Maxx's Bok

[Maxximus Flavius]

After my initial experiments with bending copper tube filled with parafin wax, I decided to go big. I filled the entire 25' coil with wax using my shop vacuum. I had to make an adapter out of a threaded ABS plug that fit my vacuum hose perfectly. I used a length of clear vinyl tube as an indicator for shutting the vacuum off.


The entire filling process took 12 seconds.


Now let the bending commence.

[Maxximus Flavius]

My coil forming fixture is complete.


I made a little ramp to facilitate the transition to the outer coil.


A simple guide to space the coils.


I test twisted another short piece to make sure I'm on the right track.


And the tube deformation is acceptable.


Now for the real job of forming the condenser.

[The KYChemist]

Nice work. After my current build, I'm looking into building one of these, as well. I would actually love to see a write up on the build of your coiling jig. That's as cool as the coil that came off of it. How much did it cost, to make?

[Maxximus Flavius]

Very few times in my life do I nail something the first time. I'm highly trainable though. This site has done it's job. My first coil is a success with just very minor flaws. I wound the first coil without springs.


I wrapped it in cardboard until I had a O.D. of 1.45". I expected some crush on the cardboard and some slight deformation on the tube. I want to space both coils evenly in the 2" home that they're going to live in.


And the finished coil/condenser. I was able to grab a piece of the cardboard tube with a needle nosed vicegrips. A slight counter clockwise twist of the outer coil opened it up enough that the cardboard just slipped out.


The forming is very accurate.



I've successfully evacuated the parafin wax and done some flow tests. At 60 psi line pressure, it flows at just under 6 liters a minute. I calculate that I have about 17'-18' in the condenser after measuring the piece I had left and the test pieces I did. I flowed the 25' coil before I started and it flowed at 7 liters/minute. Am I happy? Yah mon! I've got video of the bending, wax removal and the flow tests. Working off an under powered netbook, it's a work-in-progress.

[Maxximus Flavius]

Nice work. After my current build, I'm looking into building one of these, as well. I would actually love to see a write up on the build of your coiling jig. That's as cool as the coil that came off of it. How much did it cost, to make?

I can take some detailed photos of the rig disassembled if that helps. I'll write up some simple descriptions and dimensions. I usually build without measuring stuff. I use the TLAR method, That Looks About Right:) The bearings are the most expensive item at USD$12 each. Not the highest quality I'm sure, but for this low speed application, they were perfect. The other bits and pieces came to approx USD$30. I'm okay with the cost of the tool as I now can crank these out quite quickly for friends and family. I can't take responsibility for the majority of the design. Dixiedrifter did all the footwork in this thread.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 4#p6800773

[lampshade]

Is there a solvent for wax into which the coil could be soaked?

I'm thinking that just warming the wax will leave wax residue on the interior wall of the coil and thus reduce thermal conductivity.

[Maxximus Flavius]

Is there a solvent for wax into which the coil could be soaked?

I'm thinking that just warming the wax will leave wax residue on the interior wall of the coil and thus reduce thermal conductivity.

Apparently some ketones will dissolve wax. I've tried Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) and it didn't seem to touch a test piece of wax that I had. May be a moot point because the heat I used and the air I finished off with left a very clean innards. In fact, the wax I blew out has a greenish/blue tint. That tells me it cleaned some cu oxide or something.

I'm not to concerned about heat transfer as the .6 mm tube wall I used is very thin and shouldn't be a problem.

[Maxximus Flavius]

A short video on the winding and then cleaning the wax out of my condenser. Followed by the flow test.


and the end cap soldered on.


and the place it will live from now on...

[Maxximus Flavius]

I've got the slanted plates cut and fitted in the head. Just need to solder them in and bend the little tab down.


I was pondering in how to install a temperature port. Came up with this. I had a stainless 1/4" tube fitting that I sawed on a angle to match the plates. My belt sander top roller is the same diameter as the column. I profiled the fitting for a close fit. Using soldering info from this site, I tinned and stuck it on to a test piece. I drilled a hole that is the same size as the temp prob in a tube cap.


A couple wraps of teflon tape and the cap is tightened on to the fitting.


You can see a little ring of teflon squished out. I seems to be a good fit.

[rad14701]

Not sure how this topic eluded me until now... Seems like you're sweating a lot of details to make a reflux condenser that only needs to be able to have a 1 - 2 liter per minute flow rate...

Here are some guidelines for those attempting to wind a coil... The more air gap between the coils the greater the possibility of flattening, so keeping the air gap less than the diameter of the tube helps... I go with 1/8" - 1/4" air gap for 1/4" annealed copper... Wind slowly with your hands and you can have success without flattening when using a mandrel at least 3x the diameter of the copper, which is the industry standard minimum...

Nicely documented build... It takes me longer to take pictures than to do builds...

[lampshade]

Nicely documented build...

+1

[Maxximus Flavius]

Not sure how this topic eluded me until now... Seems like you're sweating a lot of details to make a reflux condenser that only needs to be able to have a 1 - 2 liter per minute flow rate...

Yeah, I understand that the flow doesn't have to be bathtubs of water an hour. My compulsive behaviour over this coil winding was mostly because of the challenge of working with paper thin tubing. It cannot be hand formed easily. Even my aircraft tube bender failed trying to do a ninety degree bend. I have ulterior motives as well. I can see some other applications for tube bending in my future.

On the plus side, I eventually plan on running the condenser with a small pond or fountain pump. The less back pressure the easier it will be on the pump. Oh, and I get more of a kick out of building tooling than building the item

[rad14701]

Oh, and I get more of a kick out of building tooling than building the item

I wind on a short length of 3/4" copper using only my bare hands and a piece of insulated Romex for spacing... Doesn't get much simpler than that...

[TDS]

Reading about coils before I try mine again.
Yours looks Awesome!
Cheers!

[Maxximus Flavius]

Reading about coils before I try mine again.
Yours looks Awesome!
Cheers!

Thanks. There's as many ways to wind coils as there is ways to make alcohol

[Maxximus Flavius]

I'm as reluctant as anyone to spend big money on a stainless steel needle valve. Using a suggestion from this site about bicycle spokes, I got to thinking. Stainless tube fittings can be sourced somewhat easily. So I located two caps, a branch tee and tube nut and sleeve. I drilled a .067" (#51) in one cap and a .078" (#47) in the other one. I spun a short piece of spoke against my belt sander to profile a point. Here's the pieces before soldering and assembly.


I silver soldered the "needle" cap while the valve was assembled to keep alignment.


Here's the drippy end in the full reflux poslition.


Teflon tape as a cap seal and good to go. This will need to replaced periodically.


I made a test rig to test the valve. A re-purposed disposable potato salad container, some aircraft fittings and isopropyl alcohol. No, I will not use the anodized fittings in my build I think I'll solder another cap on the drip end with the open end out so I can easily attach an extension tube. The beauty of this assembly is how easy it comes apart. When I run it in pot mode, I can just pull the outlet cap off for unrestricted flow. Or just pull the valve off all together.


And here's the proof of concept video...

[TDS]

Looks awesome. Having no skills myself, I am enjoying watching you.
I just plunked down for a 3/8 ss valve myself.
Yeah, damn pricey. There's another guy made one with a bicycle spoke.
Around here somewhere. I'm building too, but my whole head will unclamp.
I'm buying a lot of prefab stuff because like I said,
No skills in that dept.
You obviously has them.
Looking Good.
Cheers!


Edit - I guess you already saw that thread too.

[Maxximus Flavius]

I decided to glue two caps together sooner than later so I can attach any length or shape of outflow tube. The second cap has a hole drilled a couple of times larger than the needle valve hole. A tube to tube union has to be used. I carefully filed and polished the joint so it's invisible Here's how it looks laid out.


And kinda how it will look in place.


I saved myself some $100 by spending a couple of hours where I should pay myself $50/hour

[syro]

When i look at how you made all this, i'm starting to doubt how the hell i ever can do it myself. Very nice!

[Maxximus Flavius]

When i look at how you made all this, i'm starting to doubt how the hell i ever can do it myself.

In the end, it's really just a Tee, two endcaps and a bicycle spoke.

[TDS]

When i look at how you made all this, i'm starting to doubt how the hell i ever can do it myself.

In the end, it's really just a Tee, two endcaps and a bicycle spoke.

Maxx, just face it, you got mad skills!

You're doing the right thing, showing us unskilled types
how to do it, how it's not nearly as impossible
as it sometimes might seem.

I tip my 24oz Corona Bottle your way!
Cheers!

[F6Hawk]

That's awesome, Max!! I was recently pricing some SS valves, and they were over $100... You ROCK!!

[TDS]

That's awesome, Max!! I was recently pricing some SS valves, and they were over $100... You ROCK!!

50 bucks for a Ham-Let H330U!

No Fair!

I Blame Me!

If I had any skills I have plenty of bike spokes about.

[Maxximus Flavius]

I don't often get things right the first time. My first attempt on the condenser/plate head was not to my liking. So I tried again. This time I cut a small piece off the old head to use as a template. The slant plates were drawn on a piece of copper.


The small part I cut off was split at the little end and used to draw the cut lines. My $99 bandsaw made the cuts.


When I split this ring, it sprung open just enough to slide nicely over the outside of the 2" tube.


By ever so slightly bending the main tube, the .040" plates slipped in for a tight fit.



I find it easier to solder stainless fittings on to smaller pieces of copper for better heat control. This is the outlet fitting for the needle valve. This method also allows for a careful placement over a pre-drilled hole in the lower slant plate.


And the final assembly.

[Maxximus Flavius]

I finished the temperature port and soldered the big threaded coupling onto the condenser head.


I chucked a piece of teflon tape into my drill and spun up a rope seal for the dome flange interface.


And apparently I have a purifying device ready for making pure H2O. Can anyone guess which is the cold water line and the hot output line on the condenser?


Straight tap water to check for leaks and to check the calibration on the thermometer. This number agrees very closely to my corrected alitutde.


And here's some output...

[wv_cooker]

Unless you have your lines reversed Max it's a pretty easy guess to answer your question. Nice job of using YHB's valve idea in yet another way. Good build my friend!

[lampshade]

Nice job of using YHB's valve idea in yet another way.

WV_Cooker, pls elaborate about YHB's valve idea.

[wv_cooker]

High Lamp, YHB used a bicycle spoke and made a needle valve on his build, Max just used the same idea in a different fashion. Both work well and are much cheaper than a stainless needle valve.

[Maxximus Flavius]

I ran some straight water through yesterday to check operation/leaks etc. This was after I had given the condenser head, boiler and dome a good scrubbing with hot soapy water. I didn't scrub the condenser coil though. When I pulled the condenser head apart for inspection the side walls were covered in a grey greasy slime. When I pulled the dome off, here's what I found.


Kinda qualifies the reason for vinegar and a sacrificial run.

[Maxximus Flavius]

Ahhh, on the home stretch. Because I'll be heating by propane and outside in a somewhat variable climate, I suspect an insulated column will be necessary. Since I like to keep things looking as nice as I can, I wanted some attractive way of doing that. Things work better when they're clean and dressed up, right? I know my cars always work better after a good wash. So, here's what I've come up with. I found some dollar store stainless bowls that I cut a hole in.


A little more trimming and they fit over an aluminum dryer vent as end caps.


The hole is big enough to go over the top male fitting on the column, but not over the bigger female fitting on the bottom. BTW, I've finished polishing all the exposed parts.


I used some left over rock wool from a home improvement project.


With some difficulty, the dryer vent was slid over the insulation. It's soft stuff and some damage is visible. A probable do-over. Yes, that's the HD site in the background.


At the same dollar store where I sourced the bowls, I found this stainless drain screen. I think it will work as a scrubbie stopper.