Custom Parrot and DIY mini hydrometer

[hoot]

I am thinking about building a parrot. I know that with smaller stills, mine is 10 gal, you get delayed reading that makes it a bit harder to make accurate cuts.
So I was looking at a parrot designed to use much less liquid than needed for the standard Proof and tralle Hydrometer. I'm thinking a miniature hydrometer made from a straw and a weight. Try different materials. Calibrate it using a regular hydrometer. With that I can make the parrot much smaller.

Thoughts?

[still_stirrin]

I am...I'm thinking a miniature hydrometer made from a straw and a weight...Thoughts?

You"re wasting your time.

If you collect into 18 to 24 jars, then after 24 hours of airing out, you can sample and determine which jars are "keepers" and which go into the feints jar. Trying to make cuts based upon proof is a waste of energy. And trying to McGuyver a parrot is unnecessary effort. It simply isn't worth it for what you're trying to do.
ss

[hoot]

I'm not concerned about the effort. If it doesn't work I'll chuck it. I don't see it being a lot of work.

Why are parrots used? I'm thinking it would still make a nice rough indicator of ABV fluctuation in real time

[still_stirrin]

...Why are parrots used?

I don't use one...never built one...never needed one.

I collect into a series of jars and measure the proof of the jars, put a piece of tape on the jar and record the %ABV, the date, and sequence number.

Then I put a coffee filter on the top and screw the mason jar seal ring on it. 24 hours later, I take the jars starting in the middle and sample downward toward the last collected jars, recording smell and taste. Then, I sample from the middle upwards, again recording my perceptions. From these notes, I make cuts and blend the appropriate jars into a larger vessel before adjusting for the cask (if it goes into a cask).

Trying to make cuts by parrot will lead you astray every time. I don't recommend to do it.

Why do people use parrots....because they don't know better? Maybe they saw it on the Discovery channel's show. Who knows. I can't answer for someone else.
ss

[Expat]

Have agree with what ss said.

The one exception I think is for use when doing a stripping run when you don't care about smearing or taste only ABV. Handy the odd time... but not really enough to be worth the effort.

[6 Row Joe]

There was a thread a couple weeks ago about mini's. Just a few bucks and you can make the parrot and use it if you wish. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=73342&p=7555637&hil ... t#p7555637

[NZChris]

Have agree with what ss said.

The one exception I think is for use when doing a stripping run when you don't care about smearing or taste only ABV. Handy the odd time... but not really enough to be worth the effort.

When stripping, the abv of the total low wines collected is more important than the abv at the spout, so I use a vessel big enough to take the whole strip and float an alcometer in it.

The best use of a parrot is for impressing your friends with your build skills and with lies about how necessary they are, plus they look nice on the window sill draped in cobwebs and fly carcasses.

[Kareltje]

There was a thread a couple weeks ago about mini's. Just a few bucks and you can make the parrot and use it if you wish. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=73342&p=7555637&hil ... t#p7555637

I was thinking about constructing a small hydrometer, not for use in a parrot, but for use in a small (50 ml) glass. Then a day later I found the mentioned thread.

[Oldvine Zin]

I built a couple of parrots and I thought they were cool and useful, now they are sitting on a shelve collecting dust.

OVZ

[googe]

I like using one, the smearing dribble is just that. Worried about.loosing a tiny bit of distillate at the price we pay, anal.

[Yummyrum]

Thoughts ...

Well I have to agree with everything sad so far .

But .. I also love to see a new build and creativeity so I say go for it and make yourself a tiny hydrometer .

Just watch your material choice . You got basically glass , copper ,stainless and teflon to play with .

See what you can come up with .

[30xs]

These are the ones mentioned in the other post. You could definitely make a parrot small enough to minimized smearing to an extent, I would think.

[Chucker]

What SS says is absolutely true.
I keep toying with the notion of making a parrot cuz they look pretty but then keep reminding myself that it really doesn’t matter as you simply can’t run a hobby rig based on what the hydrometer tells you. On a much larger scale it might have some merit and allows an operator to have a fixed set of parameters to run to. But at this scale you need to let your senses be your only guide. The hydrometer can only really serve to indicate values for cask and bottle level proofing. Taste, smell, feel will tell you everything you need to know. You’ll also notice some basic operational characteristics of your particular rig that will help guide you more than up-to-the-minute proofing at the spout.
That said, if you find satisfaction in such an endeavor you should go ahead and make one. You’ll learn more about the whole of the craft as a result. I’d consider it more like a set of training wheels that you’ll probably find a bit more of a hindrance than help in the long run. But it would be cool to see what you come up with if you do work something out.

[Skinnerback]

I run into a parrot. May not be neccessary but I like it. Gives me something to watch and gauge how the run is going. I'm not too concerned with the minimal smearing that I get. You can always dump it into the feints jar at the cut point.

[Skinnerback]

I do the feel, smell, taste evaluation too. It is all part of the experience.

[bilgriss]

I like a parrot on a stripping run, where everything just gets combined into a large container. I know where I start, relative to an average batch, and get a good sense of when the mash is spent, even if I were to not pay close attention to those final minutes. This is the only time I can see any value (stripping run). Same with a thermometer. Measuring things can help get a mental picture of how stuff behaves, what to expect, and generally understand cause and effect better. I like to watch the hydrometer float and change height. None of that is necessary or impacts the quality of product at all, it's just my own curiosity I'm satisfying.

BUT

If you use any of that to make choices on what to keep, what to blend, or most anything else from a pot still, you are barking up the wrong tree. Likewise, I think it's counterproductive on a spirit run, due to smearing, which makes cuts harder in general.