My Version - Rad's Small Scale Combo

[southern traditions]

Here's a couple of pics of my newest build. Its a up-scaled version of Rad's Small Scale Combo. I'm using a 2" x36" packed column sitting on top of a 32quart heavy gauge boiler. On top of the column is a reducing column that goes from 2" into 1" back into 2". The upper reducer is calibrated to hold just over a ounce and a half of liquid, add to that the shortened take off tube ( I trimmed it after picture was taken ) and I have roughly a 2oz reservoir. The double wound coil is 1/4 OD copper and is right at 9 inches long and flows a liter of water a minute using my pump. My secondary condenser is a 22" long Liebig made from a 3/4 outer with a 3/8 inner take off tube wrapped in a spiral pattern using a piece of 12 gauge copper wire tacked in place in several areas. I've also got another 12" extension that I can either pack to add to my reflex column height or use as my pot still head. All the ideas for my build came from here on HD with a lot of research. This is my second build, my first being a pot still w/thumper.
I still need to to clean her up & polish her plus insulate the column but I've done my vinegar run as well as my sacrificial alcohol run... Now on to getting use to running her...

My first double coil

Components Breakdown

22 inch Liebig condensor

In full reflux set up

In pot still mode

Thanks to Rad for the advice he gave me and to Hookline for his Liebig build I copied..
Martin

[desertshiner]

Looks great! I'm almost ready to start the build. Have almost all my pieces and fittings in hand. My scale is almost exact to what I see in yours! Had a question or two for you!
Whats your connection to the pot? Sink strainer? Couldn't quite tell?
How did you calibrate that extra 1/2 oz in your take off? I also felt that the take off needed to be really much shorter. Did you ever consider a 3/8" take off to deal with a lack of volume when using as a pot still in stripping run? Or do you get enough flow to not worry about it?
How difficult was the coil to bend? I've been putting that off, but I've read the tutorial a dozen times. Just don't want to foul it up!
Finally, when you ran your still, are you just using flour paste at the couplers and at the female pipe thread?
Thanks for all your help, I'm looking forward to beginning the actual assembly.

dang, almost forgot, where did you put that thermometer, is it only in the top of the reflux column? Is that a 1/4" sleeve?

[rad14701]

Nice looking scale up... Can't wait to hear performance figures...

The extra half ounce is held in the take off tube and needle valve...

[southern traditions]

Looks great! I'm almost ready to start the build. Have almost all my pieces and fittings in hand. My scale is almost exact to what I see in yours! Had a question or two for you!
Whats your connection to the pot? Sink strainer? Couldn't quite tell?
How did you calibrate that extra 1/2 oz in your take off? I also felt that the take off needed to be really much shorter. Did you ever consider a 3/8" take off to deal with a lack of volume when using as a pot still in stripping run? Or do you get enough flow to not worry about it?
How difficult was the coil to bend? I've been putting that off, but I've read the tutorial a dozen times. Just don't want to foul it up!
Finally, when you ran your still, are you just using flour paste at the couplers and at the female pipe thread?
Thanks for all your help, I'm looking forward to beginning the actual assembly.

dang, almost forgot, where did you put that thermometer, is it only in the top of the reflux column? Is that a 1/4" sleeve?

Hiya Desert,
Yes I use a strainer basket on top of my boiler lid and seal it on the inside with a cardboard gasket wrapped in teflon tape, I use the same type gasket on the outside along with the black rubber gasket which keeps it from slipping around when moving it.. I calibrated that extra 1/2 oz in the take off by trial and error, using a longer than necessary piece of tubing, filling with water and sighting down the inside and slowly cutting the length down until I hit water ( got lucky, only took two tries)... I did end up changing the takeoff tube and valve after the pictures were taken, increasing it to a 3/8".

The thermometer tube is about two inches below the lower reducing coupler and sits just on top of my highest piece of copper packing. The coil wasn't as bad as some make it out to be. I built a jig to make mine with and there is only one spot I was concerned with after finishing the winding, right at the top of the inner coil just at the downtube/ first coil transition, after flow testing it and getting a liter per minute flow, I quit worrying, hahahaha.. I use a combination of flour paste and teflon tape to seal the joints depending on whats within reach..

If you have any more questions just ask, I'll gladly share anything I've learned along the way..


Martin

[southern traditions]

Nice looking scale up... Can't wait to hear performance figures...

The extra half ounce is held in the take off tube and needle valve...

Thanks Rad, your version gave me the inspiration to build it after all the research I've done. I still have alot of learning to do, getting use to running it. I did a spirit run this weekend using 4 gallons of stripped BirdWatchers (diluted to 40%) and pulled off 2 quarts of 92% +, 1/2 pint of 60+ ABV and around 1/2 pint of heads. I say 92+% because my test cylinder isn't tall enough (10 inches)to register anything higher so I'm not sure the actual ABV %.
I did notice a couple of things during the run so I'm open to suggestions. (1) Equilibrium temp was in the 173 - 173.5 degree range for most of the run. Only a couple of times could I keep the temp in the 172-172.5 range.. (2)The longer the run went the more I had to re-equalize the column and the longer it took, towards the end of the run I had to run my cooling wide ass open. (3) After pulling the last pint of hearts, I switched jars and within minutes the temps skyrocketed the product flow dropped and then BAM it stopped, nothing else was there..

Any suggestions or feedback will be appreciated

Martin

[desertshiner]

What about the length of your 1" tube? What kind of length did you leave between your two reducers?

[southern traditions]

What about the length of your 1" tube? What kind of length did you leave between your two reducers?

about 6 inches that is visible. In the lower reducer there is about a 1-1/2 inch stub left sticking down into the bell portion of the reducer that directs the returning refluxed liquid on top of the packing instead of it running down the sides of the column and of course there is the stub in the top that helps form the take off reservoir. Overall its close to twelve inches I think but would have to measure it to be sure.

Martin

[tobey_maguire]

Here's a couple of pics of my newest build. Its a up-scaled version of Rad's Small Scale Combo. I'm using a 2" x36" packed column sitting on top of a 32quart heavy gauge boiler. On top of the column is a reducing column that goes from 2" into 1" back into 2". The upper reducer is calibrated to hold just over a ounce and a half of liquid, add to that the shortened take off tube ( I trimmed it after picture was taken ) and I have roughly a 2oz reservoir. The double wound coil is 1/4 OD copper and is right at 9 inches long and flows a liter of water a minute using my pump. My secondary condenser is a 22" long Liebig made from a 3/4 outer with a 3/8 inner take off tube wrapped in a spiral pattern using a piece of 12 gauge copper wire tacked in place in several areas. I've also got another 12" extension that I can either pack to add to my reflex column height or use as my pot still head. All the ideas for my build came from here on HD with a lot of research. This is my second build, my first being a pot still w/thumper.
I still need to to clean her up & polish her plus insulate the column but I've done my vinegar run as well as my sacrificial alcohol run... Now on to getting use to running her...

Rad's LM 005 (Medium).jpg

Rad's LM 014 (Medium).jpg

Rad's LM 007 (Medium).jpg

Rad's LM 010 (Medium).jpg

Rad's LM 011 (Medium).jpg

Thanks to Rad for the advice he gave me and to Hookline for his Liebig build I copied..
Martin

nice effort ...
beautifully done...!

[janee]

I have a setup very much like yours. and the same boiler, but for a lid i found a 8qt salad bowl that slides into the taper of the stock pot about 1 1/2 inches, i put a rachet strap over it so it cant pop out,easy on easy off, more head space, seals with no gasket,and does not leak, found it at good will for 4 bucks.

[rad14701]

Another piece of packed column extension should help with bumping up the purity at decent take off rates...

If I were to build another dual reducer, which I am sure I will at some point, I would reduce the length of the vapor throat as much as possible by trimming down the reducers and having less gap between reducers... This being the choke point I'd rather have it be as minimal as possible...

[MegaJohn]

My secondary condenser is a 22" long Liebig made from a 3/4 outer with a 3/8 inner take off tube wrapped in a spiral pattern using a piece of 12 gauge copper wire tacked in place in several areas.

Do you have any photos that detail your Liebig's construction? I have a constructed a Boka and will be doing my sacrificial cleaning run this weekend. I have not decided if I want to have a condenser on the take off yet... but I like the sound of your idea here. If I decide to use a parrot in the future, it would be good to reduce my product's temperature as it comes off.

Thanks,
John.

[southern traditions]

Another piece of packed column extension should help with bumping up the purity at decent take off rates...

If I were to build another dual reducer, which I am sure I will at some point, I would reduce the length of the vapor throat as much as possible by trimming down the reducers and having less gap between reducers... This being the choke point I'd rather have it be as minimal as possible...

Thanks Rad, sorry its taken so long to answer this, I didn't realize there were any new posts on this thread.. I've got another 12 inch extension that I can easily add for more height, so might try that for a purity experiment. I might have to buy a couple of new reducers as well and try narrowing the throat gap just to see what effect it has if any. Thanks again RAD.

I've been concentrating on running UJSSM and Sweet Feed but its about time to get back to running the Reflux column ..


Martin

[southern traditions]

Do you have any photos that detail your Liebig's construction? I have a constructed a Boka and will be doing my sacrificial cleaning run this weekend. I have not decided if I want to have a condenser on the take off yet... but I like the sound of your idea here. If I decide to use a parrot in the future, it would be good to reduce my product's temperature as it comes off.

Thanks,
John.

John,
I didn't take many photos of the build process or the details of it, but maybe a explanation will help if its still needed. Just let me know..

Martin

[rad14701]

My secondary condenser is a 22" long Liebig made from a 3/4 outer with a 3/8 inner take off tube wrapped in a spiral pattern using a piece of 12 gauge copper wire tacked in place in several areas.

Do you have any photos that detail your Liebig's construction? I have a constructed a Boka and will be doing my sacrificial cleaning run this weekend. I have not decided if I want to have a condenser on the take off yet... but I like the sound of your idea here. If I decide to use a parrot in the future, it would be good to reduce my product's temperature as it comes off.

Thanks,
John.

I don't think this liebig build is any different than any of the larger ones which have been well documented here in the forums... Only the copper sizes have changed... There are several examples of winding copper wire within the water jacket for added efficiency...

[southern traditions]

I don't think this liebig build is any different than any of the larger ones which have been well documented here in the forums... Only the copper sizes have changed... There are several examples of winding copper wire within the water jacket for added efficiency...

You are 100% correct Rad, I just adapted it from the many posts I've read here in the HD forums..

Martin

[Adan Bailey]

Nice information and presentation of Rad's Small Scale Combo. Its acknowledging and informative stuff. Suggestion feedback is impressive to guide newbies.

[Adan Bailey]

Nice information and presentation of Rad's Small Scale Combo. Its acknowledging and informative stuff. Suggestion feedback is impressive to guide newbies.

What are the important features in Rad's Small Scale Combo which do you prefers as compare with other scales?

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