:16 am

You don't need a special torch for hard soldering the ring, a lpg torch will do it because its only very small.

No you don't have to flare the end of the pipe if you don't want to. You may choose to if your worried or think that particular joint needs some extra strength, eg boiler connection.

Bakers flux works fine. I just personally prefer the paste, it doesn't seem to burn as quick and doesn't run everywhere. The paste usually comes in a pack with the solder but can be bought separately. I think "Tradeflame" are the only ones making it now?

I found if I flatterned the flange first on 6" its too thin and doesn't pull up tight and seal so I soder the ring on first then flattern it. Take care not to damage it, you may need to re heat it to fix up cracked solder.

The vice is just another option for flattening instead of a hammer. Try both and see what works for you. Make sure you test your flanges before you do them all, you don't want a pile of flanges that aren't any good.
woodduck
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:54 pm
Location: Good old country SA
equipment: 4 plate 6" copper bubbler, 6 plate 4" glass bubbler with 500mm packed section three way thumper sitting on a 50 ltr keg boiler with 6000watts, 2" pot still and a 2" boka.

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby scythe » Wed Apr 15, 2020 9:12 pm

There is a major lip thickness difference the lip of of a sub 5" Tri clover clamp and a 6" flange.
Often you need an extra layer of copper on top of the easy flange to make up the difference.
scythe
 
Posts: 1860
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 6:34 am
Location: Central West NSW
equipment: Dreaming of a 4" bubbler

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby RC Al » Wed Apr 15, 2020 10:16 pm

I've seen somewhere where you stuff a thick bit of copper wire inside the ring b4 soldering. Apparently makes it thick enough as the tube can't crush as far
RC Al
Mentor
 
Posts: 1568
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast Area
equipment: 3 plate 4" glasser
2" Potty

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby B-Man » Wed Aug 05, 2020 6:06 pm

Ok so i have made a few easy flanges... just 1 question is this how its meant to be?
I scribed the line at 6mm. The next one I done at 7mm and its closer to lining up with the outside edge of the squashed ring. Im thinking i might need to go 8 or even 9mm.
20200805_162013.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
B-Man
 
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Dec 24, 2019 1:07 pm
equipment: keg 4" Bubbler

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby stillthinking » Wed Aug 05, 2020 7:34 pm

I found 8mm to work well on all my easy flanges when paired with 1/4 inch annealed pipe rings.

I’m using 5 Star silicone gaskets with the lips trimmed off each side and they hold a pressure test with the air compressor by sticking the dusting gun up the end and taping it in before pumping the whole still abd boiler up and spraying soapy water on the joints.
stillthinking
 
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat May 16, 2020 7:35 pm
Location: SE QLD
equipment: Stillthinking about it

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby RC Al » Wed Aug 05, 2020 8:29 pm

Its a little different per size (A-(B+2xwall thickness))/2. However at the end of the day, the OD Has to be very close to A or your clamp wont do up one way or the other
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
RC Al
Mentor
 
Posts: 1568
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2017 4:58 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast Area
equipment: 3 plate 4" glasser
2" Potty

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby B-Man » Wed Aug 05, 2020 11:18 pm

stillthinking wrote:I found 8mm to work well on all my easy flanges when paired with 1/4 inch annealed pipe rings.

I’m using 5 Star silicone gaskets with the lips trimmed off each side and they hold a pressure test with the air compressor by sticking the dusting gun up the end and taping it in before pumping the whole still and boiler up and spraying soapy water on the joints.


Cheers, have a few to do so figured id see what others were doing before I done them. Changing from 6 to 7mm was a decent difference. I figured 8 should be pretty good and 9 I might have to grind slightly. good to see my calcs line up with someone else's ;-)

Few things i have found
With the 4" pipe when you mark and cut the 1/4" annealed pipe coil to make the rings they were still a little big but the 2" ones was actually a mil or 2 small. ( I must of tightened the coil too tight before cutting) I have hard soldered them with a gap between them.. hopefully they work ok

Im glad I got the TS8000 bernzomatic torch as even that struggles a little to heat the rings for hard solder. Soft soldering them on works fine. My crappy basic tradeflame propane kit looks like it would struggle to soft solder 2" pipe let alone a 4" pipe.

I cant believe how strong the soft solder is.

This is how I got my flanges flat. Clamped some sand paper sheet to the nice flat bench and pushed it the length of the paper, Turned it and repeat.
20200805_193917.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
B-Man
 
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Dec 24, 2019 1:07 pm
equipment: keg 4" Bubbler

Re: How to.... easy, easy flange.

Postby Scubadriver » Fri Aug 14, 2020 6:44 pm

Glad I found this post again, reminded me how to make the flanges correctly
Scubadriver
 
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:53 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: Pot still

Deflag and carter head built but not used yet.

Previous

Return to Tips From The Workbench



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

x