plastic column

[Grayson_Stewart]

Brought over from old forum

Anonymous
(Unregistered)
08/07/03 08:40 AM

plastic column

Plastic column
Hi very body I am trying to make a still on the cheep and
Had a brain wave last night how about a plastic column
With tin-foll for a inner linning 2 or three layers
Tin-foll is very good an not transferring heat so the plastic will not get hot
And very good clean surface area
large column diameter
cheep
the fitting could all be plastic or down sized to copper.
have I sold the idea yet!!!

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Peter
(newbie)
08/08/03 01:09 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Anonymous]

it would be very hard to line a column with tinfoil to prevent vapour touching the plastic. and there is no need if you use a suitable plastic like PP. many have made plastic stills already, you can buy them commercially. cheap copper tube can be got in scrap yards

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Wendy
(stranger)
12/20/03 12:30 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: Peter]

Ive been thinking along the same lines.
How about using Carlsberg Special Brew cans?
They are thin aluminium, and Ive got lots.
Open up the tops and bottoms, stuff with copper scrubbers,
Stack them and seal with fish tank silicone.
OK its not engineering but at least you get a fractionating
column to play with.
Lag it to reduce temperature gradients BTW
Wendy

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Fourway
(member)
12/21/03 10:17 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Wendy]

Not sure I understand what the point would be... it sounds like a huge amount of crafting to build something inherently dodgy when you can get thin wall copper pipe to do the job right with quite inexpensively.
I personally wouldn't use aluminum anywhere in a still but especially not in the top end. lots of folks use it in boilers... others swear it's suicide.

there are lots and lots of tried and true ways to make very very cheap stills. Why muck about with aluminum cans and silicone cement when for the change you dig out of the sofa and a couple of day's scavenging you can get all the bits to do the thing up right?



"Please don't drink and derive" -MADD Mathematicians Against Drunk Deriving

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Peter
(journeyman)
12/22/03 05:49 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Wendy]

hi Wendy,
great minds...
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/message/13088" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distiller ... cancol.gif" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

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Wendy
(stranger)
12/22/03 02:25 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: Peter]

Hi Peter,
Two weak minds are bound to clash.
I was being sarcastic.
But it would give you some results to work on.
Just dont drink it.

Wendy

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Peter
(journeyman)
12/23/03 02:55 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Wendy]

i meant it as a stripper. Mike Nixon who cowrote the compleat distiller said his grandfather used on similar

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Fourway
(member)
12/23/03 06:28 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Peter]

yes... in a POW camp.
You know... lice, daily beatings, starvation, impromptu executions.... and hooch made from potato peels in stills made from discarded cans.

these experiences go together for a reason.



"Please don't drink and derive" -MADD Mathematicians Against Drunk Deriving

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refluxinator
(stranger)
12/23/03 08:36 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Anonymous]

Ah Fourway, I knew I could count on you. Mr. Anonymous, If you are going to go through the trouble of learnin' and tryin' to d'still then why would you not put a bit more effort in your "contraption"? Granted, I had to do a bit of searchin', and diggin' around, hell, I even spent a little money, but in the end the efforts are so worth it. My still that I made, using many ideas from the site, will last more than a lifetime. When the aliens land and dig up what's left of our civilization they will find my "contraption" and they will figure out what it was and they'll be able to fire it up and use it. If your any bit serious about picking up the hobby then do yourself a favor and research what you want, and when you do make it or buy it try not to let costs impair your decision. I know it's easier said than done, and I'm not trying to sound self-rightous, but If your using the Forum for information and input, then please consider all the advise. I tried to go cheap before, then I put the fire out, rinsed off the garage floor, and when my throat and hand healed I tried again, with quality items. Good Luck.

patience,patience,patience

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tater
(member)
12/23/03 04:51 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: Anonymous]

I had a buddy once who would work off his mash in a wooden barrel. Then pour it into a metal barrel put the wooden barrel on top of metal barrel. Used flour paste to seal them .Using copper pipe in the bung hole in the wooden barrel to the worm . Was crude but worked well . Later said Tater

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theholymackerel
(journeyman)
12/24/03 10:30 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: tater]

How elegantly simple... my hats off to yer buddy.

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Anonymous
(Unregistered)
01/27/04 01:52 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: refluxinator]

Mr. Anonymous here
Price is very important, when money isn’t printing in the car hole I have to economise
Your right tin foil was not a good idea but the design aspect of it was quite sound, to coat the lining of any column with copper sheet or stainless steel (LOW PRICE)
I like to build hydrometers out of plastic straw; I bet you have a problem with that also (I have found them to be quite accurate).

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cs_cheap_baztard
(stranger)
01/27/04 08:11 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: Anonymous]

Mr. Anonymous
i agree the idea is sound but if using thin copper sheeting or s/s you must think about the long haul copper does break down if the sheeting is thin it may not last as long as you intend it to you can also use stainless steel exhaust piping from auto store its pretty thin and not to pricy and would hold up alot longer but id recomend a good cleaning cause its normally oiled to avoid corosion and yes s/s is effected by certain chemicals, salts and acids thats why its coated but its much more stable than common iron made steel but to line a plastic pipe id sugest soldering the copper or s/s plate roolled into a tube so theres no void to the plastic outer shell due to the chemicals plastics can release when heated but using it would make a good insulator for the column
i see no reason to not using plastic in a hydrometer due to the wash and distillant arent super heated to vapor form as is the column and woulnt mind seeing the plastic straw hydrometer technique of yours
cs

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Fourway
(enthusiast)
01/28/04 12:18 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: cs_cheap_baztard]

There's a picture of an all plastic still here on the site...
http://homedistiller.org/photos-ns.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow the second picture titled Gregs Miraculous Polypipe Still.

I was sure there was another but I can't find it right now.

Anyhoo...
I think I don't get what your fuss is.
An inline BOKAKOB design could be assembled by a dexerous individual out of $10 worth of copper pipe and $5 worth of tubing and a discarded can.

plastic pipe is barely cheaper than copper and somehow lining it with copper foil would have to be about the most awful chore you could dream up for yourself... somehow sealing it so it actually keeps vapor away from the plastic? Uggh.

Once you add in the price of the foil you'll probably exceed the cost of copper pipe.

On top of which....

You can just use plastic if you really have something to prove, and you don't need to protect it from the hot vapor if it's the right kind of plastic. (see Gregs Miraculous Polypipe Still for example)

Most attempts I've seen to cut costs by reinventing the wheel usually end up with the players throwing good money after bad until they give up and do it how they should have done it in the first place.

If you want to save money make a tried and true design with tried and true materials that you salvaged at the scrap yard or nicked from a construction site.

My grandfather prided himself for using every teabag 25 times.
He was a mean and stingy old goat and nobody had the sand to point out to him that 23 out of 25 cups of tea he drank were really just hot water with cream and sugar.


"Wine is Sunlight, Held Together By Water". --Galileo Galilei

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cs_cheap_baztard
(stranger)
01/28/04 08:10 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: Fourway]

well got bored a researched it my self its very easy to make a hydrometer out of a straw just seal one end of the straw and add weight i use little pieces of solder till it stood up right in water floating than sealed other end of it just need to calibrate it and see if it stays pretty acurate. still going to buy a nice one but was something to do when i got bored.
And Forway i agree no sence using any thing but copper easy to work with & no waiting for glues to set up.
but figured if he could get stainless pipe cheap he may want to try it.
cs

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refluxinator
(newbie)
01/28/04 10:32 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: cs_cheap_baztard]

Howdy CS,
Besides your monetary concerns, is there a problem with obtaining copper pipe where you live? It's my understanding that copper pipe may not be as available every where around the world as it is here in the states. If that is the case then you have my sympathies. If it is just a matter of economics then my advise to you is to just find a way to save some money, hunt for parts, do plenty of research, get inventive, and whatever else it takes (without the commission of crime!) to get copper for your project. The outcome is worth the effort. Some things just can't be had on the "cheap". Just a thought.

patience,patience,patience

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cs_cheap_baztard
(stranger)
01/28/04 11:23 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: refluxinator]

Hi refluxinator
nope not a problem getting copper at all its all i use also live in states also was just trying to suggest alteratives to mr. anonymous other than using plastic lined with copper plate
heck every water pupe in my house is copper next to the drains and i wouldn't go any other way.
thanks for your concern though
cs

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rkr
(stranger)
01/29/04 01:45 AM

Re: plastic column new [re: Fourway]

There are several different brands of PP pipes. Some will melt/deform when exposed to hot high% alcohol for a length of time. Been there done that. At least white and gray varieties used for drain pipes will leach off flavors and deform. PP is OK for a boiler (fermentation buckets) but I don't use it for columns any more. So one more vote for using copper pipes.

Greetz, Riku

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USMALE
(stranger)
06/20/04 03:37 PM

Re: plastic column new [re: tater]

After all the reading I've done in here I just bought a still.
I look at it this way....IT WORKS!.
And I still have my house. No fires or thing that go boom.
I just wished it was a lot faster.....go figure.....
Living in the USA