Goofy things I do

[raketemensch]

Heh, my basement has never been cleaner or more organized since I started doing this... I know how that goes, but with all your full fermenters I'm sure you'll have some time to spend out there.

That's a lot of lava!

[cranky]

One thing I forgot to mention above is the video is actually 2 combined into one. The first half is during equalization before I began taking off product, with the column almost completely flooded. I had to back off the heat considerably to keep it from flooding and get it to where it wanted to be. The Muggles runs somewhere around 4.5 on the dial but any higher than 3.8 and the column would start to fill up. Interestingly enough the difference in purity between a fully flooded column and one that only had a quarter or less fluid bed was about 2-4% ABV. So more power input actually resulted in slightly lower ABV but once the sweet spot was found it ran itself right to the end.

Another thing worthy of noting is the difference between the traditional shotgun reflux condenser/ dephlegmator I used on the Neutralizer and the Dad300 style CSST RC/dephleg I used in the Muggles. Reflux adjustments on the muggles are instantaneous, I can make very small adjustments to the muggles and watch the condensate exiting the shotgun change immediately while there is a lag time with the Neutralizer, I'm assuming due to the amount of water in the RC. If I were to make any recommendations to someone thinking about making a CM or flute, I would definitely recommend the CSST condenser over the shotgun.

[cranky]

Heh, my basement has never been cleaner or more organized since I started doing this... I know how that goes, but with all your full fermenters I'm sure you'll have some time to spend out there.

That's a lot of lava!

I have a lot of full ferments but they are all apple and when I run that the takeoff speed is so fast that I don't have time to do anything but switch out jars. I tried slowing it down once to have time to do other things but it compressed the heads so much I had trouble finding the apple flavor to put back in when blending.

That is almost an entire bag of lava rocks. On some of them I used dykes to cut them and on others I used a hammer and chisel to break them up small enough to use.

[Danespirit]

Great run, Cranky..
He,he...i like your humor .. "west tunnel"..
Brings back memories of a girlfriend i once had, and the expression on her face every time she saw another piece of equipment being stashed in the barn.
I am impressed by the takeoff rate you had on this run, how much power do you put into your boiler..?

[cranky]

Great run, Cranky..
He,he...i like your humor .. "west tunnel"..
Brings back memories of a girlfriend i once had, and the expression on her face every time she saw another piece of equipment being stashed in the barn.
I am impressed by the takeoff rate you had on this run, how much power do you put into your boiler..?

I actually have a car load of stuff heading to auction soon and some stuff I've been saving as an excuse to make a trip to the scrapper. I've decided to try to get a little more organized because I can't move to another house right now.

My keg has a 5500W 240V burner. I don't really pay attention to the numbers and know the digital gauge has inherent errors but at 3.8 on the dial the gauge indicates 10.4 Amps. I was pretty impressed at the takeoff rate too but it is about what I was hoping for when I upgraded. That 16 hour boka run was just way too slow. The glass tube is 3.5 inch I.D. which is pretty darn big and I think it is 50" tall with 42 or 44" of packing. I'm glad it isn't any bigger, it's quite difficult to get in place on the keg by myself because it is so tall and heavy. If you pay attention to the video you can see the rope I supported it with to help hold it while I attached everything. I still have some cosmetic things I want to do like put copper tubing over the all thread rods but how it runs is what counts.

Now that I have this monster up and running I want to build a mini still for making gin and flavored stuff that I only want a little of. I also have enough neutral to try to make my own Galliano so my wife can re perfect her Havey Walbanger cake.

[Danespirit]

I saw Still stirrin made a excellent gin-still, maybe you can use it as inspiration..? Can't find the thread right now..
Galliano...oh yes..that sound interesting.
I would be great if you shared your results in a Galliano thread..

[frodo]

I like the cup parrot, that is fine s hell

where in the hell did you find that copper cup?


AND DONT tell me the GOOD WILL store!!!!!!!!!!!!!

our good will store is NOTHING but clothes, shoes, vases, and ugly ass pictures

[cranky]

I saw Still stirrin made a excellent gin-still, maybe you can use it as inspiration..? Can't find the thread right now..
Galliano...oh yes..that sound interesting.
I would be great if you shared your results in a Galliano thread..

I started a Galliano thread a while back but it didn't really go much of anywhere. I grew the flowers I needed this year so I have enough for at least one batch, I still need to get some of the other botanicals. It seems like it is a somewhat modified gin recipe but I will update that thread when I get somewhere on it. I have an idea in my head for a gin still from a SS compost bin I got from Goodwill for $5

[cranky]

I like the cup parrot, that is fine s hell

where in the hell did you find that copper cup?


AND DONT tell me the GOOD WILL store!!!!!!!!!!!!!

our good will store is NOTHING but clothes, shoes, vases, and ugly ass pictures

I wouldn't tall you Goodwill, I got it in a box of stuff at an auction. Probably the same box I got the copper plates in. I don't really remember but you can find them on ebay if you search for Moscow mule mugs.

[cranky]

I just revisited a jar from that last run that has been sitting open for the past week, It almost got tipped into the feints jar but I always wait on what I suspect is the first hearts/ last heads just to see what I think after a few extra days. After revisiting it I have to say it is a pretty nice drop. I can't detect any heads but there is a slight bit of nice flavor. I think it would come out pretty good on oak for a bit or I might use it for a batch of easy gin. Since this is a full quart at above 90% I think this might count as 2 more bottles which would bring the total from the run up to 17.

[cranky]

I have been cleaning my garage today with nothing to run on the still. I could be running one of the ciders I suppose but wanted to wait until December or January for that. The 1122 and wild ferments might be finished long enough but the D-47 and 1118 aren't plus I am going to add whatever I get from these last pressings to those 2 ferments. Then they need to rest until January. Damn I wish I had something ready to run.

Anyway I am now 10 feet into the west tunnel. Only 14 more feet to go to the turnaround then I start on the East tunnel. That's where the real work begins.

[ga flatwoods]

Cranky you must be a horder!

[cranky]

Cranky you must be a horder!

Not really, I just thrive in chaos and have a habit of accumulating stuff wait does that make me a hoarder?

Hmm, no I'm pretty sure I'm not a hoarder, I'm willing to get rid of things. I hauled a bunch of stuff to the auction just yesterday I'm just messy.

[cranky]

The rainy season is in full force here now and I can't reach any more apples so fruit season is over for me and my mind is now turning to special projects. Over the past week I have begun to attempt the build of my double dimroth product condenser. I went to load and size my pictures last night and found out I have apparently been lax in visual documentation but here is what I have so far.

This first picture is one of the 4 plates I had to make. This is a bottom one which is shaped to help funnel liquid downward. I gave some thought to the number of rods required to hold this together and decided on 5. To get it somewhere close to round and locate everything where it needs to be I found a pattern at this site http://leehite.org/Chimes.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow which will tell you more than you ever needed to know about wind chimes but they have this section http://leehite.org/documents/Wind_Chime ... tterns.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow which gives you layout patterns and was very helpful. I chose the 5 point round pattern and made some copies, double back taped them to my copper and laid everything out then used a razor blade to scribe the layout lines in the copper. I then made some formers out of plywood to form the taper and the outside edge which was bent in the direction of the mugs to stiffen the copper.

I have learned a lot from my other builds and decided it would make assembling easier if I wired everything in place before I soldered anything so I drilled holes in various places to make that possible and began forming and wiring everything into it's perspective location.

This is a very complicated build but I think it is coming along nicely

This next picture is the center section which is the most complicated part of the build since it incorporates a bottom section for the top mug, a top section for the bottom mug, a pipe to connect the two, spacer tubes to guide the all thread rods and stiffen the whole structure and the lines for the lower cooling coil.

Last is the finished bottom piece and the partially finished top section with the coil wired in place. I have a few more minor things to do to the top piece before it is ready to go but I think it is looking pretty good right now.

[bearriver]

Indeed it is very wet out there. I am glad to see that you are making progress cranky. I've learned a few things vicariously from watching your work.

I'm doing much the same and switching gears into build mode. Winter will hold a long and expensive build. I'm sure you'll be around to see the progress.

[cranky]

Indeed it is very wet out there. I am glad to see that you are making progress cranky. I've learned a few things vicariously from watching your work.

I'm doing much the same and switching gears into build mode. Winter will hold a long and expensive build. I'm sure you'll be around to see the progress.

I'm pretty happy to be in build mode too. The new condenser is about the biggest thing I plan on building this winter. I don't really need it though, after all I have a 36"(?) liebig that would work just fine for anything I do as well as the 24" extension for it and the 20" shotgun does a fine job for just about anything as long as my pump can put enough flow to it. The new pump is insanely powerful and actually has too much flow for the shotgun but I have an art still I may as well build an art condenser.

I like seeing your builds Bear, and everybody's but I get to see yours in person. You get some incredible deals and make good things out of them.

[cranky]

I have pictures of today's progress.
These first 3 are the upper condenser all wired up and and ready to be soldered together.

These next 3 are the lower condenser which is also the middle section finally all wired up and ready to be soldered.

I think I am going to have to get some more solder before I try soldering these up, I might have enough but in truth you can never have enough solder. So it will have to wait until I am sure.

When wiring this together I used both .025 SS safety wire for areas that won't be in the vapor path and .022 copper wire for areas that will be. The reason for this is that I can solder the copper wire into position then trim out what doesn't need to be there and it will be sealed in the solder.

[cranky]

These next pictures show how I sis the flanges on the copper fittings for the inlet on the top condenser.
I went more conventional with the flanges by annealing the copper, heating it up until there was a color change the quenching in water, this makes a nice soft piece but even so to get the upper flange from a an inch and a half to 2 inch, which is actually something like 2.25" It took hammering and annealing 3 or 4 times to get it big enough and I still need to cut a ring to make it thicker for clamping.

To make a fixture for hammering the flanges I got a piece of scrap 3/4" plywood, set the piece I wanted to modify on it, drew a circle around it and used my die grinder and a rotary file to carve out a hole the right size. If I had the right size hole saw this would have been easy but I don't and I'm too cheap to pay for them so I used what I had and I think it turned out pretty good.

Once I had the holes "drilled" I cut the the piece of plywood in half, placed the pipe in it with as much sticking out as I thought I needed, clamped it in a vice. Then took my 48oz ball peen hammer and hammered it until it looked right or needed re annealed.

[raketemensch]

Wait, are you doing 2 reflux condensers?

[cranky]

Wait, are you doing 2 reflux condensers?

It may look that way but no, it is going to be a double product condenser that is sort of a mirror of my reflux condenser. It will be a visible condenser with the water flowing inside the CSST coils and the vapor condensing on the outside of the coils inside the mugs Where I can see it condensing. Thats why it's so complicated. I did a photoshop version of it a few posts back but it is time to make it happen.

[frodo]

Cranky you must be a horder!

Not really, I just thrive in chaos and have a habit of accumulating stuff wait does that make me a hoarder?

Hmm, no I'm pretty sure I'm not a hoarder, I'm willing to get rid of things. I hauled a bunch of stuff to the auction just yesterday I'm just messy.

I was told that you are a horder if you have more than me

[cranky]

Cranky you must be a horder!

Not really, I just thrive in chaos and have a habit of accumulating stuff wait does that make me a hoarder?

Hmm, no I'm pretty sure I'm not a hoarder, I'm willing to get rid of things. I hauled a bunch of stuff to the auction just yesterday I'm just messy.

I was told that you are a horder if you have more than me

From what I've read about you I don't think that could ever happen. I've known plenty of people over the years who accumulate a lot of stuff. The difference between them and hoarders is the amount of land they have to keep it on.

[raketemensch]

From what I've read about you I don't think that could ever happen. I've known plenty of people over the years who accumulate a lot of stuff. The difference between them and hoarders is the amount of land they have to keep it on.

Time to build another barn....

[bearriver]

The difference between them and hoarders is the amount of land they have to keep it on.

Quantity has nothing to do with it. A reoccurring theme in my life...

The distinction is a simple one to make. If you can find anything that you are looking for because everything has an organized and designated place, then you are a collector. Top hat and all. You should pat yourself on the back if you are this person, or give the hired help a raise in salary.

If not, then you are a hoarder. Probably a bit more like myself. It's okay, we have a support group.

[cranky]

The difference between them and hoarders is the amount of land they have to keep it on.

If you can find anything that you are looking for because everything has an organized and designated place, then you are a collector. Top hat and all. You should pat yourself on the back if you are this person, or give the hired help a raise in salary.

If not, then you are a hoarder. Probably a bit more like myself.

I keep all my filth in alphabetical order. Actually I can't find anything if everything is where it is supposed to be. One day I left some tools sitting on the coffee table and my wife saw it and said "Is this where that belongs!?!"
I said "Yes, I'm pretty sure." to which she replied "No it's not, I've lived with you long enough to know that tools go in the kitchen or bathroom!"
I guess it shows we have been together a long time
Truthfully though I've been cleaning the garage as time allows but I've also been looking for my stainless soldering flux and can't for the life of me find it. It should be in the box filed under S for copper but it's not there. Hopefully I find it soon so I can finish up this new condenser in time for my vacation in 2 weeks.

[bearriver]

It's probubbly unda C for Cu.

If the wife spots a tool in the kitchen around here, then I might catch it with my dome piece.

You have a nice wife.

[frodo]

look behind the box marked c for stainless,

i hide shit from my goofy self regular. i get something i dont want to lose
put it in a "safe" place, where it will not get damaged or lost.
then i cant remember where the hell i put it.

my work bench has tools all over it, the other day, i was working on a stereo. i removed the screws holding the speakers
did rewired it
started to put it back together, could not find the damn screws any where WTH? I had not gone anywhere, I put the damn things right there? WTH
30 minutes later, i noticed the speaker had a buzz. I took the new screws out and stuck to the speaker magnet were the old screws LOL son ofa bitch!!!!!!!!!

[cranky]

look behind the box marked c for stainless,

i hide shit from my goofy self regular. i get something i dont want to lose
put it in a "safe" place, where it will not get damaged or lost.
then i cant remember where the hell i put it.

my work bench has tools all over it, the other day, i was working on a stereo. i removed the screws holding the speakers
did rewired it
started to put it back together, could not find the damn screws any where WTH? I had not gone anywhere, I put the damn things right there? WTH
30 minutes later, i noticed the speaker had a buzz. I took the new screws out and stuck to the speaker magnet were the old screws LOL son ofa bitch!!!!!!!!!

radio speakers 001.JPG

That's funny Frodo Reminds me of when I was setting up to do that big vodka run I dropped one of the wrapped copper gaskets and saw it fall but couldn't find it anywhere. Eventually I found one of the old wrapped cardboard gaskets that I don't like using but I needed to run so I used it. Just before it started flowing I found the gasket inside the mug on top of the parrot. It was one of those things you couldn't duplicate if you tried.

Whenever I take things apart with little screws I take some double back tape and stick it to the work bench then stick each screw to it in order of removal. I haven't lost any doing this and if there are different length screws you know what order to put them back in.

I just thought of this, with the new food grade drum I just got I will be able to multiple runs in a single weekend and more long vodka runs which will give me more time to keep the garage clean and organized.

[frodo]

my wife is really bad sick, they are running a bunch of tests,,

it has put a stop to any builds for awhile,

lotta copays and special diet

[yakattack]

Sorry to hear that frodo. Hope things work out for you guys.

Yak