Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

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Alchemist75
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

Now maybe I could request a bit of further wisdom:
I'm trying to solder the lid onto the pot and thus far it's proven to be challenging, the solder doesn't grab so well. Any tricks for getting it to hold firmly? I used liquid flux to try to solder the lid but would paste be the better choice there?
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bronctoad
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by bronctoad »

what are you using for solder?
there are probably others that will work, but for my buck, Harris Staybrite8
is the kitty's cream. its a silver bearing solder. used at low temps.
takes some getting use to too not burn the flux.
usually apply flux twice befor any solder
reapply flux as soon as it starts to sizzle/bubble.
as I found out if you have to solder copper close to this joint, do the copper solder
first, as it takes higher heat and will loosen the ss joint.
bronctoad.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by der wo »

Are you really sure you want to solder the lid on the pot? Why? One of the advantages over a KEG is the large opening of a pot. Solder a copper fitting onto the lid. Wrap the lid with ptfe tape and clamp it onto the pot with binder clips.
Here a good read for soldering copper fittings to a stainless lid:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=39820
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Alchemist75
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

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Yeah, the original plan was to have a resealable opening on the top of the pot to use for cleaning/filling/emptying. Looking at the tiny lip on the lid made the idea of wrapping it with ptfe tape seem difficult especially if I can just construct a copper port on top of it that will allow easier wrapping and closing. I'm very good at cleaning out vessels with narrow openings so the diameter need not be wide than an inch (it'll be 1 1/8 inches) It'll eliminate the need for clamping too. It's an unusual design but I can make it work well assuming I can get the lid adequately soldered into place.
Last edited by Alchemist75 on Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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der wo
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by der wo »

Sounds like a very small still? 1" opening for filling emptying and cleaning. Your hands are really 1" diameter?
If the lid is not suited, buy a ss or copper sheet and saw out a circle. (Then wrapping and clamping)
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

Lol, yes, I'm a smurf. No, after years of cleaning out chemistry flasks with very skinny necks I know all manner of tricks for getting caked on crud out of impossible to reach places. Salt/sand scouring with various mild solvents or hot water is kinda magical. On this little rig it'll probably just use sand. It's a small pot, 2 gallons Max. It's a little stove top rig so my friend has something to learn on. Once I build this and get my technique down I'll replace my biggest glass rig with a 5 gallon. I need to start getting into building from raw materials anyway.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by cranky »

Can you make a ring of copper that will fits around the opening for the lid? I like soldering copper to stainless much better than stainless to stainless so sandwiching copper between the 2 pieces of stainless helps me. Otherwise I will scuff the stainless up very well, clean is very good and use lots and lots of flux. I then heat it very gently,slowly and from a lot further away than you would think you need to. It's hard to keep the stainless from overheating because it retains heat so well.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

I might be able to produce a ring of suitable type....I noticed that soldering anything to ss required almost excess flux which is why I inquired about whether I aught to use paste or liquid. I have liquid but I have paste on order. I'm fooling with another stock pot as my practice piece. I have the lid popped full of holes and I did the trick where you solder the cap down first which worked well. Basically I have a piece I can completely destroy as I teach myself how to best do this.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

One thing I might do just for aesthetics is to basically blue the whole pot with the torch so any scorching just looks natural lol. It'd be a pretty little still
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by fizzix »

Good luck with the build. Like the bluing idea.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

Thanks, I've tried a second attempt to get the lid to take to the pot and no dice. I could get anything else attached to this thing but not the lid. I tried putting one pot down into the other and noticed that one will fit snugly down just past the lip. This creates a nice little trough all the way around which I bet would take the solder nicely. I'd just have to cut one pot in two to create a lid and I think it might just work. Man, this is harder than I'd imagined I'm determined though, I'll not be licked by a stock pot.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Yummyrum »

I found a heat gun ( like the type you use to remove paint ) supplied a good amount of heat without overcooking the staino .

I've never liked soldering paste . I prefer liquid anyday . If you can "tin" both pieces with solder before you place to gether , fist off you can see for sure that the solder has adhered to both surfaces and then you basically just have to reheat and they will flash together .

Unless you are very skilled and have it turned right down to almost barely alight , a MAPP gas torch will be way too hot for soldering staino .Propane is not so hot and a better option
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

Yeah, propane is what I'm using. I think it's just the shape of the lid, it's difficult to clamp it firmly to the pot and there may be a slight gap. I think I might have figured it out with my above idea, the solder won't be able to go anywhere but into the joint.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Swedish Pride »

Alchemist75 wrote:Yeah, propane is what I'm using. I think it's just the shape of the lid, it's difficult to clamp it firmly to the pot and there may be a slight gap. I think I might have figured it out with my above idea, the solder won't be able to go anywhere but into the joint.
Two things you need, the right flux and a high w soldering iron.
I've done my fair share of thin ss soldering, did a whole plater with it.
viewtopic.php?f=17&t=62483
I would not try thin ss without either again
Last edited by Swedish Pride on Sun Jun 10, 2018 12:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by zapata »

Alchemist75 wrote:Yeah, propane is what I'm using. I think it's just the shape of the lid, it's difficult to clamp it firmly to the pot and there may be a slight gap.
Slight gap should be fine, so long as it isnt too much of a gap :)
On the clamping though, do you need actual clamps? I could see them both getting in the way and not evenly holding the lid down. How about just a weight on the lid? Unless the lid is really warped (or warps with heat), a good heavy weight should hold the lid down pretty evenly. I've used weights for "clamping" on tinned pieces and they have the added benefit of "clamping" more as the tin ed solder flows, if needed. Say you tin the lid, but it's a little uneven, the weight will smoosh it into place when the solder melts. Of course spring clamps would do the same, but screw or C clamps not so much.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by corene1 »

Hard to beat the little mini vice grip tongs for clamping while soldering. I have a half dozen of them with the ends ground narrower to fit into grooves better. They clamp tight but will also compress the material a bit as the solder melts. They won't move a lot , maybe 1/16 of an inch maximum , but your tinning should only be a very thin smooth coating without big lumps. They will also help control the thin material as it tries to crawl around when heat is applied.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Alchemist75 »

So in the process of fooling around with soldering something occurred to me.
My mother in law gave me an old ss 5 gal milk pail complete with the original cap. I had attempted to use it to run initially until I realized that the metal ring on the base of it was held on with solder. I never used it again after that. Earlier today I had a moment of eureka and I removed the ring from the bottom with my torch and a cold chisel. I cleaned up all the old solder and wrapped the inner lip of the lid with about 4 rolls of PTFE. Perfect seal. Now, I'm gonna solder a short copper riser coming off one of the access holes in the lid that'll have a 4-5" jacketed "purifier" aka a dephlegmator with a water flow control valve. I'll attach the product condenser coming off the top of that and seal up the other two holes on the lid with simple corks. Maybe I'll put a thermometer on it for shits. Ultimately I'll make a thumper attachment for it as well that connects up in a different spot than the dephleg port. Viola, 5 gallon souped up semi modular pot still!
Now I'm still working on my friends rig but I figured I'd share my little moment of joy.
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Re: Hole saws, step bits and stock pots oh my!

Post by Swedish Pride »

fair play lad, nice when you get a win
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