New Take on a Great Design... ODs Magic Flute - Mark 2...

[Usge]

Slowly, but surely...here's my 2" shotgun dephleg module.

It ain't purdy, (had to really work to get it soldered up with soft solder). It got a little globby. But, it doesn't leak.

here's the inside from bottom...with the scalloped therm well and therm probe. Haven't cleaned it yet (still grimey with flux,etc.).

Miles to go, but was glad to get this done with soft solder. I tacked up the shotgun and tapped it in..recessed slightly from the top of the tube. I soldered the top first. I put water in the recessed part to solder in the In/Out, etc. and top reducer. It was boiling away...but my previous work didn't come unglued. Then I flipped it over and did the bottom.

[LWTCS]

It ain't purdy, (had to really work to get it soldered up with soft solder). It got a little globby. But, it doesn't leak.

Dunno Usge,,,,,,,looks pretty good to me.... No leaks and your golden.

[Oxbo Rene]

Looks great from my house ! ! !

[Kentucky shinner]

Looks damn fine from here... great work

[Prairiepiss]

Looks damn fine to me.

[Usge]

You just ain't lookin close enough

[guittarmaster]

you wouldn't want to look that close to mine either!!! If it don't leak it's pretty enough!

[olddog]

Considering that you are only building a 2"column, which is harder to work that size, I think you did a great job


OD

[radiatorboy]

olddog have you had a chance to give your magic flute 2 a good work out let?

[olddog]

This link will give you an idea how it runs http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p6902141
I am currently waiting for a couple of washes to finish to be able to run again.


OD

[W.S.C.beachman]

Excelent...Excelent...
A couple questions though...
1st-What kinda therm. is that? I want one of those bad boys on my flute..as long as its not to offaly expensive!!
2nd-I always thought that the therm. probe was not supposed to touch the copper cause it would through off the temp. So how do you have it mounted in there so it wont leak?

[Usge]

Beach...therm is a brewpot therm from fermatap. Got it at "morebeer.com". I think it was about 30 bucks. It comes with 1/2" pipe threads (NPT) and 3" stem (they make a 6" too) making it very easy to attach. Its made for reading liquid temp inside a brew/mash pot, but I know they also read ambient temp to some degree because I have one on my 8 gal mashtun and it does respond/read..heat inside the pot outside of liquid. How accurate they are in that mode would be another issue. But, I got it because it was easy to mount, easy to read and something I didn't have to replace batteries on and I'll mainly be looking for temp shifts.

To mount it, I used a female pipe thread reducer (had to order it). It's 1/2" female pipe threads, to 1/4" copper pipe. I took a small piece of copper tubing that fits across the ID of the 2" column, and I scalloped it (cut it) with the dremel tool. The therm dial/face screws directly into the 1/2 NPT and the probe fits neatly inside the 1/4 tube protruding about half way into the column. The shroud/roof over the top..keeps the distillate from dripping on the probe while the open bottom allows exposure to the vapor. The probe fits inside the tube without touching sides...but it is close. You could always use 1/2 inch straight through (from adapter) if you want more room around the probe. Probably be easier to find the female NPT fitting as well.

Some of the fitting issues were...to measure/make sure you have your tube length measured properly so that the probe is the correct distance in/out. I found on this..I needed to mount the adapter just about dead flush for it to come out right. The other issue is..you want your therm face to be in the proper position when it all is said and done. To ensure this, before soldering the scalloped tube and NPT adapter together, I screwed the temp face in using teflon tape on the threads, then assembled the scalloped tube and turned it so everything aligned properly, and marked both the thread adapter and tube with a marker. I then removed the therm, solder the NPT and tube together at the mark, then soldered that into the column making sure the scalloped/open part was facing down. When done, the therm threaded in perfectly with the face aligned properly in the right position. There's "some" leeway when using tape, but you want to make sure it ends up fairly tight..when it's in it's final position. The last step before mounting it..was to calibrate it in boiling/freezing water. It was pretty much spot on as it was. But, it has adjustment screw as well.

Lots of things like this I'm learning as I go. The thing that has made this much harder, beside being at 2", is that I don't have sightglass ports to work through. So, it's impossible to solder plates down the tube. I'm still going through some of it in my head...but basically, the plates are going to be in small 4" tall sections of tube that will be attached by sliding them together in copper unions. So, I can remove one, or add one. I'll use teflon tape to seal and/or paste to seal it up. That's coming up! But, at least, I'm fairly confident having completed the above, that I can solder it . I was holding my breath a couple of times...but it all stuck together. Hoping to get at least one plate done next weekend. My plan is to wedge everything together, solder the top first (bubble cap/plate rim) getting at least the first/top part of the downcomer. Then turn it upside down, put a wet rag on the plate, and flow the solder "down" the edges of the downcomer from the bottom towards the plate...so I'm not having to put direct heat on the already soldered plate area. We'll see anyway. Thanks for all the compliments!! Cheers!

[Samohon]

Looking great Usge... Hard to work that 2" man, well done...

sorry for the late reply, the cable guys are ripping up the road here and my friggin connection.. Hope its sorted now..

The flute is coming along nicely... waiting for some glass to arrive for the sight ports...

[W.S.C.beachman]

Thanks Usge,
I will definitely be putting therms on my baby girl to. I find it funny how there is sooo many different ways to do a job!!! Every one has this idea in there head and not more than one or two would be the same. My flute will be a 2" as well for now and I really appreciate you guys showing your progress cause it helps with the ideas and what challenges people have to overcome. I am patiently waiting SamO to see your flute with sight glasses.

[Usge]

Getting close now. Just finished the lower bubble cap module (ie., with J-trap). I clamped the downcomer in level with top of the pipe, then cut pieces of solder long enough for both sides down to the J-trap. Heated it from outside till it melted. Cool. (thanks for that tip OD). Then I tapped my plate with bubble cap already soldered in...down 5/8" from the top. I cut solder ring and pushed it up against the sides and back of the downcomer. Then, I put a small, stainless shot glass with ice/water on the top of the bubble cap . This allowed me to heat the sides of the tube to melt the solder and pull it to the sides..wtihout unsoldering the cap. When I finished...the ice was gone in the shot glass, and the water was pretty warm...but the top of the bubble cap..down to the stem..stayed cool enough to keep solder from melting. Done! In one shot. (no pun intended)

Here's the plate module attached to the dephleg with PFTE tape and pushfit into the join. I plan on doing a test/cleaning run with this next week. Going to add attachments for my liebig tomorrow. Already have the water/cooling sorted (hoses, diverter valve at the tap, etc). So, it won't be long now. After I get this baselined and tested...I plan on adding a plate/module down the road. Cheers.

[LWTCS]

So how many bubble caps have you got in there?

[Samohon]

Looking great Usge... Nice tip with the shot-glass...

Still waiting on a delivery of some parts... Soon guy's...

[Usge]

Just one plate with one bubble cap LW. Gonna start there, then add another section/module later. Not enough room to solder up the tube ie., in a row, particularly since I'm not using sight glasses.

[LWTCS]

Just one plate with one bubble cap LW. Gonna start there, then add another section/module later. Not enough room to solder up the tube ie., in a row, particularly since I'm not using sight glasses.

Got it.

It would be nice to know how well she copes with a full on reflux period.
Good lookin little kit.

Can't wait to here your evaluation

[Kentucky shinner]

Looks great man.. congrats and a job well done brother.. I look forward to reading your results..
KS

[Prairiepiss]

Yes that's a nice little mini flute you have built yourself. Great job working that 2"

And I can't wait to hear how it compares to its big brother.

[Usge]

Cleaning Run #1

[LWTCS]

Usge,
What is your first likker run choice?

[Usge]

I just ran off some UJSM...and clipped this head on right at the end....just to clean it out and check it for leaks. Probably just run more UJSM after I get it cleaned up (I've got a few gallons of low-wines and some feints).

[LWTCS]

Did you see how well the rig responded to a reflux mode? Or just run it out?

[Usge]

Yes, I was playing with the water flow. I'm using a "Tee" with mini ball valves at the faucet. I used full heat...till the temp came up and I started to get drips. Then I opened the valve to the dephleg. Took a min but it stopped the flow completely. I let it sit there for about 10 mins. Then I started to see some small bubbles coming out the seam at the joint where the 2 sections are joined (just pushfit with a little PFTE tape). I wrapped a little more tape around it. Good to go. It was bubbling away. Temp was dropping.

When I reduced water to dephleg...it would start to flow again...temp would start to rise slowly. Not even sure if I have my dephleg plumbed properly (i have cold water going into the bottom, and hot coming out the top...maybe should be reversed?). Anyway...it worked. I tried it several times...opening up water to dephleg...would completely stop the flow of distillate (this was with my heat all the way up on my stove. Reducing water to dephleg would start to flow distillate. It was a little laggy to respond..given the length of the take off (necessary because of logistics). But, it worked.

Now, mind you, this was AFTER I had just stripped the UJSM that was in the pot using my potstill head. I ran out close to a gallon. Then attached this head. I figured there would be some residual alc left in the pot...I never strip down to zero. I took off 200ml. It measured about 40% (80 proof). So, yeah...I'd say it's working. Will no more when I get to do my first spirit run on it. But, for now...everything looks pretty good. Water/plumbing setup not optimal...given that reducing water flow to one side..adds pressure to the other, etc. I was trying to find a balance between dephleg flow and distillate flow, but couldn't really sustain anything. That's most likely because there just wasn't much alc left, but I think it will work fine for what it is. Just have to get used to it. On a positive note...none of my soldered joints leaked!

I'm up for any advice on doing my first run! (*ie., run procedures!).

[LWTCS]

Not even sure if I have my dephleg plumbed properly (i have cold water going into the bottom, and hot coming out the top...maybe should be reversed?). Anyway...it worked.

Yes some debate about this... I have mine plumbed this way to avoid siphoning... Seems like any less than optimal behavior can be mitigated by flow rate control. And of course it aint gonna matter at all in full reflux....Recon a bleeder type set up would give the optimal counterflow. But I ain't smart enough to be bother'd with the current performance of mine. It works plenty good.

After all,,,by definition the deeflagohmater is only a partial condenser

[Samohon]

Way to go Usge... Lookin damn good from here...

Reckon this has opened up a whole new process, not just for the 4" flute guy's, but across a wide spectrum of systems..

Guess you'll know more when you run a straight wash through her...
Great build and love the modular approach, add as many plates when you need them...

Waiting for your full report on this great mini flute, thanks mate...

[Prairiepiss]

Sounds promising Usge! Love it!

[Centimeter]

What would you reckon the reflux ratio is on a flute when you're collecting?If it's low enough, I wonder if you could move the reflux condenser (dephlag) above the take off and throw a gate valve in the take off arm. This would make the flute more of a vapor management set up rather than a coolant management one. Eh?