Still Art x2

[Bogey]

After finishing my reflux still I finally received my Brewhaus Premium 8 gal Kettle, and it's a beautiful kettle. I pulled the plug and ordered the Top Tier burner from Blichmann with the leg extensions because I couldn't have my Brewhaus Kettle sitting on my old rusted burner,... it just wouldn't look right. Then I started thinking, which always leads to trouble. I figured I might as well use some of the copper I have around and build a pot still head with a larger takeoff than my reflux still for stripping runs, and maybe make it kinda nice or unique to match the quality of my new kettle and burner.

I figured everyone like copper pics so why not document my build here.

That' a little work for a 2 inch coupler, but the burner from Blichmann takes about 10 days to arrive so I have plenty of time. Plus I just think it looks better now!

[Bogey]

I am looking for a sleek and symmetrical design that is easy on the eyes. In order to accomplish this, all of the reduction for the catch area has to be contained inside. The concept is simple enough and based on Rad's design, as is my reflux still. The tricky part was thinking through the order that the pieces need to be soldered together.

I cut off the reducers to accomplish the task of concealing the inner workings inside the 2 inch coupler.

[Bogey]

Well, I was finally able to get some time this morning to get back to my build, my boy had a couple days off of school so he took priority. Anyhow I tackled what I think was the hardest part of the project, the product take off tube. I say it was the hardest because I had to solder two areas at the same time due to having to go through the reducer at a low enough point so as not to have product pooling and the gap that created between it and the coupler. The pictures will explain it better, but first some pic's of making the hammered copper tube and the difference it makes in the final look.

Here's a little more detail in the aesthetic different between hammered copper and straight tubing.

Now back to the hard part. You can see the gap I am talking about here in this pic.

It was a bit of a problem to solder this area as well as the inside and outside areas at the same time. But with clean copper and some patience it worked out.

And just to prove I'm not totally anal about my soldering if you aint gonna see it....,

All in all, I am happy with the finished product.

Back to my workshop!!

[Bogey]

Finished up the reduction part of the head this afternoon, so the intricate small work is out of the way! I used a small length of 1-1/2 inch copper pipe and a longer length of a 1-1/4 inch copper joining piece that fits perfectly inside the 1-1/2 inch pipe.

I soldered these two pipes to the bottom of the top reducer:

The I annealed the bottom and tapped in the bottom reducer and soldered it.

And the finished head!

[Bogey]

Basically, if you are familiar with Rad's combo still design and his still head, I have taken that and shrunk it down to the smallest possible point to streamline the look of my pot still.

[Messina]

that sure is perty. do you have any experience pounding sheet copper?

[Bogey]

Thank You Messina!

Actually my next project is going to be an all copper sheet still. I think it looks even better than the hammered copper pipe. An added bonus is that it hardens the copper to a great degree, making the cheaper 16 oz copper a easy and good choice provided you anneal very well after the hammering before trying to form the copper.

Some quick tips for copper sheet:

Copper sheet is going to roll on you as you hammer it. Don't let it worry you, it will lie back down after annealing.

When working with circles, start on the inside and work out.

Always polish the tip of your hammering tool to a smooth high gloss! If you can't see yourself, keep working on it. Here's one that is done compared to one that is not.

If you have any more specific questions, just hammer away at me.

[Bogey]

I was able to make a little progress on my build today with the bottom column. It still needs some work but I thought I'd share the process.

Here's a look at what the finished look will be,.. kind of at least. I couldn't tap the bottom and top down to the bevel lines yet as I am not ready to solder it yet. But here it is,..use your imagination.

[goinbroke2]

HOLY CRAP!! That is awesome!
I have bodywork tools in the garage so you got me thinking..is all your doing, beating on them? Not to make it sound simple mind you, but basically your peening the copper? Never thought of trying/doing that.

I love the twisted design on the riser. Do you polish the copper first then beat it, or polish it after? I'm guessing before as you won't be able to get in the divots with the sandpaper after.


More pic's please!

[maka]

Wow that is very nice. Thanks for sharing

[Sungy]

You have some serious talent. This is one to follow for sure. Great idea.

[Bogey]

HOLY CRAP!! That is awesome!
I have bodywork tools in the garage so you got me thinking..is all your doing, beating on them? Not to make it sound simple mind you, but basically your peening the copper? Never thought of trying/doing that.

I love the twisted design on the riser. Do you polish the copper first then beat it, or polish it after? I'm guessing before as you won't be able to get in the divots with the sandpaper after.


More pic's please!

Thanks goinbroke! Yes basically it's beating the copper into the form I am looking for with a hammer and hand tools. The tools I used exclusively for the riser are pictured here with a crude drawing to show their shape. They are also in the order of operation, as each pass is a gradual forming of the copper.

I always use type L copper pipe as I need the width and material it has. What actually happens is that the area is raised up from the surrounding area by the beveling and hammering around it. A thinner copper wouldn't do as well. Here's a pic of that raising in detail.

I started this with new copper so I didn't polish the copper first, just a dremmel tool with a wire brush wheel.

[Bogey]

Thank you maka and sungy! My limited talent breaks down to 'extreme patience', which gives me the ability to hammer at a piece of copper for 10 hours knowing the end result will be worth it. Plus, it helps to be extremely stressed and needing to just beat on something!

[Bushman]

You gave us some great tips in working with copper and how to approach it. I would love to be in the same man cave with you and mash rookie and listen to the conversation and exchange of ideas.

[goinbroke2]

I don't know what to say besides "WOW"!

The tools you use, look like punches or chisels, is that right? You hit the head of the chisel your using with a hammer and it in turn shapes the copper...hmm, I have lots of punches, chisels etc but I was thinking of using the shaped hammers and dolly's for doing bodywork.

Just got the starter back in the truck, ran a vinigar/water through my new electric keg and shotgun condensor and came in because it's -6 and I'm frigging freezing. Now I have to go back out to the garage to beat on some copper cause you got me so intrieged!


I'll blame my frostbitten fingers on you!

Show some more of your work please!

[squeezins]

Very impressive work!!!

[goinbroke2]

Apparently, I don't get it.....

I tried a pointy ended body hammer and got this mess;
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/ ... f38832.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

So I tried a large headed ball pean hammer and a chisel too and made this mess;
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/ ... 7b6b5c.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

an even smaller body hammer (pick) left this crap;
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/ ... 2a9eda.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

About the best I got was a small headed ball pean hammer;
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b400/ ... 0c6aef.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
and that ain't pretty either!


The copper was cold (-8) and I just started smashing it....I mean gently messaging it...and kept trying different hammers. I was using a piece of 1 3/4" roll bar tubing as a base. Obviously you can't beat it in your palm, what or how do you steady your work? Actually do you have any "in progress" pic's? I'd be interested to see your tools in action, angle, how big of a hammer, etc,etc. I suppose I could u-tube copper work? Off I go....

[squeezins]

The first pick was getting there, just keep going and make a lot more dents.

[Bogey]

Goingbroke2, Your getting the hang of it! Just hit it a couple thousand more times and your there.

You made my evening. I will put together a tutorial with some progress pics and even some video showing the process if you are interested. Working with just a hammer, you don't have the control that you need. That's why the hand tools are necessary. They are pretty easy to make and I make all my own tools to fit the situations I need. If you have a grinder, you can make them as well.

I'll be heading up north for a few days but promise to get together a more in depth tutorial if you are really interested. Just let me know.

In the meantime. You asked for some more pics of previous works. Here's a couple of pics of the pieces I am most proud of.

Thanks to all for the compliments!

[jbird1992]

WOW JUST WOW!!!!!! That is some skills there Art for sure

[goinbroke2]

That is true "artisinal" work.
Yes I would be very interested in seeing a tutorial. I've got a million things on the go, what's a million and one? LOL! I'm thinking that if I can do this (even at a novice level) I could pretty up the old girl...the still, not the wife..that would need more than just my hands involved..wait, where am I going with this?

Anyway, yes I'd love to see a tutorial when you get time. Just the basic's to get me going if you don't mind. One thing has already become very apparent to me though, I think I might build a trip hammer or something mechanical to do this if possible. I can just imagine what the neighbors are thinking, bang, bang, bang
bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang....hmm....bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang....holy crap my arm is tired...bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang....ok, I need something to do this for me.

I watched a video of a market in Irac that showed a guy beating on a copper bowl, just sitting there hour after hour banging away. Not sure just what to call that, patience?

[Bogey]

One thing has already become very apparent to me though, I think I might build a trip hammer or something mechanical to do this if possible. I can just imagine what the neighbors are thinking,

No need to worry about the neighbors,...just enlist their help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN14BIfijRM

I'll be back in town on Wednesday and will get some things together for ya. After all the help this forum has given me, I'm more than willing to do what I can in return.

[Bogey]

Okay, I was finally able to spend some time getting a tutorial together to show and explain in more detail how I work with copper. I'm just a young whippersnapper to those I consider my mentors who taught me the process, but I'll give it my best shot.


Moving Copper Tutorial

I titled it 'Moving Copper' because that is what I am actually doing. I do not take away any of the copper, I am just there to move and form it into something more pleasing to the eye. The process is ageless and uses primitive tools that are easy to make and or acquire. Research "Roycroft Copper" or "Karl Kipp", if you'd like to see some beautiful pieces of work dating back 100 years or so.

For the tutorial I am going to walk through the process as I fabricate the top column of my still. I am using new Type L, 2 inch copper pipe.

Before I can begin to form the piece, I have to layout the pattern. In making a pattern for copper tubing it works best if you have 3 quadrants of a repeating pattern. With type L copper that works out to about 2 8/32 inches per quadrant. With my pattern flowing across the quadrants, I have to draw out 4 quadrants to account for overlap. Hell,.. the pictures will explain it better.

After the pattern is finished it's time to anneal and soften the copper. A simple torch will do to heat up the copper. You don't have to heat it to the point that it glows, just give it a good bit of heat till the colors dance as you move the torch. Here's a quick video that shows what I am talking about when I say the colors will dance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2StYATa044

Once the copper is annealed and squelched in a water bath, I glue on the pattern using regular clear PVC Cement. Now the fun starts!

The copper pipe has to be placed over some type of mandrel. It needs to be smaller than the 2 inch diameter of the pipe but not too much smaller or you will loose some of the shape when tapping and hammering it. I had a piece of 2 inch steel lathed down to 1.950 inches to suit this purpose. You could use a similar but smaller mandrel all the way down to 1 1/2 inches providing you pay close attention and only hammer the very top where there is good contact with the copper.

I'm not sure how many pictures I can include in one post, so I'll continue with another post after a beer run.

[Bogey]

Moving Copper Tutorial cont.

The first hand tools I am going to use are a 'liner' and a 'spreader'. In these pic's the Liner is on the right and is the first tool I will use along with an 8 oz. ballpeen hammer.

I'm sorry the pics don't show it well but the liner is on a slight angle and comes to an edge quickly. It should be sharp enough that as you run your thumb over it you are slightly worried about possibly cutting yourself, and as stated, it should come to this edge quickly so as not to cut to deeply into the copper before meeting resistance. All of the handtools should have a highly polished edge to enable the ability to walk across the copper as you are tapping with the hammer. The spreader is rounded and does not have nearly the edge of the liner, which I'll get to in a moment.

The proper angle to hold the liner is at an angle like this.

I had my shaky 8 year old son shoot a quick video of me, showing the process at a later stage, but will include it here as it is the same 'tapping' with the hammer and 'walking' the hand tool through the whole process. It's not the best video but it shows how to gently move the copper, not hammer it into submission. http://youtu.be/EzxyW7TJxgc

Once the copper has been outlined with the pattern using the liner, it's time to anneal the copper again and move on to the spreader.

The spreader basically does what it's called and spreads and opens up the line caused by the liner. If you click on this pic and expand it you can see the difference between the two.

The reason for expanding and opening up the metal is to allow an edge to develop, which aids the next set of hand tools: the 'bevelers'.

to be continued...

[jbird1992]

That's awesome keep it coming

[Bogey]

Moving Copper Tutorial cont.

Now we are going to get into really moving some copper with the bevel tools! We are trying to create a straight edge on one side of the copper, while gradually moving copper away from the opposite edge. It's a step process, with each tool gradually moving more and more copper. I'll show each tools alignment and the results on the copper, and try not to get in the way by writing. Remember to anneal and soften the copper with each successive pass, following the preceding steps and procedures.

First a look at the tools together so that you can see the progressively smaller angle on each step. Also, I have switched to a heavier (16 oz.) hammer. But remember, we are still tapping.

I am starting with the smallest head and sharpest angle hand tool.

Which creates this result:

Annealing and moving on to the next tool.

Which widens the area even further.

And finishing with an almost flat angle tool.

to be continued...

[Bogey]

Moving Copper Tutorial cont.

The result is that I have moved and formed the copper to create the look that I was trying to achieve, and have actually raised the flat portion of copper to a higher level than the surrounding copper. This raising will become more pronounced when I hammer the surrounding copper, which I'll cover in another segment soon.

You can see in this picture the amount of copper that I have moved compared to the yet unfinished portion. I'll finish this up and I'll try to post some tips on the hammering portion in the next few days.

Hope I didn't bore you too much!

[Bogey]

You gave us some great tips in working with copper and how to approach it. I would love to be in the same man cave with you and mash rookie and listen to the conversation and exchange of ideas.

Wow, Bushman Thanks! I did some research on some of mashrookies builds and I'm not even qualified to hold his column. But, if he did ever ask me to hold his column...

[Sungy]

Great tutorial. You inspired me to put on the winter coveralls and head to the shed to pound out some 4" flanges for my new build. Cant wait for more.....

[Bogey]

Thanks jbird1992 and sungy! Glad you found some of it helpful. I should have some time tomorrow to get to the hammering portion. I'm anxious to finish this build and run some of my panela washes.