Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

It's amazing how quickly it adds up! If I had my time again I would've bought a 4" FSD rig on day one...

We were able to steal someone's distilling notes to bastardize our own.
Not sure why they collect the information that was on there but I know we've changed WHAT we record now!
Initially we wanted thermometers everywhere!! And record everything, you just end up collecting loads of data and at first you go "Wow, I know stuff!" But when you go over it again a couple of weeks later you wonder what all the scribbling is about...
Important thing I now focus on is date, wash, any ferment info (Sg, pH, starting volume, fg) time both elements went on, when all plates were loaded (or bubbling), time I turn off the top element, length of full reflux, temp of boiler, temp of parrot and ABV @ Parot.
From that I can work out most other things that mean anything to me (right now)... I also record which of the jars we keep and which we discard so that next time I do the run, I know what to expect.
For instance, we collect the first litre off the still now (forshots & heads) then open the middle jar and work our way in from both ends... Quickest way to get the stuff we want! Once our bank of drinks builds up, we can become more discriminating!

Man, can't wait to get into the current batches!

Finally got around to knocking up my parrot: more on that in a sec - first I thought I'd put up some pics of how I got my ball valve onto the bottom of the parrot using just soft solder and a couple of fittings... I'm sure this has been done before but figured I'd put it up anyway.

Firstly, got a couple of capillary to threaded connections from Bunnings. To get around the brass contact issue, I put them in the lathe and drilled out the internal lip using a 13mm drill bit (you can see the lip inside the one I'm holding).



Then, because the threaded end bells out to a slightly larger ID, I cut a small section of 1/2" copper, cut down the side and opened up. Then cut another small piece to fill the gap left from opening up the first.
These are to fill out the internal gap in the brass fitting. (the piece inside the brass fitting in the photo is the main piece of pipe, passing all the way through the drilled-out fitting)



Then gently tapped into the brass fitting. Doesn't matter if it's not perfect, Its going to fill up with solder. The inner-most copper is the actual pipe which continues out of the fitting in the other direction.



Next I stood it upright, with the threaded end pointing down. I heated the entire lot with the torch, and pushed solder into the seam until it was pooling around the bottom of the fitting. This filled up all the gaps in the copper. I was left with a big dag of solder on the bottom end like this:



Then, back on the lathe, drilled out the plug with a 10mm bit, filed the end nice and flat, and did a small amount of filing inside to smooth out the bore.



Now there is still brass involved, but the way I see it the internal faces which contact the alcohol are only copper or solder, and the small ring of brass around the very outside on the end is unlikely to have any contact with alcohol, especially since I spanner tightened the fitting hard into the valve body. The soft copper / solder should seat fairly well against the stainless and take the brass out of the picture.
This was the first one I made, on the second one (which I used as the "upper" fitting on my parrot, since it would be submerged in alcohol more often) I made the solder plug even thicker, and when I filed it back I didn't re-expose the brass ring on the end face. So the second one is a straight solder face contacting the valve body, with no possibility of brass contact at all.

Now for the actual parrot; This is based on another design I've seen around here recently (sorry I can't remember who!) where the output was connected to the drain.
Had to have a good think about the assembly order - now that it is all soldered up there is no chance of getting the valve out again without unsoldering everything, so made extra sure it was watertight before I finished soldering the main body. Had to sit the valve body in some water while I was soldering fittings close to it, I was paranoid I would melt the thread tape and have to start all over again. Was a mission, but I reckon it turned out OK.

The little 1/4" piece between the top reducer and the input pipe is just a little bracing strut to stiffen it all up.

i like the idea you did with the brass fitting, so am i correct in thinking with the way you did this there will be no contact with the brass? just copper and solder on the inside?

also what size ball valve is this? 1/2"

Great thinking with the tap fittings. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

aussiebrewer wrote:i like the idea you did with the brass fitting, so am i correct in thinking with the way you did this there will be no contact with the brass? just copper and solder on the inside?

also what size ball valve is this? 1/2"

Yep, pretty sure it's 1/2" from memory, 316 stainless.

There shouldn't be any contact with brass, especially if you leave the end face as full solder. I suppose capillary action might draw a minute amount up between the adaptor and valve body threads, but it would be extremely small. If you were really concerned about it a small gasket in between the two to as well as the solder would probably work. Maybe even just a seat made of thread tape?

i was just thinking the PTFE tape as i was reading, wrap it around and over hang half of the tape to cover the end, this is how i usually do my taps in general.

I may have to borrow this idea one day :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Apologies everyone for the very old thread resurrection - I've been meaning to make this post for a couple of years at least...

I frequently get asked by friends and family about my still, and I never have any photos I can access quickly on my phone to show them. I always end up coming back to this forum on my phone and showing them some of the incomplete photos in this thread. It's time I uploaded a couple of photos of the finished still, so I can show people easily and also to close out this thread 100%. I hope you all don't mind!

Very nice mate!