6 Week Bubbler Challenge

[Brendan]

Right you lot, I don't want to hear any complaints when I load 30 photos on tomorrow! :naughty:

You can't say this thread has been light on for pics, I think it's up there for amount of pics in a build thread...and it will finish strong :D

[Cane Toad]

Yeah yeah,whatever :teasing-blah: :teasing-blah: :teasing-blah:
6 weeks turns into 11,so I spose 30 pics'll turn into 5??? :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

[Brendan]

Or 50 ;-)

[Brendan]

Okay, here's some :text-coolphotos:

So did my first SS to copper, for the keg connection. Got a 4" joiner with SS ferrule in one end, and home made easy flange soldered into the other end.

Prepped it up with some wire wheel brushing, and used Ezi-Weld 801.

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[Brendan]

Soldered it nice and gentle as per instructions given on this site. Used propane with the little pencil torch that comes with it for a low flame.

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It cleaned up nice

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Check out the nice bead inside making a beaut seal :handgestures-thumbupleft:

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And ready for the easy flange

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[Brendan]

Here's your first glimpse of the bubbler taking shape finally

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And the general external shell just about complete, except for a good lot of filing, sanding, and polishing :D

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[Brendan]

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I was meticulous in having everything clean and shiny, which can take a lot of work after hard soldering some larger parts. The black stuff can be easy to brush off externally, but not so eays inside...so as you can see, i've painstakingly got it all immaculate internally aswell...I expect to taste love in the product :))

This is the inside of the 180 degree bend after hard soldering...

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[Brendan]

Made up a 500mm section to take copper mesh packing for running neutrals. Flared the end of the pipe as per the plate modules, and put easy flanges on the ends.

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Yet to be cleaned up

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This smaller piece is just for a mockup, but I was just testing a little plate to sit at the bottom of the packed section to keep the packing held within. Drilled a plate with heaps of holes, and used a smaller 1/4" tube ring to hold it in tight...not sure if i'll solder it in yet. It's very tight in there, so not going anywhere...I might leave it as is so that I can use it for other things later...

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[Brendan]

Soldered on water connections to the condensers...these 1/2" pipes then got brass threaded couplings soldered onto them to take my John Guest water fittings.

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For those not too experienced with soldering, here's a good picture on how to solder one thing close to another join without melting it...use a heatsink to take the heat away from where you dont want it...By clamping the pipe on the side I don't want melted, and I also put a tri clamp around that easy flange, the heat reaching that part keeps moving out into the SS and takes longer to heat that area up...get the heat to where you want it without burning the flux and get in and out as fast as you can :handgestures-thumbupleft:

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Cut some silicon seals to size for my plates to sit in the modules...

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Drilled the remaining plates I had to do...took an hour per plate, and I did 3 back to back (-|

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Buffed them up ready for the downcomers

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[Brendan]

Cut up all the bits to make the downcomers. 3/4" downcomers...the 1" cups I could get form the plumbing supply place were very shallow (see base of parrot), so I had this wierd pipe from the scrapyard which had a 1" ID and decided to cut them up to the size I wanted and make my own...& cut some little round discs to put a base on them...

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Soldered the bases on, and filed them down flush with the dremel tool

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All cleaned up, custom cups ready to go

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Downcomers soldered

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Everything cleaned up, ready to solder to the plates

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[Brendan]

Soldered downcomers onto plates and made sure they were nice and straight

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Gave them a good clean up with the wire brush wheel, after grinding away any excess solder.

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Plates and downcomers ready for action :D

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more to come over the weekend...BOOM :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Camikaze]

Sensational mate! :clap: :clap:

Loving your parrot and packing retainer hey. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Awesome pictorial. She'll look bloody bewdiful after she's fully cleaned up. You gotta be pretty proud.

Hats off mate. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[kelbygreen]

that looks bloody shit hot :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Brendan]

Thanks guys, it's been a lot of work but I'm proud of how it's turned out :D

[MacStill]

Thanks guys, it's been a lot of work but I'm proud of how it's turned out :D

And rightly so, bloody bewdifull mayte ^:)^

[JayD]

it looks very smick... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[emptyglass]

I expect to taste love in the product :))

You will mate.

You came, you saw, you conquered. Well done.

[MacStill]

Hey I only counted 36 pics, where's the other 14 ??? I feel ripped off now :teasing-tease:

[Brendan]

Oh they'll be coming after the weekend :D

[googe]

.Very shaxy mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: you've done a good job, making me want to do another one now!! :laughing-rolling: