That's a gutsy teaser, that'll be tough to live up to. Personally I like the original flute with the 5 eyes. There's something sexy about it that even someone who doesn't know anything about distilling can't help but turn and gawk at it.
I hope the new concept sticks to the larger design and incorporates many eyes because without eyes it doesn't follow the original flute characteristics. It seems that most of us here aren't worried about the money it takes to own one of these, it's kind of a big investment. I would never cut a corner to save a few bucks with this. Maybe I'm wrong but I think most of the readers here would agree with me on that. The stumpy just isn't my style, the bigger the better, that's my preference.
Rum Bum, your in for a treat, you can have the best of both worlds with this system. Everybody's expenditure on the flute is different and this lets you build according to your pocket...
condensificator, hang in there bro, we are going flat out at this... But some surgery did get in the way... We'll have something soon man...
Looking forward to seeing the new design guys. Now, I have a question... Do any of you guys that run a flute put your saved heads in your next run? I had about 3/4 gallon of saved heads that I put in last night and I got that plus another quart back out. Does the flute separate heads good enough that there is no use to re-run them through again? I was beginning to think that something was wrong with my taster and sniffer last night because it all tasted and smelled the same........until the hearts started. With the amount that I had collected, I thought I was gonna run out of alcohol before the hearts ever showed up.
Hey Dave, I have done it both ways. I have found that I think the flute does a very good job of compressing the heads when you learn where to run your water flow to the dephlag. Most of the time now I do save the heads and tails, and I mix it back in my next run.
KS
Thanks K.S., after last night, I'm not sure if I'll be adding them to the next run or not. I'm gonna let what I collected air out a little and see how it tastes. If I can't see an improvement in flavor, I'll just keep the heads for my alcohol stove. BTW, those stainless boilers you have are awesome looking and the website is lookin good too.
Simple potstiller. Slow, single run.
(50 litre, propane heated pot still. Coil in bucket condenser - No thermometer, No carbon) The Reading Lounge AND the Rules We Live By should be compulsory reading
RayDean,
What is that part of the still on the right side? I thought the Dephlag. sat on top of the plates with water in/out tubes...I am missing some thing for sure!!
Thanks for the kind words fellas. WSC, sorry I forgot to post pics of the drop-in dephleg (that's why the 4 sightglasses and plates sit so low in the column. The idea is OD's i'm just trying to put my spin on it. The plumbing should be kind of industrial looking using all stainless tubing and fittings. The part on the right side is a 3" shotgun condensor.
I'm curious why does one picture of the shotgun have a J-like tube upside-down and the other have two straight-ish tubes? I really want to understand how it works but I have this chronic dumbness disease that I was born with and it's rendering me helpless. But really nice job, it has a good rugged look to it which I like.
And Sam when's the release date for this big surprise? Later today?
RB
Last edited by Rum Bum on Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
I started a new topic in the "my still" forum to document my flute build so that I don't interfere with the great discussions going on here in the flute talk forum. If anyone is interested in following my train wreck, you can find it over there. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 38&start=0
Any of you flute operators out there using natural gas burners? I've got a 23 tip wok-style jet burner but I've seen some posts where people say that they had to plug some tips because they ran too hot. I assume that this was the case on pot stills or other slower production type rigs, so I'm wondering if my dephlegmator is might be able to keep up with this burner. I was planning on ordering a 10 tip jet burner for another use, but haven't done so yet.
RayDean, I shall run a burner on natural gas soon. Probably a water heater burner, or a home-made banjo style.
It's simply the cheapest power option in the city.
...If too hot, shouldn't be much problem to cut it back... drive a toothpick into a pattern selection of orifices, or use small sheetmetal screws if you wanna be fancy.
Good luck
exon
I am a pathological liar and functional illiterate.
Ono Nadagin wrote:What thicknesses are you guys using for your plates?
The thickness of the the plate, IMO, should allow you to push the plate-tree snuggly to the sides of the 4" wall with no bending/buckling taking place on the plate. The 4" tube i'm using has a wall thickness 0f 1.545 mm here in the UK. The copper sheet I'm using for the plates has a thickness of 1.35 mm and does not bend easily...
If your stuck for the plates then cut a length of your 4" pipe to just over the ID of your 4" to allow shaping, this will give you three plates once you cut it down its length axis... (pi = 3.14), this will also allow waste for shaping...
I'm sure the other guys will chime in on their plate thickness... Hope it helps man...
TY Sam been lurking here for well over a year now reading..
I just thought ppl might like to have a source of copper discs of a diameter they desired.
Also do you mean to imply that the plates should be thick enough they hold themselves to the side of the tubing due to friction? as I would think any thinkness of plate would due that is the plate/discs diameter was a match to the tubings ID.(edit) nm after I reread your comments I understand your point clearly now)
I would think that the disadvantage of a thin plate would be it might deform and dome if the pressure inside the still was high enough... so I was just wondering if anyone had worked out a minimum
Last edited by Ono Nadagin on Sat Apr 09, 2011 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ono Nadagin wrote:TY Sam been lurking here for well over a year now reading..
Your welcome man, we all start somewhere...
I just thought ppl might like to have a source of copper discs of a diameter they desired.
And glad you did, makes the thread a little more comprehensive...
Also do you mean to imply that the plates should be thick enough they hold themselves to the side of the tubing due to friction? as I would think any thinkness of plate would due that is the plate/discs diameter was a match to the tubings ID.
There are different grades of copper, the copper I use is (hard drawn) 1.35mm thick. Its very hard to bend and shape this copper, most of these industrial grade, medical gas, type tubes are very robust and can take a bit more of a beating in contrast to its soft counterpart...
I would think that the disadvantage of a thin plate would be it might deform and dome if the pressure inside the still was high enough... so I was just wondering if anyone had worked out a minimum...
The pressure inside the plated still is minimal. Add that to the pressure inside each of the perf/bubblecap chambers and you have a balance of pressure. As one chamber is relieved and allowed to bubble through to the next chamber, the chamber below is replenishing the pressure lost, balancing the still and creating equilibrium within each of the chambers... If the thickness of the copper is sturdy enough to be slipped into the still without buckling, then I'd say that was enough... 1mm, 1.5mm, even 2mm, most of the first flute builders flattened some of their tube to get the flute built... Sure they'll be along soon...
Uisge_a_Ghlinne wrote:Evening Samohon, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get hold of 4 inch copper pipe in the UK without a mortgage?
I split a 3M length with another member (thepatchworkdoll)... We paid £49 per meter... 1.5M @ £49 + 20% VAT = about £90...
If we had found someone else to share it with, we would have done gladly as we only needed a meter, but I have plans to build one of Olddogs 2 plate stumpy's and sell it...
Heres a Link to the Supplier... Their in Glasgow, told them we were building a Bio-Fuel System, well, its only a little one...
Uisge_a_Ghlinne wrote:Evening Samohon, if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get hold of 4 inch copper pipe in the UK without a mortgage?
I split a 3M length with another member (thepatchworkdoll)... We paid £49 per meter... 1.5M @ £49 + 20% VAT = about £90...
If we had found someone else to share it with, we would have done gladly as we only needed a meter, but I have plans to build one of Olddogs 2 plate stumpy's and sell it...
Heres a Link to the Supplier... Their in Glasgow, told them we were building a Bio-Fuel System, well, its only a little one...
Hope it helps man...
Many thanks for that Sam. I thought that the suppliers might be down South. The location of that supplier makes life considerably easier for me. I have been toying with the idea of a flute myself but the thought of getting hold of four inch was a real obstruction.
Hi - i hope this manages to upload- I haven't had much luck with photos. I'm not sure if this is a silly question but I'd appreciate any pointers-
I only have the one sight glass- will that be a big problem with running a flute?, also I want to avoid soldering the plates in place so that they can be removed and I was thinking of getting them as tight as possible so that they could slide into the tube independantly and be held in position by resting on loosely packed scrubbers- the downcomers would end in the scrubber layers, I was thinking of having maybe 15cm of scrubber between each plate and have a 10mm wall around the edge of each 2mm thick plate to ensure that the plate remains completeley level- this way I can mess around with lots of configerations.I'd be really grateful for any imput especially if it's just to tell me that I'm a complete cretin.
cheers.
With the amount that I had collected, I thought I was gonna run out of alcohol before the hearts ever showed up. 
BTW, those stainless boilers you have are awesome looking and the website is lookin good too.
But really nice job, it has a good rugged look to it which I like.