A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Jes2xu
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

BDF wrote:All of the stainless and copper joining I've done so far has been using the same techniques used in soldering copper pipe for home plumbing. Pretty new to it myself, but I get the feeling the route you went and materials you used were due to availability.

With the silver solder and flux I was using, you indeed wanted to use indirect heat, else you might burn the flux. And used a much much smaller flame throughout the process.
Thats a good point, thats probably actually where I got that from. I used "soft" solder for the boka head (but only ever did it the once).

Yeah it was the liquid flux that was hard to find and/or $$$$$. I also just wanted to learn this option too. And thought it would be good content to do both eventually :)
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by rgreen2002 »

J...

I am enjoying your journey more and more.... reminds me very much of mine over the years. I imagine seeing the first few drops out of your still, you're going to about shit yourself (God knows I did!)

I too am no expert in soldering..... almost all my soldering has been for this fine hobby, but I have learned a few things along the way. Like BDF mentioned, the small parts of stainless to copper are very similar to copper to copper soldering. Indirect heating is the key. You should not directly heat the rod but rather allow it to fill the joint with indirect heat. When I do stainless I do use Harris Stay Brite... makes short work of any stainless steel job. Don't breathe the fumes... :thumbdown:

While you were soldering I get the feeling that you were just trying to "cover the gap" (AKA just get solder on the gap). Remember the flux you use helps to actually draw the solder UP INTO THE JOINT. This allows for a good seal. In the beginning, you can be liberal with your flux(lead-free, water soluble flux I assume....) which will make the soldering a little easier. Apply it thick...

When I solder I usually tip my parts in the vise at a slight angle(35-45 degrees). This allows for the capillarity of the flux to pull the solder down into the joint. To have the ferrule on the bottom and expect the flux to creep UP into the joint against gravity is more work than you need. If you are worried the ferrule will move before you finish then just heat a small spot and solder it. This will hold the pieces in place for the rest of the solder.

Be careful... just because there is no water leaking doesn't mean the ALCOHOL vapor under a small amount of pressure won't find its way out. Be sure to pay close attention during your cleaning runs for pinhole leaks.... they're a true pain in the ass if I ever saw one!!!

Also.... there are many great videos on YOUTUBE (you know.....youtube.....?) that can help with soldering/brazing. Many are done by companies who create the soldering products... so there are somewhat content experts. I watched a few before I started(and made a big mess). Of course, there is something to be said about making mistakes and learning....

I hope these little tips will be helpful and I hope the WAY more advanced folks here will drop in to give good info and resources for ya. I promise the more you do the better you will get. That will mean fewer times you will find yourself fixing the pinhole leaks. :mrgreen:
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Oldvine Zin
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Oldvine Zin »

After watching your last vid, here is quick little observation- looks as if you were trying to use the rod as a paintbrush, instead apply material in one spot and use the torch as your brush. The solder will follow the heat, and think about the three dimensional space you are working in, right, left, up, down, and also in and out to control the temp. I like to start with heating the mass first (the stainless ferrule in this case) then work the heat to the copper.

Love the vids and keep trying
Good luck
OVZ
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

rgreen2002 wrote:J...

I am enjoying your journey more and more.... reminds me very much of mine over the years. I imagine seeing the first few drops out of your still, you're going to about shit yourself (God knows I did!)

Yah . . . . Im looking forward to that!

I too am no expert in soldering..... almost all my soldering has been for this fine hobby, but I have learned a few things along the way. Like BDF mentioned, the small parts of stainless to copper are very similar to copper to copper soldering. Indirect heating is the key. You should not directly heat the rod but rather allow it to fill the joint with indirect heat. When I do stainless I do use Harris Stay Brite... makes short work of any stainless steel job. Don't breathe the fumes... :thumbdown:

Yeah I want to try the soft solder as well. I was struggling to find that flux/solder combo here, and couldn't see any direct product comparisons for products in NZ. So I went braze instead. I will definitely make sure to try it in the future though. Will be good content for people deciding which to do themselves I think.

While you were soldering I get the feeling that you were just trying to "cover the gap" (AKA just get solder on the gap). Remember the flux you use helps to actually draw the solder UP INTO THE JOINT. This allows for a good seal. In the beginning, you can be liberal with your flux(lead-free, water soluble flux I assume....) which will make the soldering a little easier. Apply it thick...

Yup I was definitely guilty of that. I was using a soft solder flux (which I have since learnt is basicly useless for what I was doing haha).

When I solder I usually tip my parts in the vise at a slight angle(35-45 degrees). This allows for the capillarity of the flux to pull the solder down into the joint. To have the ferrule on the bottom and expect the flux to creep UP into the joint against gravity is more work than you need. If you are worried the ferrule will move before you finish then just heat a small spot and solder it. This will hold the pieces in place for the rest of the solder.

Be careful... just because there is no water leaking doesn't mean the ALCOHOL vapor under a small amount of pressure won't find its way out. Be sure to pay close attention during your cleaning runs for pinhole leaks.... they're a true pain in the ass if I ever saw one!!!

Yeah I was a little worried (I guess aware would be a better word) of that. I thought I would run with it until cleaning run and fix the inevitable once I identify them then :) haha

Also.... there are many great videos on YOUTUBE (you know.....youtube.....?) that can help with soldering/brazing. Many are done by companies who create the soldering products... so there are somewhat content experts. I watched a few before I started(and made a big mess). Of course, there is something to be said about making mistakes and learning....

hahaha Yeah dude! I found a lot of helpful soft solder videos. Less for brazing though. Lots of brazing videos but very little that were for similar types of jobs. As a noob I wasnt sure what applied still when things changed. I also just kinda forgot a lot of what I had "learnt" when I actually had hot copper in front of me haha. I think I also got a bit confused between soft solder and brazing while I was in the middle of it. and yeah . . . . mistakes help ;)

I hope these little tips will be helpful and I hope the WAY more advanced folks here will drop in to give good info and resources for ya. I promise the more you do the better you will get. That will mean fewer times you will find yourself fixing the pinhole leaks. :mrgreen:

Definitly helps! thanks man!!!
Oldvine Zin wrote:After watching your last vid, here is quick little observation- looks as if you were trying to use the rod as a paintbrush, instead apply material in one spot and use the torch as your brush. The solder will follow the heat, and think about the three-dimensional space you are working in, right, left, up, down, and also in and out to control the temp. I like to start with heating the mass first (the stainless ferrule in this case) then work the heat to the copper.

Love the vids and keep trying
Good luck

Yeah, I think that is a fairly accurate description. Its funny because I "knew" after the research. But it all went out the window when I actually did it hahah. Strange how that happens, I guess I panicked in the moment.

I like the way you said that about 3-d space. I think thats a good thing tothink about, hadnt thought of it in those terms. Kinda makes me visualise it more.

OVZ

Ok . . . . Off to try again!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by bitter »

Ebay can be a good source for items like flux and solder.. shipping is most likely going to be a pain for you like it is me.

Good start on your project... as said above I would personally solder everything.

B
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

bitter wrote:Ebay can be a good source for items like flux and solder.. shipping is most likely going to be a pain for you like it is me.

Good start on your project... as said above I would personally solder everything.

B

Yeah for sure. Ebay and aliexpress are my friends ;) Yup I want to try that too!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

Well,

Looks like all of your advice paid off! Think I am getting the hang of this!

Passed water test. And cleaned up much better than the others so far.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Your advice DEFINITELY helped! So thanks a bunch guys!

I tried to condense all of the help you gave me into one spot to help other noobs out. Also put 4 ferrules on. Column and elbow ready to go for the CCVM :)

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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by rgreen2002 »

Looking great.... a little practice can go a long way in this hobby.

Remember though, the citric acid bath is nice but before you even think about running a drinkable batch of likker, those parts need to be cleaned: in your boiler run hot water, a 50/50 water/vinegar mix and then a cheap batch of alcohol through your setup. (Occasionally I will skip the plain water)
HD Glossary - Open this
A little spoon feeding *For New & Novice Distillers - start here
BEST WAY TO GET ANSWERS FROM HOME DISTILLER
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."
Jes2xu
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

rgreen2002 wrote:Looking great.... a little practice can go a long way in this hobby.

Remember though, the citric acid bath is nice but before you even think about running a drinkable batch of likker, those parts need to be cleaned: in your boiler run hot water, a 50/50 water/vinegar mix and then a cheap batch of alcohol through your setup. (Occasionally I will skip the plain water)

Ah yeah for sure!!

In fact I am in the middle of contemplating making this weeks vid about my first wash. A TFFV perhaps to use as the sacrificial run :)
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by bitter »

Personally I would do 2x the wash you want for a sac run... do your sac run.. and see how things are if you need a second... then you are ready.. if not you have something to practice running your setup... and get something drinkable.

Keep the running's from the sac run for any future changes you can often use them a couple times depending how dirty and how much flux you had. If you used a good liquid flux for solder its much easier to clean than an petroleum based flux.

Your getting there... keep it up. There are lots of options in the tried and true... for sugar washes take your pick.

B
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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bitter wrote:Personally I would do 2x the wash you want for a sac run... do your sac run.. and see how things are if you need a second... then you are ready.. if not you have something to practice running your setup... and get something drinkable.

Keep the running's from the sac run for any future changes you can often use them a couple times depending how dirty and how much flux you had. If you used a good liquid flux for solder its much easier to clean than an petroleum based flux.

Your getting there... keep it up. There are lots of options in the tried and true... for sugar washes take your pick.

B

That seems like solid advice!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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bitter wrote:Keep the running's from the sac run for any future changes you can often use them a couple times depending how dirty and how much flux you had. If you used a good liquid flux for solder its much easier to clean than an petroleum based flux.
That sounds like bad advice to me. Mine gets tossed immediately so that it can never accidentally be used for anything.

You soon collect enough nice clean foreshots and heads that can be used.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by bitter »

I had it kept in separate gallon jug marked poison cleaning run.. A gallon of 95-96% can come in handy for a quick cleaning run (Now holds my foreshot so never resused for anything drinkable)... that being said I used mine for fire starter once I have enough foreshot saved for a cleaning a run.

B
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by NZChris »

I keep mine in a can in the garden with a burning rag hanging out of it :D
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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NZChris wrote:I keep mine in a can in the garden with a burning rag hanging out of it :D
. . . . I hadnt thought of you as a molotov kinda guy . . . . haha

But yeah point taken!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

A wee talk about cleaning and sanitizing . . . .you know . . . . if you are into that kinda thing ;)

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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Sugar wash down for cleaning run.

But more importantly looking for a little help in terms of how to organise the distilling space.


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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Single Malt Yinzer »

Use 5S.
what-is-5s-lean.png
https://us.kaizen.com/knowledge-center/what-is-5s.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Fastcap has a ton of great videos. They tend to be hyper, this one is a little more low key.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYby_HczyDA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I've been setting things up like this for a while it really reduces "search time" for something. Put stuff in the order you use it. Clean, Brew, Ferment, distill. I'm not perfect at it, but I try to keep with it.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Single Malt Yinzer wrote:Use 5S.
what-is-5s-lean.png
https://us.kaizen.com/knowledge-center/what-is-5s.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Fastcap has a ton of great videos. They tend to be hyper, this one is a little more low key.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYby_HczyDA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I've been setting things up like this for a while it really reduces "search time" for something. Put stuff in the order you use it. Clean, Brew, Ferment, distill. I'm not perfect at it, but I try to keep with it.
Huh, never herd of it! Will check the vid.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by still_stirrin »

SMY wrote:Use 5S...
Oh yea, 5S...6-Sigma..."lean manufacturing"...all the buzz words from my days working at "the lazy B" aircraft plant. It's been a while since I've thought much about those training sessions. Kinda' miss them though, because it was a break from work and they usually had refreshments.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by bitter »

Nice to see you are keeping up with the vids every week.. You did not mention airation.

I made a beer last week (Scottish Ale ) that was 1.070 OG and FG of 1.013 in 3 days using Nottingham.. Great yeast and pretty fast so long as your temp is low enough

B
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by BDF »

Jes2xu wrote:Sugar wash down for cleaning run.

But more importantly looking for a little help in terms of how to organise the distilling space.


I would say don't make any permanent installations or decisions until after your first keeper run on the still (after cleaning/sacrificial runs). You'll need to figure out exactly how you want to deal with the logistics of fermenting, cleaning, rinsing, collecting, mixing, blending, setting up for each stage, where you keep the parts, what you need access to, and many other things.

There is going to be some kind of iteration to find what works for you, so keep that in mind before doing anything to hard to tear down
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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still_stirrin wrote:
SMY wrote:Use 5S...
Oh yea, 5S...6-Sigma..."lean manufacturing"...all the buzz words from my days working at "the lazy B" aircraft plant. It's been a while since I've thought much about those training sessions. Kinda' miss them though, because it was a break from work and they usually had refreshments.
:clap:
ss

Things dont change much huh? Main reason I turned up at school was lunch break ;)
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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bitter wrote:Nice to see you are keeping up with the vids every week.. You did not mention airation.

I made a beer last week (Scottish Ale ) that was 1.070 OG and FG of 1.013 in 3 days using Nottingham.. Great yeast and pretty fast so long as your temp is low enough

B

Your right I didnt. ,. . . .whoops! I just pick the thing up, cover the air lock hole and shake the crap out of it for a min or so.

Nice! had a taste of it yet? I have never used Nottingham. Would be keen to though!

Have been thinking about yeast that would be both brewing and distilling friendly. So I can either yeast harvest, or just rack on top of the yeast cake.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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BDF wrote:
I would say don't make any permanent installations or decisions until after your first keeper run on the still (after cleaning/sacrificial runs). You'll need to figure out exactly how you want to deal with the logistics of fermenting, cleaning, rinsing, collecting, mixing, blending, setting up for each stage, where you keep the parts, what you need access to, and many other things.

There is going to be some kind of iteration to find what works for you, so keep that in mind before doing anything to hard to tear down
Yeah good point. Thinking (after the advice all round) I will put the wall/divider in. Then make all the benches self-standing. Then at least I can move them around independently until I find what works for me.
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Just in case you didn't notice I have been putting off the shotgun build. It made me a little nervous!

Time to give it a crack though.

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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

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Jes2xu wrote:Just in case you didn't notice I have been putting off the shotgun build. It made me a little nervous!

Time to give it a crack though.
Seems like it all worked out in the end, combination of due diligence and video editing magic. You're in the home stretch now!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Jes2xu »

hahah yus! By the power of video editing!
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Re: A new youtube channel for distilling ?

Post by Klein »

did you use any baffles in your shotgun?
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