4" flute build

[bigbuck]

finally had time to make some more progress

[bigbuck]

here is the deflag and body with holes cut, slowly getting there

[bigbuck]

I know there is a section for this but I'm gonna ask it here anyway, I am nearing completion of various parts for this thing and going to start the cleaning process and was reading about cleaning copper with vinegar and water, will this hurt the ss ferrules I put on copper pipe if I leave them soak in this solution??? it turns out the flux paste I used was not water soluble, whats going to be the best method to pre clean all the parts?? plates, downcombers, cups and such? I understand first run is vinegar and water second is a sacrificial run, but I want to pre clean as much as possible, any suggestions for removing some of the grime before any initial runs? thanks for any help

[Pikey]

Generally speaking - if Acetone won't shift it - Petrol will !

Course then you have to get rid of the petrol - If you have a bottle or 2 of Fores around the place - that might work well

[googe]

nice build mate a good hot soapy scrub will help.

[Fart Vader]

Ooh, ahh.
Looking great. I envy you.
One of these days it will be my turn.

[bigbuck]

ok so I have hit a road block the glass I had ordered from vision stills is too thick when a 2" gasket is put on ferrule with one ridge cut off, clamps will not fit around everything, is there different size clamps? it like the throat of the clamps are too small and I ordered 10, anyone got any suggestions

[Fart Vader]

Try wrapping some Teflon tape around the perimeter of the glass?

If you can find 'gas' rated Teflon it's much thicker than the regular stuff.

[Opdog]

You can get sheet of virgin PTFE for about $10 on eBay. I had a similar issue and made my own gaskets out of PTFE. Much thinner than the normal hard one and can be custom fit if you have manufacturing irregularities. Although looking at you pics, I suspect you may not have that issue.

[bigbuck]

ordered some thin o rings and gonna see if that will work, I really don't want to run down new glass or clamps!!!

[Codgerness]

These are a thing of beauty. Good craftsmanship! Are the 3/4" end caps on those 1/2" down comers soldered on or are they left loose for cleaning? I don't see that they can actually go anywhere unless you loosen the all thread. I need to bone up on this stuff and build one for my still. I like that shot gun build 2! Nice work!

[bigbuck]

yes they are soldered on but make sure you cut slots in 1/2 pipe to aloe for overflow to run freeley

[bigbuck]

well finally got er put together and ran first steam run and seem to not have any leaks, figuring out the sweet spot is a whole other animal, it sure is different to operate, vinegar run today and sacrificial run tomorrow getting close, will post more pics soon, I also want to thank everyone for their help and posting information to make this build possible, nothing new just all borrowed information from everyone, trial, and error

[Fart Vader]

You do realize that without pictures it just doesn't exist.
Give us something to drool over, you're just teasing right now.

[bigbuck]

here it is!!

[Fart Vader]

HOLY CRAP MAN !
That is breath taking.

I'm a believer now

Congratulations on an amazing piece of workmanship.
I tip my hat to you bigbuck.

FV

[bigbuck]

still got tons of cleaning and polishing to do, for me that's the worst part of the whole build

[bigbuck]

gonna go ahead and do my sacrificial run tonight and see how much different it reacts with alcohol vs water and vinegar

[bigbuck]

put first alcohol run through last night, seemed to work pretty good even though I am not sure how it should act, but from what I have read they compress heads and damn near stop running when tails are coming, all plates loaded up and as it ran started to slow and empty out from bottom up until only the last plate section on top was bubbling towards end of run but ran out 90 abv, I ran across a thread about a year ago on flute operation instructions somewhere on here but cannot find it again, if someone knows where its at please let me know in the meantime I will keep looking

[still_stirrin]

...if someone knows where its at please let me know in the meantime I will keep looking...

HDGoogle search....here's one thread: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 17&t=19889

Or, perhaps this one: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 0#p7375506
ss

[bigbuck]

thank you still stirrin that's what I was in search of, I knew I read it awhile back but got my head filled with info when I started build

[rgreen2002]

She sure looks pretty...but can you drive her!??

SS with two great posts above on running the flute. Still Dragon puts out an "Owners Manual" that also has some good info in it: https://www.stilldragon.org/discussion/ ... on-manuals" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Just get in there...assume it will not go well the first time... take a TON of notes, troubleshoot and BAM - you're on your way.

Good luck, be safe, and keep us posted!

[bigbuck]

thanks for the post r green I have been playing around with it doing alcohol cleaning runs, and with 8 plate section so far so good, I have noticed plates load from top to bottom and when run is nearing end they start to empty from bottom to top with top plate being last one to fully bubble, does this sound like it runs the way it is supposed to? meanwhile I will keep playing around and reading

[Shine0n]

That thing is amazing buck!!!
How much do you rekon it weighs? I'm sure with both sections it's a beast.

I found some 4" tee at a plumbing supply and at 150 each I'm thinking only 3 sections but since it would be ferrules and triclamp I could always add more down the road.

[bigbuck]

im not real sure how much it weighs but its quite heavy and I also started a 3rd section for it but cannot put it all together in my shop because of height issues, going to experiment with marbles vs plate sections for neutrals

[rgreen2002]

thanks for the post r green I have been playing around with it doing alcohol cleaning runs, and with 8 plate section so far so good, I have noticed plates load from top to bottom and when run is nearing end they start to empty from bottom to top with top plate being last one to fully bubble, does this sound like it runs the way it is supposed to? meanwhile I will keep playing around and reading

Hey buck...that all sounds about right. Mine will load plates from the condenser down but occasionally my lowest plate loads early....Hmmm?... You can watch your sight glasses fog up from the bottom to know when the tails is reaching the top too...

I recommend some cheap runs to really get used to how each change works...its similar to both a pot and a reflux still IMHO and the results you get will make sense to the changes you make. Throw a few birdwatchers together and run them...then dilute them down and run them a few more times while you wait for a good batch. Your still will be super clean and you will have a better understanding of her.

God luck, Be safe...

[poundtowne]

bigbuck how many holes did you drill in your plates, what size, and did you use a template? I am calculating that I will need about 342 holes if I use a 1/16" bit for my 4" plates. Yours look nice and tidy. Help me out.

[bigbuck]

PT, somewhere on here is a printable template, been looking around trying to find it, I'm sure someone will chime in that knows where its at and yes I used a 1/16 drill bit, I made my plates out of a piece thick copper water pipe that I heated and flattened, you better buy a few drill bits they break pretty easy

[Big Stogie]

I'm trying to wrap my head around the water flow and how the ball valves control it can you give me an idea of the water path please?
THANKS!