Details of bubble plates build parts?

[Bottles]

Hi all,
I'm uk based and have started to look at making 4 inch bubble plates. I've looked at various builds but missed any info on what parts people use for the bubbles and down comers.
There are suggestions of using plasma cutter nozzles, but no sizes. I'm not sure where to go to find consumables for plasma cutters to even start looking at what can work. Verses what others have found works best.
To be honest I'm not sure if I'm after a percentage of area on plates to be bubbles or the sizes of depth of down comer for depth of plate as most important.
Andrew

[Saltbush Bill]

I've never heard of anyone using a plasma cutter.
If it's just bubble caps you need you can buy them from numerous sources, Still Dragon being just one of them.
You can build a plated column from start to finish using very basic tools and methods.
Plates are made by drilling holes, with a drill , that simple. You can use the same drill to spin the plate to get it perfectly round and a perfect fit in the column.
Down commers are just as simple, bits of 3/4 pipe for the main body, a slice 1 inch copper pipe for the cup.
There are a whole heap of good build threads here to learn from and copy.
I'd also recommend looking at the plated column build threads on Copper Custom Still Components .....Empty Glasses site.
This was my last build, you might find a few helpfull tips there.
viewtopic.php?t=76349

[Setsumi]

If you are set on caps, look at Still Dragon's pro caps. If you want to do it yourself design the slots to be as close in open area as the riser.

BUT perforated plates are less engineering. Open area 5 to 6% will do nicely. On both make sure your downcommer has a good vapour lock.

[Swedish Pride]

Hey lad,

Perf plates are what I made, easy to make with hand tools and stubbornness.

For 4in I believe 1.5mm drill on a 5mm pattern is an agreed good layout with a ¾ downcommer

[Bottles]

So is there any benefit to bubble caps? Or do they look pretty and work as well as perf plates?
Think I'm looking for a simple solution and see 1.500 1.5mm holes off putting?
On drilling the perf holes. Why don't people stack all of the plates as one, then drill marked holes?
When I make my shotgun I made them as squares, drilled 7 × 3/8" holes then turned to size. Everything lined up nicely?
Andrew

[Saltbush Bill]

So is there any benefit to bubble caps? Or do they look pretty and work as well as perf plates?

Caps work over a greater range of heat inputs, but it's generally excepted that they are also slower when it comes to output speed.

Think I'm looking for a simple solution and see 1.500 1.5mm holes off putting?

If you want simple maybe you'd be better off buying a still. Punching and drilling a few holes isn't that big a deal in return for a life time of cheap booze.

On drilling the perf holes. Why don't people stack all of the plates as one, then drill marked holes?

Some people do choose to do it that way, personally I find it adds frustration and lots of broken drill bits.

[Yummyrum]

You can stack plates and drill , but where a 1/2” drill bit goes nice and straight through 2 end plates and a couple if baffles , a 1/6” drill bit will tend to wander . The top plate might look OK but the bottom one not so neat .
Keeping the drill lubed and cool is also easier one plate at a time and saves bits .

Perf plates have a narrower operating range than Bubble cap plates . IE , you can turn the power down and Bubble caps will keep slowly bubbling while a Perf plate will have collapsed ( no longer able to hold liquid on plate) .

But poorly designed Bubble caps can behave in a similar way when you try to turn up the power , they can flood .

At the end of the day , folk making good booze tend to run very similar power whether using perfs or bubble caps . So it doesn’t really matter which way you go .

Personally I like that when I turned off the Perf plates , they would all drain dry whereas bubble caps don’t .
Although they would get slowly sent back to boiler nextvtime the still is used , I prefer not to have pools of stinky tails in my still .

Edit : posted while SBB

[Sporacle]

In agreement, from memory I think it takes about 45 minutes per plate x 4 to drill the plates.

Personally the time it took to drill the plates was recovered on my first run with the ease and rate my still produces at

[Thumperbunny]

Are youse making it of copper or stainless?

[shadylane]

Ya would have to be a glutton for punishment to make plates out of SS.

[Thumperbunny]

Not if yuose know how ta drill staino. Plasma on stainless would be trick though, lots a grinding. H2Ojet would be easiest.

[shadylane]

Personally I like that when I turned off the Perf plates , they would all drain dry whereas bubble caps don’t .
Although they would get slowly sent back to boiler nextvtime the still is used , I prefer not to have pools of stinky tails in my still .

Drill a 1/16" weep hole in the bubble cap plate.
So it will drain when the power is shut off.

[Saltbush Bill]

Agree 100% with Shady , why anyone would even contemplate a stainless still build is beyond me......Its a complete pain in the butt to work with compared to copper.

[Thumperbunny]

Only if youse don't know how ta work with Staino

[SW_Shiner]

Ive worked with stainless for a long time. Id much rather drill 1500 holes in copper than stainless sheet. Whats even easier, is drilling just a couple big holes and fitting some bubblers. +1 to shady on drilling a small drain hole

[shadylane]

Just because it's possible doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Copper is much easier to drill holes in than stainless.
Having said that, I once made a SS sieve plate using a plasma cutter.
It was a royal pain in the ass and wasn't worth the effort.

My preference is bubble caps and make them big in diameter and run it at a slow sizzling speed.
Sieve plates can run faster and handle more power, but deeper downcomer cups are needed to avoid flooding.

[Thumperbunny]

For youse.

I is not saying I is right, but I is saying you is not right as well

[Saltbush Bill]

For the record Thumperbunny, the last lot of plates I drilled the drill score was.....
3 x 6 inch plates...... 520 x 1.5mm holes per plate.....total of 1560 holes.
Drills broken = 0
Drills bluntened = 7
Try that on stainless and report back.

[shadylane]

To be honest I'm not sure if I'm after a percentage of area on plates to be bubbles or the sizes of depth of down comer for depth of plate as most important.
Andrew

For size and # of the holes, it's easier to just copy a successful design.
The downcomer cup needs to be deep enough to hold back the pressure differential between the top and bottom of the plate or vapor will blow up through the downcomer stopping reflux from traveling down it and flooding will be a problem.
For a 4" plate a 3/4" diameter downcomer tube is the norm.
Smaller than 3/4" increases the odds of flooding and bigger than that takes up space that could be used for holes.

[Setsumi]

At the end of the day , folk making good booze tend to run very similar power whether using perfs or bubble caps . So it doesn’t really matter which way you go .

Edit : posted while SBB

Yes, once you find the sweet spot you run your still at that. Even for caps. The larger turn down on bubble caps does not have an inpack between runs in my shed.

I run both caps and perfs, not as a mix. I do not have a preference but if I need to build over it will be perfs, just because I have build and run both.

[Yummyrum]

I don’t see why anyone would make Stainless plates .You need some copper in there and the plates are going to contribute if they are copper . Otherwise you need to stick in a copper catalyser section ( usually above defleg)

[Thumperbunny]

Or put some in da boiler.

[Bolverk]

I don’t see why anyone would make Stainless plates .You need some copper in there and the plates are going to contribute if they are copper . Otherwise you need to stick in a copper catalyser section ( usually above defleg)

Plus copper is so much easier to work. You can cut 18ga copper with shears, and after you've drilled 1000+ holes by hand you'd definitely appreciate how soft copper is.

[Thumperbunny]

So 2 all da copper fanboys, I isnt saying copper is wrong, I is saying I like stainless more. Cute watchin you back yur narritive though.

[squigglefunk]

plus stainless stains less

[Saltbush Bill]

Very few stills where ever made from stainless until relatively recently,.....its seemed to start since the introduction of off the shelf commercialy made hobby stills.
Basicly a cost cutting move to manufacture to a price point.

[Thumperbunny]

Peeps have only started using mechanical locomotion relitively recent to boss. That started since da invention of da car. Basacly a method to get all youse to stop using yur horses.

Stanio is relivelee new, so dat might be why dey were not using it in historyical Egypt to make moonshine?

[Bottles]

Well I won't be trying to make the plates from stainless. I've never enjoyed working with stainless.
There's obviously more research on my end. But I'm looking at 4 inch tower to process wash faster. With possibility as single run.
Shadylane "My preference is bubble caps and make them big in diameter and run it at a slow sizzling speed."
This is my issue.ivenot found any detailed description on building bubbler. I've seen images and comments on using plasma cutter nozzles. My god the price of those noozles make buying ready made look cheap!
Andrew

[Saltbush Bill]

Stick with buying Still Dragon caps if wanting bubble plates, make your own plates for them.
The SD fellas have been in this game a long time and supply quality stuff that is proven to work.

[shadylane]

Stick with buying Still Dragon caps if wanting bubble plates, make your own plates for them.
The SD fellas have been in this game a long time and supply quality stuff that is proven to work.

Plus one SD plates are noted for being good.
Either buy them or copy the design.