newbie: soldering ministill ?

[quirxi]

Hello,

I just have started to build my first still and have chosen the bokabob ministill design because it seems to be the simplest I came across.
Now I have got two question about soldering the still:

1. have never soldered such big pipes before and I wonder how you guys heat them up at all ?
I tried with kind of a wallmart propane burner and did not succeed in heating up the thick pipe to the melting point of the silver solder.
( Though I had no problems soldering smaller parts ...)

2. the slanted plate below the outlet is very deep inside the copper column and I wonder how to heat it up and apply solder to it ? Any hints for a newbie ?


arno

[Husker]

For the slant plate, simply take 2 hacksaw blades, and cut a slot at the angle you want into your main column. Then you can take an elliptical flat piece of copper, and shove it into that slot, and then easily solder that, and then when done, trim off the excess copper on the outside of the column (and if you want it to look really good, you can even sand it almost perfectly smooth).

I have used standard propane to heat up 2" and it works semi well. Just be SURE to heat up the tube about 2" above and 2" below your join, so that the metal there gets pretty hot first. That heat will keep the joint from getting cold due to the pipe sucking the heat away too quickly.

Also, when soldering, NEVER put the flame directly into the joint. To do so will usually carbonize your flux, and then you will have a hell of a hard time getting the solder to flow.

If you have access to some with an Oxy/Acc torch, they work very well to solder larger pipe. If using OxyAcc, use very little Acc, and make SURE the flame is very neutral (make sure it is not a carbonizing flame). That tiny flame it is easy to heat up just what you want, and you can get close to the joint without carbonizing the flux, and really get the solder to suck in very cleanly, and very well. However, a propane certainly does work also.

H.

[quirxi]

thanks for your help - that is just what I wanted to know.
And I thought you guys would solder the plates "inside" the column ...


thanks,
Arno

[eel]

Has anyone tried MAPP gas torch? Schitloads hotter than propane and you dont need all the gear that you have with an oxy.

[bourbonbob]

Has anyone tried MAPP gas torch? Schitloads hotter than propane and you dont need all the gear that you have with an oxy.

I used Mapp gas to solder some parts of my still but oxy/acetylene is your best bet. Mapp is ok for up to 1 1/4" but oxy/acet certainly makes life easy for larger pipe.

[HookLine]

MAPP only just did my Liebig condenser (3/4" inside 1").

When I did the threaded brass half nipple on the end of my 50 mm copper pot column, I had to use the MAPP torch and a propane torch (got a friend around to drive the propane torch).

But I used braze (Prosilver 2), which needs a lot more heat than soft tin based solder. So MAPP might do solder on 50 mm.

[quirxi]

Sorry for the stupid question: But what is "MAPP" ?


arno

[Rudi]

Yep mapp gas will do soft silver solder and 50mm pipe no worries but 2% silver rods and 50mm pipe need a whole lot more heat it is possible with mapp gas but it's a large ass pain. mapp (razor gas)

[tracker0945]

MAPP is possibly good but to buy a set just for a few small jobs in Oz costs a lot more than getting a few welds done in a shop. Specially if you have a mate in the know.
Over AUS$100 for a basic kit

[quirxi]

Has anybody ever tried soldering with propane and oxygen or methane and oxygen ?

[Husker]

Has anybody ever tried soldering with propane and oxygen or methane and oxygen ?

Both would work well (I know Propane/Ox works, and am pretty sure methane/Ox would work, but I have no source of it).

Someone else asked what MAPP is. It is simply a gas (mix?) which is used in hobby sized cylenders (the tiny size like the propane bottles). Mapp comes in a yellow bottle, Propane comes in a blue bottle, O2 comes in a red bottle, etc (for the hobby sized cylenders at least).

[BW Redneck]

Sorry for the stupid question: But what is "MAPP" ?


arno

This link'll tell ya. :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAPP_gas

God, I love wikipedia.

[quirxi]

God, I love wikipedia.

Me, too

[Uncle Jesse]

I much prefer using MAPP gas to propane in plumbing applications because it burns quite a bit hotter and will get the job done faster. However, when dealing with thinner copper be very cautious about burning through the metal, I'd prefer propane to MAPP gas in that instance.

For every day copper plumbing fixtures MAPP gas is a great choice.