Putting older posts here. Going to try to keep the novice forum pruned about 90 days work. The 'good' old stuff is going to be put into appropriate forums.
happy to post a piccie of mine tommorrow or something, ran the skanky hoe today and i've seen well and truely enough of the inside of my shed.
if you look through the site well enough you'll find a step by step on building one. basicly a car wheel rim the same size as the base of your keg with a couple legs welded to it and a bigass burner under it. somewhat the same as yours but the rim keeps the heat in and protects it from the wind, also the legs allow you to not squat on the floor.
You'll get a bit of an idea from this piccie, someone kind may point you to the construction thread.
Thanks Guys,
punkin, that is a real nice looking outfit you have there. The blue barrel is a cooling tank for the liebig condenser in front of it? Rudi, thanks for the link, I did a bunch of searches for it yesterday and couldn't find a thing . Golf day today. I hope some more stuff comes tomorrow so I can get this thing ready to go. I started 2 more WPOSW yesterday and used a 1/2 cup of bakers yeast in these ones, boy o boy are they bubbling
Kim
The blue drum is connected at the bottom to a 500l tank outside the shed. It's self-levelling. There's two submersible pumps in the barrelll now, one feeding each condensor.
That's very cool. I also like the support arm for the liebig coming off the reflux. Is that just threaded rod and different sized pipe clamps like they use in industrial plumbing installations? Also why the insulation on the reflux boiler but not the pot-still one?
Kim
phoenix wrote:That's very cool. I also like the support arm for the liebig coming off the reflux. Is that just threaded rod and different sized pipe clamps like they use in industrial plumbing installations? Also why the insulation on the reflux boiler but not the pot-still one?
Kim
Yes it's just a bit of scrap allthread screwed into standoff brackets from your plumbing shop. I just made it from stuff i had laying round, probably woulda used hose clamps if i didn't have the brackets.
The reflux is insulated cause it's electric, it's running for 8 or ten hours instead of two or three, i couldn't figure out an easy way to insulate a gas fired still, and i don't pay money for gas
punkin wrote:
The reflux is insulated cause it's electric, it's running for 8 or ten hours instead of two or three, i couldn't figure out an easy way to insulate a gas fired still, and i don't pay money for gas
Punkin........I insulate the top and the top 2/3 of my boiler and have had no problems at all with the heat from the burner hurting the reflectix. The insulation really helps a lot.
new_moonshiner...............
It's a bubble wrap with foil on both sides called "Reflectix". I comes in various widths and can be bought by the foot at hardware stores around here. I use an aluminum tape to hold it together on the sides. The upper section that goes on top of the keg is just high enough to cover my "ss bowl connector.
duds2u..............
That spoon hanging there is a very handy thing. The wife hasn't noticed that I heated up and bent one of her tablespoons.
Dutch,
Is the aluminum tape made for use with the "Reflectix"? I didn't see anything like that at the local HomeDepot. I was going to try self adhesive velcro but I don't know if it will take the heat.
Kim
Dutchmancreek wrote:new_moonshiner...............
It's a bubble wrap with foil on both sides called "Reflectix". I comes in various widths and can be bought by the foot at hardware stores around here. I use an aluminum tape to hold it together on the sides. The upper section that goes on top of the keg is just high enough to cover my "ss bowl connector.
duds2u..............
That spoon hanging there is a very handy thing. The wife hasn't noticed that I heated up and bent one of her tablespoons.
the best bet for the tape would be the HVAC grade its much thicker and has more glue on it than the standard grade you could buy at most places . depending on where you are located , if you happen across an heatpump or ac installer most all of them carry it and might sell ya half a roll or something ..it sells here for around 18.00 bucks a roll the HVAC grade that is ..
phoenix wrote:I didn't see anything like that at the local HomeDepot.
<off-topic>
I don't find that statement surprising... I was looking in the plumbing section yesterday for copper couplings and all I could find was reducers... Struck up a conversation with an elderly gentleman who was having similar problems finding what he needed... Putting our heads together we were eventually able to bastardize several parts together to get him where he needed to be and me where I needed to be without driving a 25 miles to the nearest Lowes where we could have laid our hands on exactly what we needed... Sometimes you gotta weigh out time and fuel against fudging extra parts together...
</off-topic>
[quote="phoenix"]Dutch,
Is the aluminum tape made for use with the "Reflectix"? I didn't see anything like that at the local HomeDepot. I was going to try self adhesive velcro but I don't know if it will take the heat.
Kim
I found the tape at the same place (the same rack) that sold the Reflectix. I buy stuff like this at an Ace Hardware store. I'm pretty sure I've seen the same thing at Home Depot, but those types of stores want to sell whole rolls of Reflectix. Ace hardware sells it by the foot, along with the tape. Usually you can get better service and advice at smaller stores. I've found that it is hard to find people who really know what and where things are at Lowes and Home Depot. I always go to local hardware stores.
I'll check at HD again when I go into town on Monday. I'll check a couple of the other hardware stores also. I'm still waiting for the needle valves I got on e-bay, I sure hope they come soon.
Kim
Hi All,
Well I finally got some stuff in the mail, not the needle valves though I had to work a lot this week and I haven't been able to get a pic to post to photobucket for a couple of days, what's up with that? Anyways here's what I've done in the last couple of days. I used a step drill for the first time to do the holes for the studs, those things are AWESOME!!!!! Aluminum tube, 2", cut in half for the clamps and 5/16" SS redi-rod with 2 nuts for the studs. I put a teeny bit of RTV silicone on the threads to seal them in, please don't hate me
Kim
Those are them alright They go through the SS like nobodies business and you just keep going down till you get the hole to the right size. Make sure you mark the bit so you stop at the right step. They also don't need a centrepunch mark to start right where you want them to.
Kim
The Uni-bits are nice. I used them alot when I did industrial electrical work. One thing you got to watch for is that they can "bite"just like a hole saw can, and when they do- better let go of that drill before it breaks an arm.
And they will dull out pretty quick...
I ask because I dont know better...
My first drops of distillate fell on Nov.18 '08 quickly followed again 10 days later. I'm hooked...
I run a 1.5" reflux column 51" tall. It is a CM rig... Yea, I know... - researching LM/VM now...
The best reason to use a step drill is that they produce a round hole in thin materials. Twist drills often don't, especially in a hand held tool. Maybe a drill press would be different. They are sort of spendy, though, for large diameters. Step drills, that is.
On to the column. I have 42" of 2" but only enough structured copper packing for 36". Should I by some copper scrubbies to fill up the other 6" or is it going to make any difference. Will having the 2 types of packing interfere with my vapour flow? I sure wish those needle valves would get here soon. Here's the latest pic
Kim
. Golf day today. I hope some more stuff comes tomorrow so I can get this thing ready to go. I started 2 more WPOSW yesterday and used a 1/2 cup of bakers yeast in these ones, boy o boy are they bubbling 
I had to work a lot this week and I haven't been able to get a pic to post to photobucket for a couple of days, what's up with that? Anyways here's what I've done in the last couple of days. I used a step drill for the first time to do the holes for the studs, those things are AWESOME!!!!! Aluminum tube, 2", cut in half for the clamps and 5/16" SS redi-rod with 2 nuts for the studs. I put a teeny bit of RTV silicone on the threads to seal them in, please don't hate me 
They go through the SS like nobodies business and you just keep going down till you get the hole to the right size. Make sure you mark the bit so you stop at the right step. They also don't need a centrepunch mark to start right where you want them to.