Bokakob 2" mini-still column

[The Baker]

I have an out-of-date propane cylinder that I could remove the valve from.
Is that the kind of valve usually installed on this type of reflux still?
Although it is old it would have hardly ever have been operated; since it is the small gas bottle the tap would probably have been in the closed position except when the barbecue was used.

[Pikluk]

does one have to use a condenser on the outtake arm?? or will the condenser in the head be sufficient????

when using a tall distillation column in reflux mod for high % its still coming a bit hot for
my taste you can barley keep you finger on the output more than a few seconds.
in pot still mod you really need it because its almost at boiling point at the beginning of the
output tubing 1/4" copper tubing 4' long and the jar i use for collecting was warm/hot.
so if you intent in having a lot shorter column using this head for strip runs/pot still mod you do need the second condenser.
it doesn't need to be long like the one i made i just made it this length because of the distance of the bench.
one foot or maybe even less should be enough.

[rad14701]

Pikluk, many of the LM column designs require a product condenser on the take off branch because with LM you are dealing with hot liquid rather than hot vapor... VM columns use a product condenser by default because the take off branch is dealing with vapor rather than liquid... For a 1/4" take off you can generally get away with a 6" - 8" liebig condenser. having the coolant enter the bottom of the product liebig, exiting the top, and then continuing up to the main reflux condenser... This helps cool the product which is especially helpful when using a parrot and alcometer...

[plumber77]

re: 2" threaded n# 2 and n# 3 (capiliary and female iron thread )and( capilliary and male iron thread) in copper...wow ive never seen them!we have them in brass here , ill be using them in my build...i love it! are they bsb thread?? (chubby)

[Stimson]

Recently finished my stainless steel bokakob style still with a 50mm dia 900mm long copper packed column and using a simple sugar wash pulled out 800ml/hr at 96%. Very impressed.

Allowed the column to stabilize for 15 mins and extracted around 300mls heads. The column temp stayed at 78.6 deg C for most of the body. Fairly simple to run and the column restabilzers itself easily by reducing take off rate (more reflux). Used a modified brew shop 1380W boiler. My dad has a brew shop style still and looks on with envious eyes.

[LWTCS]

My dad has a brew shop style still and looks on with envious eyes.

That was a good chuckle.

Will you surrender your current to build a better one?

[Stimson]

My dad has a brew shop style still and looks on with envious eyes.

That was a good chuckle.

Will you surrender your current to build a better one?

No. Not at the moment. Happy with the results. How can you improve on this build?

[LWTCS]

No,no. What I meant was, will you gift your unit to your dear-ole-dad?

Or maybe build one for him?

Cheers
L.T.

[Stimson]

i'll help him build one if he wants, although, i think he will settle for what he has.

[Kentucky shinner]

I know this sounds dumb, but could you explain how these plates work. I am thinking about building one of these columns but I just dont understand fully what these plates do in the column.
Thanks

[Kentucky shinner]

so am I correct in thinking I will need some kind of condenser on the liquid take of arm? I am think of building the column. I guess I could use a lieburg condenser. Let me know what you guys think.

[olddog]

I know this sounds dumb, but could you explain how these plates work. I am thinking about building one of these columns but I just dont understand fully what these plates do in the column.

The coil condenser at the top of the column condenses the upcoming vapour into liquid which then falls onto the plates for spirit takeoff.

[Kentucky shinner]

I am building a Bokakab 1.5 inch mini - still column. I have a piece of 1.5" 48" long. How long should I make my condenser coil in the top? and would adding any extra plates be any benifit? I am very new to this and would apreciate all the advice I can get.
Your forum here has been great thank you guys for keeping it going.

[Samohon]

Hi Kentucky Shiner. Not posted for a while, work an all that. Anyway.

Heres the deal:



I also animated it, Hope it helps:

http://www.screencast.com/t/ODMxYThm

I am in Ukraine working at the moment and return home to Scotland in March, Not long now.
I am thinking of puting this Boka (2") above a VM, whould this work? I have already done the plans. But I will start a new thread on it.

All there is to do here in the evening is drink Gorilka (Ukrainian Voddy) and this brilliant site. Sometimes both together....
Learned loads from all the experts here... Good luck with the build and keep us informed of its progress...

HD is like a fix, gotta read, gotta look. gotta read, gotta look.

[rad14701]

Nice illustration and animation, Samohon... Yes, a Bokakob head would work fine on a VM column with the needle valve closed... It would be just a matter of adding a VM take off branch to a Bokakob column to have a multi-type reflux column capable of both LM and VM...

[Samohon]

Nice to know all the research is paying off. Cant wait to get back to Scotland and get busy with the copper..... Thanks Rad...

Very Addictive...

[Kentucky shinner]

Hey sam thanks for the illustration. I am going to start on my column next week, I have some time off work and its cold as a witches tit here. I will post pics on the progress, unless I really screw it up...LOL
I would rather build a 2" but I have plenty of 1.5" so I just cant see spending the money on the 2". I may have to run her a little slower but thats ok.
Thanks again

[Samohon]

Your welcome Shiner. I am going with 2 " as I had to buy it anyway (minimum 3 Mtrs), but if I had 1.5" then I would'nt spend the money either.
I have heard some good things from 1.5" Copper. I will definately be documenting everything, maybe even tutorial. (Gotta try an give something back to HD).

Well, its -20 Cel here in Ukraine. Cannot really do much in that temp. Going to look for some recipes.

Good Luck with the build...

[Kentucky shinner]

Hello all, I am starting my new Bok column next week and I wanted to ask what everyone thought would be a good size for the take off tube. I was going to use 1/4" OD. will this be sufficient?

[Samohon]

Hi Shiner. Well, after reading some of the posts on HD and Yahoo, I've come to the decision that the output from the Boka would need to be cooled to get a good reading for ABV%. Rad made a good point in his Small Scale 1.25" Two Reducer LM Head For Stripping Plus Reflux Column Extension. (Apartment Still)...Heres The Link...

I will be connecting the takeoff to a 24" (600mm) Liebig Heres The Link... on my new build. I am also including the Boka above a VM (This could change...).

I think you would need to cool the takeoff anyway. Whatever is a practcle length to the Liebig will do me.

Good Luck Shiner... Keep Us Posted...

[rad14701]

Hello all, I am starting my new Bok column next week and I wanted to ask what everyone thought would be a good size for the take off tube. I was going to use 1/4" OD. will this be sufficient?

Either 1/4" ID or OD will work... Just make sure you get the correct size needle valve... There really isn't much need to go bigger...

As Samohon mentioned, you will need a condenser to further cool the product as it comes out quite hot from the collection cup...

[Kentucky shinner]

I thought about making a grahm condenser out of 2-2' caps soldered together with my 1/4" od take off looping inside mayby 6 or 7 times. Do you think this would be suffcient to cool my take off?

[Samohon]

A graham condenser is kept verticle because of the spiral inside the water jacket.
I think, ensuring that you kept the coils inside the graham verticle, it would work. Dont you have a piece of 4" or 6" x 2" tube lying around to use as a nipple between the caps? Would make the graham a bit longer. I have opted for a Liebig 2' x 1" and 1/2" for the vapour flow (I think that will be enough). Hope it helps Shinner,,,... HD rules...

[Kentucky shinner]

I may just go with a liegig. I am having some problems making my conderser coil for the top.

[Samohon]

I have never rolled a reflux coil, but if I had probs rolling it I would fill it with water first (Suck don't Pour) and hopefully that would keep flattening and kinking at bay. I am sure the experts on this site will help you through this. I think that rolling the coil is probably the hardest thing to do. (Next to soldering a crossflow). Your mini-graham sounded great though. Maybe a future project...Hope I helped Shinner.

EDIT: Salt also works but I dont know how you would get it into 3-4 mtrs of 1/4 inch>>> Fill it with water, Bash the ends flat, Turn them over and bash again... Remember to fill it with water first. You are only destroying 2 or 3 inches, instead of 2 or 3 meters... Let us know what happen......

[Braz]

EDIT: Salt also works but I dont know how you would get it into 3-4 mtrs of 1/4 inch>>>

HOW TO FILL TUBING WITH SALT
Get a pipe cap (you will recycle this later and use it as the condenser cap).
Drill a 1/4" hole in the center and solder a 1" section of tubing in the hole to make a funnel.
(You will notice that the tube and the funnel are the same size and one won't fit inside the other)
Get a 2" long piece of 1/4" ID something - copper tube, plastic hose - and slip it half way over the end of your tubing. Then slip the funnel end into the other half of the sleeve.
Pinch the other end of the tubing flat.
Hang the tube out of your second story window, or climb up on your roof. Gravity is your friend here (Unless you fall off the roof. Don't do that.)
Pour away.
Find a way to vibrate the tube occasionally. It helps settle the salt. I used a palm sander (with the sandpaper removed, of course). I think an electric razor might also work or your wife might have some sort of tool that vibrates. Mine claimed she didn't.
Once the tube is full pinch the end closed and you are ready to roll your coil.

Some pictures of the process are here http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 5#p6820759

Braz

[rad14701]

Here is a quick tip that many of you may not be aware of with regard to winding a condenser coil...

Every time you bend soft copper is hardens and will require annealing to soften it back up again to eliminate the possibility of flattening and kinking while, hopefully, not over-softening to the point of exacerbating the problem... I don't use any filler in my copper because I never straighten it before winding... It goes directly from being rolled to being coiled, essentially going from big coil to small coil... I think if people would stop playing with their copper they would have far better luck... There is really no need to take a 10 - 20 foot rolled coil of copper, straighten it out, and then attempt to wind it back into another coil... Simply wind the rolled coiled copper into the shape you need and stop fussing with ways to protect you from yourself... You, and your practices, are the coppers worst enemy...


This is potentially stick-worthy advice...

[Kentucky shinner]

Ok here is my first attempt at making a coil. My first one was to big, it will be great someday for a 2" column but to big for the 1.5"er that I have. They are 13" in length critique my please.

[rad14701]

Kentucky shinner, as long as you can get adequate water flow through those coils they should work fine... They're a bit longer than required but as long as you have head space in your stilling area that's not a major problem... A 6" - 8" coil is usually plenty and can be augmented with some loosely packed scrubber if needed... Give them a run and see how they perform... Looks ain't everything...

[Kentucky shinner]

The actual length of the small coil witch is what I will be using is about 10" the rest is what is sticking below the actual coil.
I have one question. Does the plate with the slot the you bend down go in on the top plate or the bottom? I assume the bottom but thought I should be sure.
thanks