Home Distiller

just banged out the flange on long 4" piece....

I mocked up the column to see what you guys think. Its a lot taller then I thought...
or

seems like most flutes i've seen have been tall...I think your fine as long as your comfortable with the height.. but then again, what do I know...

"Not much interest",... oh we're watchin, (look at thethe number of your views!) and I for one am very impressed. Looks damn good man!!! Keep tha copper porn coming....

Bonjimmi, we've been watching without cluttering up your build topic... And we all know that you're BS'ing when you say this is your last build... Looking good...

Thanks for the complements guys... Rad, I'm hoping the build will run so good that I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor....lol

Now a question for the pro's...
I wanted to make my own site glasses. The pre done ones are just way too much $$$$$..
If I buy a SS ferrule can I soft solder it to a 2" piece of copper or does it have to be hard soldered?

Bon

looks awesome!
Bon i soft soldered my whole still together!

Made the coil for my product condenser today.

Still drilling and drilling and drilling ....

Lookin good.

What are you planning to use for glass in your home made sightglasses? After fighting with them for weeks now. I'm just going to order some.

I am going to order the glass and o rings from Still Dragon.... They are only like $5 each.

Good choice. Trays what I plan to do.

I priced it out... If I build my own with the..... SS ferrule, 2" copper pipe, SS tri clamp, glass and o ring..... They will only be about $19 each
As a posed to $45 each at hillbilly stills and $30 each on eBay .......

A bit more work,but they are yours!

Hi, sorry to disappoint you (if I understood you right), but soft-soldering copper/brass and stainless steel doesn´t work, not even with lots of heat and surface treatment. I know, what I´m talking of, I tried! See the barometer in the ss lid (AISI 410) of my still? Tried to solder a socket in at first cause it was available and would have evaded the "sealing ring issue". Had to go for a threaded solution in the end, best thing I could achieve soft soldering was a sort of "tight fitting in". Tried hard soldering, too, only to mess it up. Welding is the only solution, I´m afraid, and you cannot use the ordinary electrodes, either. I tried! But hey, since you already ordered for a decent price, you will most likely come up with a solution. There is always a way... it has just to be found! (maybe clamping?) And since you will most probably not believe me and try anyway, you kan´t really destroy anything soldering, ss just changes color and stiffness, doesn´t look pretty afterwards, that´s all. And if you think you managed, give it a tiny whack with the hammer and see what happens... All the best for your "last" still!
Hydroxyethane

Hydroxyethan wrote:Hi, sorry to disappoint you (if I understood you right), but soft-soldering copper/brass and stainless steel doesn´t work, not even with lots of heat and surface treatment. I know, what I´m talking of, I tried! See the barometer in the ss lid (AISI 410) of my still? Tried to solder a socket in at first cause it was available and would have evaded the "sealing ring issue". Had to go for a threaded solution in the end, best thing I could achieve soft soldering was a sort of "tight fitting in". Tried hard soldering, too, only to mess it up. Welding is the only solution, I´m afraid, and you cannot use the ordinary electrodes, either. I tried! But hey, since you already ordered for a decent price, you will most likely come up with a solution. There is always a way... it has just to be found! (maybe clamping?) And since you will most probably not believe me and try anyway, you kan´t really destroy anything soldering, ss just changes color and stiffness, doesn´t look pretty afterwards, that´s all. And if you think you managed, give it a tiny whack with the hammer and see what happens... All the best for your "last" still!
Hydroxyethane

It is done all the time. I prefer to hard solder but have soft soldered SS many times when high temp is an issue.
AC

The copper to ss ferrule is a tight fit to start with... I would just need a bead around the edge to seal it up....

Whew, you see me flattened...so maybe I am not that much of a handyman after all or maybe there is something in the air in the States that makes EVERYTHING possible? The land of the "unlimited possibilities"? Did you grind it before to get rid of the (mostly through H3PO4) passified surface? What steel specs are you talking about? What kind/alloy of solder? Hard soldering works better, I agree, but needs an enormous amount of (pre-)heating with all the disadvantages (deforming,...)that comes with it. And I find it very hard to make it flow properly and fast enough before oxide build-up. But in that case: give it a try yourself and let us take part in the outcome.
Greets, Hyroxyethane

Dude...Do you always come off this COCKY... Whats your problem with the United States ???

give it a try yourself and let us take part in the outcome

and who the hell is us....? You have a mouse in your pocket ??????

1. Sorry, I didn´t want to sound cocky. I was just trying to be helpful and failed with the same problem. Not my mother tonge.
2. I have absolutely no problem with the States, even lived and worked there for some time many years ago and enjoyed my stay there very much. Great country, nice people, still have friends and even family there. (I DID have a problem with the Bush administration and what they did though but that´s off topic and the past. Hope, you are not republican and offended again). I wanted to crack a joke, obviously didn´t work.
3. The first part of my post referred to acfixer69, who said that it can be easily done and he does it frequently. Didn´t say how and exactly with what, though. Being an ac fixer (lots of ss tubing in them) I believe him. It would be nice to know how, had the problem already twice. Always eager to learn.
4. I do not have a mouse in my pocket (whatever that pun means), but am pretty sure, than a lot of others (like me) run in similar problems. That´s what forums are there for and thats why I enjoy this one. But in case nobody else is interested, let ME know.
Sorry to have interfered, will not happen again
over and out, Hydroxyethane

@Hydroxyethane

3. The first part of my post referred to acfixer69, who said that it can be easily done and he does it frequently. Didn´t say how and exactly with what, though. Being an ac fixer (lots of ss tubing in them) I believe him. It would be nice to know how, had the problem already twice. Always eager to learn.

I'm not looking for a pissin contest. This is Bons thread and was just saying the facts. Also if your going to quote me do it correctly I said nothing about it being easily done. If you don't know what the frig you are doing it is not easy.
Follow a easily found search and the HCl /Zinc liquid flux and a silver bearing solder with good cleaning and practice positive results will happen.
AC

OK... Lets get back to the task at hand...My 4" Column.....

This is how I cut out my plates. I used a 4 1/8" hole cut bit. This bit worked great because my 4" column is type M copper. It was just a hair too big to fit in the column. All I had to do was cut down the edge a hair with a hand file. Now it fits snug...like a bug in a rug...
Now... this bit won't work if your column is 4" DWV copper pipe. the ID of this pipe is a little bigger and the plate comes out too small.
Bon

Nice work mate. Keep it up.

Looks like you are using 3/4" downcomers, scaling from your plate pic. Good choice. Glad you went for perf plates.
In my opinion, they work very well. I can get the same result with perf plates as pictured in Ken's picture, with a lot faster rate than 3-4 drips per sec. A good boka can do that. It goes drip-drip-stream .Then if I collect bit faster than 95%, I get 85%-90% at about 2 litres an hour.
I dont know if bubble caps can be made to vary collection rate/abv. From what I see, bubble caps stick to theory, perf plates can be made to fudge it if you want. The bubble cap guys don't like it when us perf plate guys catch and overtake them. With our primative, simple plates and holes .

Copper and stainless can be soldered, hard or soft, and tig welded. But this job is not for the weak or weary. It takes a lot of practice. Then a bit more practice. Then more stuffed up work, then more practice, then you get some to stick. Then its like fat chicks and scooters- felt good when you did it, but dont tell your mates.
Its more a question of a) right solder and flux b) the right amount of heat in the right place at the right time. No different to other welding, but the margin of error is narrow and once you over cook it, throw it in the scrap. You wont re-claim it.

And it seems your over the sightlass hurdle. Keep the iron hot!

Sorry I forgot to keep an eye on you the last few days. You can soft solder the stainless ferules to your copper pipe but I would recommend hard solder. You can get copper trap adapters at Grainger for about $15 each. They have a nice brass nut. A lot of guys like the look of tri clamps. The glass does not have to be Boro or tempered. I have done many with window glass.

When silver soldering stainless it is important to use the correct flux for either soft or hard solder and not over heating. I solder stainless all the time. It is easy. When soft soldering stainless to copper I like to tin the surface of the stainless first. Using the correct flux heat indirectly as to not burn away the flux. Do not over heat. Apply the solder at the lowest temp possible, coating the stainless. Once this is done you are Golden! When mating it to the copper use regular water base flux and heat until the surface flows together.

When hard soldering pre tinning the surfaces works but is not as necessary. The hard solder flux for stainless is more of a paste. Use only enough to coat where you want the solder to flow. The solder will go where the flux is.

Here is how I hard solder sight glass flanges. After determining correct locations I use a sharpie to draw around the flange. I lift all off and paint flux carefully inside that line. I paint pottery shelf primer on the outside of the line to prevent solder flow. On hard solder I make solder rings that I place inside the flange. If you have a tight fit it will be the perfect amount of solder. When all flanges are clamped in place with a long piece of square tubing I am ready to go.
I use a propane weed burner. I put a flame inside the pipe to start warming everything evenly. It will not melt the hard solder but will make it easier to do from outside and reduce warping of the pipe. Once everything is pretty toasty, use your oxy torch in a circular motion at each flange until solder flows. Turn off weed burner and allow it to cool slowly before drilling the pipe with a hole saw through the flanges.

GOOD LUCK

Thanks guys for the kind words and great advice.... i am starting to think soldering ss to copper might be out of my comfort zone. I was doing some research and browsing around on this sight and I thought about the easy flanges the MR-E made for his flute. I know he didnt have good luck with them, but I think with the right glass and the right gasket they would work... Anyway,,, I have some time to think about it. I just finished up drilling all the 1/16 holes in the perf plates... and I only broke 7 bits...ftlog.
now I have to sand them down and clean them up, get the 3/4 down comers soldered in and build the 6 plate tree....
Bon

Sightglasses the Mr-E way work. But you have to be careful to get the flange as flat as possible. It can deform if hard soldered and any gaps in the fitment between the sightglass mounts and the column wall will give problems, not so bad if soft soldered.
Soft gaskets are really a necessaty if you use this style of mount. PTFE seals are too hard and will break the glass if the surface is not truly flat. I use cork gaskets 1mm thick, 3mm firebox door glass, 64-65mm outside diameter for the flange and 2" triclver clamps.
And if you ever need to remove the glass, always use new gaskets. They can be fiddly to set up.

On the up side, if correctly fitted and soldered, they don't warp. If they do, they can be smithed/hammered flat. They are cheap, you will only consume a foot of 2" tube to make the mounts and backing ferrules to make 5 windows. Glass and clamps are the big cost. A sheet of 1mm-1.2mm thick cork should only cost a few bucks. I made some wad punches and can punch out gaskets easily and quickly. They avoid the need for welding dissimilar metals.
And they look pretty cool in the end.

MR, nice write up on copper to stainless joining, couldn't agree more. Some good tips too. I think what you said about heat is spot on. Only enough, no more.

Bonjimmi wrote:Dude...Do you always come off this COCKY... Whats your problem with the United States ???

give it a try yourself and let us take part in the outcome

and who the hell is us....? You have a mouse in your pocket ??????

I got problems with the United States.

Your cars are too good.
Your gas is too cheap.
Your bikes are cool.
You can keep guns.
You can shoot them.
You have the best bourbon.
Most of the guys with the cool stills are over your way.

And it's too big a swim for me to take part.

Your pretty funny emptyglass.....lol

Don't kid your self... Australia would be a great place to live...

And what do you mean you dont have any guns.... If I lived in the Outback the first thing i would want is my 44 mag...
with all them Dingo's and Crocks and wild cridders running around..

Bon

I made up a simple jig to solder on my down comer caps. This makes sure they are 4 3/4" from the bottom of cap to the end of the 3/4 pipe. This leaves me 1/2" of open pipe in the cap....
Bon

Interesting take on it Bon. Most guys solder the down comer cups to plate below then set plate distance for penetration depth. Your method would allow for some adjustment in elevation without loosing the liquid dam. Interesting.


edit to add. I may steal your idea for an up coming project.