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Hi,

Using a parrot is like using a compass. It doesn't say where you are but it helps to know where you're going. When I started I felt completely lost, and reading the parrot gave me something to look at.
Nowadays I like to use it to read start and final abv "on the go". It helps me to make my cuts/blending as I record everything down when distilling. So when I hesitate if I would use some jars or not I can easily find it's ABV to gave me a second indication besides my senses. But like many said: don't use it blindly, use your senses... and use your parrot for what it is.

So if I'm not too late, some point to look at when building are:
-make it BROAD enough so it won't give false reading by pushing the hydrometer. So start measuring your hydrometer and add 6-8mm in diameter.
-make the "income pot" high enough in relation to your "main pipe" to prevent overflowing.
-make the base large enough for stability or hang it to your condenser.

The rest of the design is up to you.

About the valve, this is very important: look that you buy one with PTFE seal! And if you buy one with welding connection, take the seal off before welding...

I only use for striping so I know when to stop. However this allowed me to have only Cooper(and that one tiny bit of brass) in my product stream. Also I 3d printed the stand for it so it's perfectly placed

6 Row Joe wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:57 pm

Slow42 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:14 pm Looking for some guidance on building a parrot. The size and dimensions of pipes and fittings would be great. I read a few posts here saying it’s easy but that’s for the mechanically inclined so that leaves me out. It would be a great project for me to test my soldering skills. Well my first experience at soldering anyway.

There is no perfect parrot. Use a refractometer. You can catch a few drops right out of the spout and have a instant measurement.

6 Row. What refractometer do you use?

I use a parrot, is it necessary? NO but I like it. Lots of different set ups, directly attached to still, separate from still, etc. I would say in the summer one addition that would make both it and your collection vessel better is a screen so your not drowning bugs. I built mine years ago to improve and learn soldering skills, that and my Liebig were what I thought was easy places to get started in building my still.
On a side note I still use my parrot, old habits are hard to break plus I built my still collection position to accommodate the parrot years ago so it does make collection easier.

I'm from the same decade bush I learned with one. The first thing I learned was ABV has no place in determining cuts but it did help me in the understanding reflux in real time. The dump valve on bottom is needed if built on to still. That said one is not necessary but can be useful if used for the right reason.

Daveman69 wrote: ↑Fri May 15, 2020 2:42 am

6 Row Joe wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:57 pm

Slow42 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 2:14 pm Looking for some guidance on building a parrot. The size and dimensions of pipes and fittings would be great. I read a few posts here saying it’s easy but that’s for the mechanically inclined so that leaves me out. It would be a great project for me to test my soldering skills. Well my first experience at soldering anyway.

There is no perfect parrot. Use a refractometer. You can catch a few drops right out of the spout and have a instant measurement.

6 Row. What refractometer do you use?

ATC is the brand. I got it on Ebay.

The ATC stands for automatic temperature correction. It's not the brand. It's on every refractometer I've owned. But yeah, I use the cheap ones off Ebay. My first proofing refractometer became wildly inaccurate after a year and couldn't be zeroed. Probably got dropped a time or two.

I bought a kit on eBay. Soldered it myself. It works great. I plan on using it for stripping runs.