Dan's Flute x2, 4" x 5 plate 42" column

Post by **WIski** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:15 pm

I did notice that the picture of the adapters looked funky when I posted but the one's I got from them where copper with brass nut. They look pretty cool. Further investigation by HD has confirmed Pexsupply has changed their product. I had not found anyone besides Pexsupply that had the copper adapters in 2" only 1.5". I will have to check Lowes. The copper trap adapter with the readily available precut borosilicate glass (Pyrex) is in my opinion a great way to go. Thanks Dan & HD.

dan · Post by **dan** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:55 pm

Well Gentlemen it's that time again......

20' of 4" type "L" and 20' of 2" type "K" are now in my shop waiting for a new saw blade so that it can start the process of becoming something useful.

My wife said "not until after the holidays" so I agreed....

-Dan

Post by **Danespirit** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:10 pm

Oh yeah...a wife can be real persuasive from time to time..

You have done a outstanding job there, Dan..

Copperjohn · Post by **Copperjohn** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:33 pm

Dan, I don't think you listened to your wife. I see you already put an easy flange on one of those pipes.

dan · Post by **dan** » Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:21 am

CJ-
Just a test fit at the water jet shop..... I had them cut a bunch of parts from 9 square feet of 1/8" copper plate.

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 9:20 am

I have just started my next project and thought I would add a few pictures of my progress. I don't know if I should start a new build thread or keep this one going for my new version of the same old thing. I might as well keep it here for the people that have been following this and my previous project. I am going to build a few identical columns to see if I can get more efficient at working with copper. This time I purchased every piece of copper at wholesale prices from a plumbing supplier and had my plates and easy flanges cut from 1/8" copper plate at the water-jet place. I am trying to reduce the labor and time it takes to build one. Let the fun begin......

-Dan

Post by **humbledore** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 2:18 pm

That is a jaw-dropping amount of beautifully cut copper...this is going to be good.

Copperjohn · Post by **Copperjohn** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:04 pm

Exactly how many is a few? Although you have quite a bit cut, it looks like your still gonna be drilling your plates.

dan · Post by **dan** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:31 pm

Here are a few more pictures and the sizes that this new project will be. Dephlegmater will be in a 4" x 10" section of the column with seven 1" tubes that are 5_1/4" long. The column body will have five sight glasses and five perforated plates and will be a 4" x 29" Type "L" copper pipe. There will also be a 4" x 24" packed section for producing neutral spirits. Overall the column will be about 63" tall with all sections plus about another three inches for the vapor take--off. The final product condenser will also be a shotgun and will have five 1/2" tubes that are 24" long in a 2" type "K" copper pipe 26" long. The vapor take-off, final product condenser, and product collector will be more modular than my last build so that it can be taken apart and cleaned better. I already know that many of you will frown on the 4" SD "Still Dragon", (shhhh did I say that name out loud??) brass tri-clamp flanges so lets just nip that one in the bud. I will be tinning the 1/2" that is exposed inside the column with solder so that there is no vapor in contact with the 99% lead free brass.

-Dan

Post by **acfixer69** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:36 pm

What are you putting in the packed section.

AC

dan · Post by **dan** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:39 pm

Copperjohn wrote:Exactly how many is a few? Although you have quite a bit cut, it looks like your still gonna be drilling your plates.

CJ- Five to be exact..... 5 x 5 x 180 = 4,500 individual 1/16" holes for the perforated plates and yes they are 1/8" thick. I hope I will still be sane when I am done!

(pun intended)

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Wed Jan 08, 2014 7:41 pm

acfixer69 wrote:What are you putting in the packed section.

AC

AC-

I will be using lava rock thanks to all of the research done by Mash Rookie.... and many others. I may try other things but that will be the first.

-Dan

Copperjohn · Post by **Copperjohn** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:01 am

last time you built one for your brother; are you building 5 because you have additional siblings?

Post by **WIski** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:22 am

Hi Dan,

Great stuff here as usual. I see your dephleg is 10 inchs long and the inner tubes are 5.25 inchs. I am wondering what the logistics are with that?? Thanks, Great Build!!!!

dan · Post by **dan** » Thu Jan 09, 2014 6:43 pm

-CJ & Ski,

I have many brothers

but I wanted to build a larger quantity to see what my cost average might be and time savings with jigs and mass production. I am not using DWV pipe and fittings to go cheap and make something that just works. I am going with a quality build that you can not buy from any current commercial guys. I think that having the thermal mass of heavy gauge copper helps stabilize the internal temperatures of the column better. What I do know is that I tend to over build just about everything I do. I went with a ten inch dephlegmator body to make extra room for the thermo wells above and below the shotgun and partly because of the SD tri clamp flanges that I am using. The five inch shotgun was a suggestion from OldDog when I first got started. Seems to be all that you need.... Cheers

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:34 pm

- A few progress pictures.

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:37 pm

- A few more.....

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:03 pm

-Spacing my sight glasses on the column body and showing that even with the SD brass flanges I will still be able to remove my perforated plate tree because the ID of the pipe is smaller than the ID of the flange.

-Dan

Copperjohn · Post by **Copperjohn** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:42 am

That pretty nice! I had to use one stainless steel flange on the bottom of the column and I made an easy flange on top so I can still pull the tree out the top.

Hound Dog · Post by **Hound Dog** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:34 pm

Dan, you are one of those artists who work in a copper medium I talk about. Beautiful work!

dan · Post by **dan** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 8:23 pm

Thank you Hound Dog!

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:55 pm

I made a few parts today but still trying to get into a production mode. Trying a few things here and there waiting for a drill bit to show up from ebay so I can drill the sight glass holes in the column body.

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 6:03 pm

The olympic Rings! and a few VTO's..... Got one of them soldered up today and just four more to go tomorrow. Learned how to tin brass today and actually did a decent job by the second or third try.

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:04 pm

Forgot how much fun it is to drill 1/8" thick perforated plates! I managed to get one done with one drill bit..... only broke the same one four times, but just made it a bit shorter each time.

-Dan

Copperjohn · Post by **Copperjohn** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:55 pm

Have you figured out a price point yet?

dan · Post by **dan** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:43 pm

Five is a big number.....

Dan

Post by **emptyglass** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:01 am

Is that the same hole pattern on the plates you used on your first one Dan?

dan · Post by **dan** » Mon Jan 20, 2014 7:36 am

-Empty,

The hole pattern is basically same but I did need to move seven holes from around the downcomers because I increased them from 1/2" to 3/4". I kept the plate @ 180 holes that are 0.0625". I will be using your idea of no downcomer cups and just using the downcomer tube cut at a 45 degree angle and 1/2" of opening on the bottom. The top of the downcomer will still be 5/8" above the surface of the perforated plate.

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:35 pm

Ten down only fifteen to go....

-Dan

dan · Post by **dan** » Thu Jan 23, 2014 6:54 pm

: Perforated Plates

: Packed Section Plate - Lava rock will fill this section

Made a little progress today but still have five plates left to drill out and then I will be moving on to final product condensers.

-Dan

Home Distiller

Dan's Flute x2, 4" x 5 plate 42" column

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