Bokakob 54mm x 150cm column

[bionut]

I may try make one just because receiving one from China take up to four weeks I have to find a stainless bolt.

[Danespirit]

I know the chinese needle valves from ebay. There is where i got this brass one that i wanted to use on a CM column. Now i switched to LM. I plan to order a SS one, but i found only with female threads, no compression fittings. The one from you picture has weld end, how did you conected to your tubing? The disadvantage of ordering from China is the shipping duration.
The brass one is 1/4 i think that you recommended me to use a bigger output tube. I was thinking about 3/8 tubing.
DIY valves look neet, but i am not sure that i can make one... I will have to try

Oh compressionfittings, would be thrown at you in there .
I have ordered all my stainless parts from the chinaman on E-bay. Once tried a different shop, but had issues with the quality.
The finish on that valve ain't top...but 5 min with a fine file and emerycloth made it look like a 100$ piece.
Yes it's weld end, but there are malethreaded connections on the valve ( 1/2") . Now i just used the weld end, because i had access to a TIG welder.
I have a 1/4" threaded fitting on my Ethylisator, but i drilled the hole up to 9,0 mm. The tube it's welded on is 11 mm ID.
3/8" tube would be fine..you see 1/4" tubing is only 6.35 mm, which is way to small.
With that small diameter, you risk it will choke on the takeoff.
The 6 mm, would also cause a cappilaryeffect, which will further contribute to choking.
I would see a 8 mm ID, as a absolute minimum if we talk 2" Boka's. Made a few tests with water, prior to choosing my takeoff diameter.

[bionut]

Can you post a link to that seller? I can't find it.

Also, does it matter if a put the needle valve near the output hole or 10-15 cm lower? I would like to be able to tune it without having to step on a brick to reach it

[Hound Dog]

for about $20. Making one is not worth the hassle.

I don't disagree, but sometimes "making one" is the whole point

Very true. I can understand that point.

[Condensifier]

Can you post a link to that seller? I can't find it.

Also, does it matter if a put the needle valve near the output hole or 10-15 cm lower? I would like to be able to tune it without having to step on a brick to reach it

Hi bionut. Search for "high pressure needle valve". The 1/4" costs $12.65.

[bionut]

lol, i thought that chinaman is a seller on ebay. I think he was talking about all chinese sellers...
I already found a needle valve, but i am going to use 3/8" not 1/4".
Any idea if the distance from the plate to the valve matters? Does the volume of distillate in the pipe before the valve make a difference? Theoretical is like having a steeper angle plate...

[still_stirrin]

...Any idea if the distance from the plate to the valve matters? Does the volume of distillate in the pipe before the valve make a difference?..

Yes it does.

Keep the valve as close to the take off (plate drain) as possible to minimize the "smearing" or averaging of a larger volume of product. Typically, the LM hold up is best if between 1 to 4 oz. Closer to 1 oz. will help you keep your cuts "tight".
ss

[Danespirit]

+1 Ss..
Excellent advice..
My 3" LM holds less than 5 Ml.

[apdb]

Consider this small modification by BearRiver if your enjoying playing with solder. I added it to my 2" concentric LM (RAD's design) and it works wonderfully.
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=47184

Aaron

[Hound Dog]

BearRiver's mod is a great one if you are worried about smearing. How far down you move your valve depends on the size of tubing you are using too. V= Diameter2 x 3.14. So for me, I use a 1/2" needle valve. That is 3/8" inside diameter tubing. So if I wanted to move it 6 inches down..... .375x.375= .140625 x 3.14= .4415625 x 6 inches = 2.649375 cubic inches of liquid. That is 1.468 ounces in the tube. Depending on your takeoff speeds, this can smear a lot or a little it is all up to you and how you run your rig. Mine would flush an extra ounce and a half out pretty quick. If you are running drips, it will drag out. If you are using 1/4" tube it will be much less volume.....

[bionut]

I will install the valve close to the column. I will consider that mod, but need to document about it when i get to my laptop.

[bionut]

Today i soldered all the pieces together. Here is the copper ring (6mm tubing) that have been soldered to the flange to thicken it up
And the result


The output hole (3/8" - 10 mm)

with the tubing snuggly fitted

The plates and the thermometer port in a vinegar bath to get rid of any oils

The hole for the thermometer port

Not the best soldering job, but i am happy with it for the second copper soldering ever (after the flange ) - the lower plate and the output tube
The lower plate's tip after i bent it down


It seems that the tip didn't bent from the base and i have about 1mm gaps before the tip starts to point down. Will this be a problem?

The upper plate and the thermometer port soldered down


I am very pleased with the results so far, i was way to worried about soldering the plates. It isn't a really hard job to do. I used Sn97Cu3 solder with a flux with the same ingredients.
I measured the volume the output tube and lower plate can keep and it's about 13ml with the length of copper i've soldered. Initially i let it longer with the ideea that i will cut it smaller if it will be necesary, but i think that 13ml is a small enough volume to work with and not worry about smearing.
The only thing i need are the needle valve and the triclamp. I will order them soon, but only the shipping can take 3-4 weeks.

I was thinking about making the birdwatchers sugar wash, can you recomment anything to start off with? I have corn, barley, wheat, oat on hand, with no cost.

[cranky]

It seems that the tip didn't bent from the base and i have about 1mm gaps before the tip starts to point down. Will this be a problem?

The only thing i need are the needle valve and the triclamp. I will order them soon, but only the shipping can take 3-4 weeks.

I was thinking about making the birdwatchers sugar wash, can you recomment anything to start off with? I have corn, barley, wheat, oat on hand, with no cost.

Nice job, looks real good. I wouldn't worry too much about a 1mm gap, I think it will be fine.

I ordered my tri clamps from a company called SuperWhole on amazon and they got here from china in 3 days. I am not a prime member either. The listing said may take 6 weeks or something but the legit Chinese sellers make it happen fast.

I like birdwatchers for cleaning runs, still not sold on it for anything else but most people like it for neutral.

Corn, barley, wheat and oats sounds like a pretty nice all grain mix to me

[bionut]

That's what i want now, neutral.
For grain mashes i have to study more before i try. I brew beer at a regulat basis, but i need to learn more about the distilling process

[cranky]

That's what i want now, neutral.
For grain mashes i have to study more before i try. I brew beer at a regulat basis, but i need to learn more about the distilling process

You'll catch on pretty quick, If you make AG beer you already know how to make mash, you just need to get a handle on cuts, I just collect in small samples and blend back in what tastes good. I think All-Bran is good for practicing cuts but I had a real good experience when I made a 10 gallon birdwatcher then 2 days before running it I ground up 2 boxes of cheerios and threw it in the wash. I liked the outcome so much I'm trying it again, but if you have the grain I say go for the all grain. Jimbo has good instructions for a single malt wheat that would work with pretty much any grain.

[Hound Dog]

I think All-Bran is good for practicing cuts but I had a real good experience when I made a 10 gallon birdwatcher then 2 days before running it I ground up 2 boxes of cheerios and threw it in the wash. I liked the outcome so much I'm trying it again.

I use the All Bran recipe with Cheerios and I think it is my favorite vodka. The oats make it smooth. I do have a big bag of rolled oats I picked up. After I finish with some whiskey runs I am making and an all feints run to free up some glass, I am going for a sugar head vodka with some rolled oats to see how that stacks up against Cheerios.

[Hound Dog]

Looking good bionut. Don't worry what the solder looks like. If you want to spiffy it up just fill all the gaps and grind it all smooth when done and it will look great. I use the heck out of my die grinder when I am building. Or just leave it be because it works and make good liquor. Pretty don't make it taste good!

The cool thing about the boka is you ferment anything you got a little light and reflux it enough, you will get neutral. Rock on!

[bionut]

I bought the copper tubing for the condenser. I read that salt can get stuck in the pipe after bending and it is a pain in the arse to get out. It's sand a better option or it is the same?

[Danespirit]

I bought the copper tubing for the condenser. I read that salt can get stuck in the pipe after bending and it is a pain in the arse to get out. It's sand a better option or it is the same?

Don't use anything like that...
Especially NOT sand or sugar..!
Have a look at mine here: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 87&t=52290" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
No sand, salt, sugar or any freezing was needed...just the most important tools nature gave you...your hands..!

[rumBum2]

The salt method works great, especially if you've never worked with copper. When done you need to have a way to hook it up to hot water line and wait 10-20 mins. for it to clear.

just found this video on YT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsGemmEDyWo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow if you need to build more then one this would be the way...

[bionut]

I will first try like Danespirit without any filler.

Is it a problem that my output tube is entering the column about 2-3 mm? Will the very small volume of liquid unternith it be a problem? I didn't tought about that until now... probably there is no worry, but that's what you get when you do nothing i hope that tomorrow will get the time to make the condenser.

Also, is the 13ml volume of liquid before the valve small enough to not get smearing? I am not sure how i will run the still because i never did it before, but i want neutral spirit from it so i supose it will need a slow flow rate... I don't think the valve will be too high if i mount it right after the output, i plant to make a chiller for the spirit (liebig like).

[Danespirit]

If i understand you correct, your takeoff protrudes into the column by 2-3 mm..
Well, i might not be a problem...but in worst case spirit will spill over as reflux, instead of going to the takeoff.
So if you can fix it by heating it and pull it a little, it would be the optimal.
A LM still (a Boka is also in that category), has the advantage of the product is already being taken off as liquid.
That will leave you with the option for a smaller cooler on the takeoff or...none at all.
My experience is the product comes off a bit hot for my liking, so a "mini" Liebig would be a good choice.
Here is my little "aftercooler" i made for my Ethylisator: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 87&t=54834
It's very easy to build with common plumbing supply materials.
Edit: Seeing your picture, i think it will be all right, even with the takeoff a little inside the column.

[bionut]

Yeah, that's what i mean. The tube protudes the column, but i don't think it can mage the liquid reflux and not get out tgrough the tube.
For the aftercooler, you just solderd the output tube in a bigger tube or is needed to solder some copper wire to make turbulences? I have some 15 mm and 22 mm scrap tubes, around 40 cm of each. Can i use one of it or will not be enough to chill the liquid? The output is 3/8" (9,52mm?).

[apdb]

Remember that the "aftercooling" is a matter of personal preference. As a rule, you want to air out your collected spirit for 24 hours before deciding the cuts. As the spirit cools down on its own, some of the nasties are allowed to evaporate away and a little heat helps it along. A reason to "aftercool" your distillate is to make it easier to measure the ABV. Proof/Tralles alcoholometer graduated so that its degrees indicate percentages by volume at 15.6°C/ 60F You could simply take a portion in your test jar and run it under a cold tap until you reach the optimum testing temperature for accuracy.
The secondary cooler on my rig (a liebig condensor) brings my distillate to approx 20C+/- straight off the outlet. You can find a couple pics of my green dragon under my name if you care to make a visual reference. Usually included with your alcholometer is a simple math formula for making the appropriate adjustments to account for temperature variants. Someone else can elaborate here if you are unaware how it all works. (mine is under the house in the crawlspace and I'm in my ginch)

Hope that helps you decide how to proceed.

Aaron

[Danespirit]

Yeah, that's what i mean. The tube protudes the column, but i don't think it can mage the liquid reflux and not get out tgrough the tube.
For the aftercooler, you just solderd the output tube in a bigger tube or is needed to solder some copper wire to make turbulences? I have some 15 mm and 22 mm scrap tubes, around 40 cm of each. Can i use one of it or will not be enough to chill the liquid? The output is 3/8" (9,52mm?).

+1 apdb
My distillate usually comes off warm too, but on my LM i decided it was just a tad to hot ...so i got to do something about this issue.
Well, Bionut..of course you can use the tubes you already have at hand..
You could just solder a bigger tube over the takeoff as suggested, but that leaves you no option for further use of this Liebig...
If i were you , i would go for a seperate Liebig and attach it to the takeoff with a fitting.
That gives you the option of using your cooler in another build, further it would be easier to clean..
400 mm will be more than adequate for this task (but don't cut the tube anyway..!).
There is no need for any wire to create turbulence, but if you happen to have some lying around, it won't hurt to do it.
22 mm over 15 mm, will give a excellent Liebig..

[bitter]

I agree a cooler is a good idea. I'm yet to make one. One thing I will note, things air out a lot faster with the hotter product.

Airing out over night with product starting in the 90-100F range compared to 60-70f the hotter aired out much faster and better. But you will loose more to evaporation.

B

[Hound Dog]

Yeah, that's what i mean. The tube protudes the column, but i don't think it can mage the liquid reflux and not get out tgrough the tube.
For the aftercooler, you just solderd the output tube in a bigger tube or is needed to solder some copper wire to make turbulences? I have some 15 mm and 22 mm scrap tubes, around 40 cm of each. Can i use one of it or will not be enough to chill the liquid? The output is 3/8" (9,52mm?).

+1 apdb
My distillate usually comes off warm too, but on my LM i decided it was just a tad to hot ...so i got to do something about this issue.
Well, Bionut..of course you can use the tubes you already have at hand..
You could just solder a bigger tube over the takeoff as suggested, but that leaves you no option for further use of this Liebig...
If i were you , i would go for a seperate Liebig and attach it to the takeoff with a fitting.
That gives you the option of using your cooler in another build, further it would be easier to clean..
400 mm will be more than adequate for this task (but don't cut the tube anyway..!).
There is no need for any wire to create turbulence, but if you happen to have some lying around, it won't hurt to do it.
22 mm over 15 mm, will give a excellent Liebig..

+1 use a separate liebig. Like Bitter said also, a lot will evaporate from the hot liquor.

[bionut]

Hi guys, thank you for all the advices. I made the condenser out of 4mx6mm copper tubing. It was easy enough, just the first coils were a bit harder until i catched the move. The only problem can be that the coil touch the column in a few spots. I read somewhere that it shouldn't touch the column wall...
I also made a aftercooler out of 40cm of 18mm tubing. I didn't had any caps and i just made them out of some scraps pieces. I didnt made it in the output, it can be detachet.
I will post some pictures later.

[bionut]

As i said, here are the pictures:
The making of the column's cap. I made it out off a 22mm copper pipe, that gave almost 70mm lenght of copper, so i wasn't able to make a very big lip.









This cap will hold the condenser in place.

The condeser:
First layer



Didn't took any pictures with the second layer winding, but here is the final product. (I used some carboard from a box of beer for the second layer)




For geting the carboard out of the coild i wetted it for a minute or two and scrape it out with a knife.

The Liebig "cooler", probably it will be conected with some stainless compression fittings, but i am not sure if these fittings can be reused after you open them...
You can see that i solderd a spiral of copper wire on the inner tube.






EDIT: Danespirit, what use has the deflectorplate you made on your condenser?

[Hound Dog]

If you use a union to connect they ar made to disconnect or a 3/4" triclamp will fit right over your 1/2" pipe and solder on.

Don't worry about the condenser touching the column. It will help disperse heat too.