Home Distiller

Have spoke about this and now its happening. I read threads thru on shotguns and it seems they are a little difficult to do and now I know.
Started with 2inch copper tube and have 15ml tubes to go inside. Decided on four tubes to enable adequate cooling water to circulate around. My 2inch tube was a meter long(that's how they sell it, by the meter) and my inner tubes are 700ml. There will be reducer caps each end. Soldering is a bitch and at the end of my sunday afternoons effort I have still got some leaks going on so stopped and will let my mind clear b4 giving it another go...my work so far

Nice shinny mate , they can be pain first off, but easy once you've done a few. I use soft solder for everything, I solder the plates on the tube, then slip it in the outer and solder it in. Any leaks can be fixed with some heat and brushing with some flux, but im probably telling you what you already know lol. Looks good mate, can't wait to see it on the still

lookin good, great work
what u going using it on
all the best

Hey there Googe..Geez iv'e given myself something to nut out here!...didn't have any flat so cut some 3inch pipe off some I had then split it and flattened it so I could cut my 4 holes to create the ends. Soldering is tricky and I think next time I might cut the same holes in a m/t baked beans tin, push the rods thru the holes, thru the plate im going to solder and then fill the tin with sand up to the bottom of the plate so the bloody solder doesn't drop thru and bugger off! Then try and figure out how to do the other end?..fun and games huh?

Thanx Rockchucker...take a close look and the troubles show up..havn't finished yet tho so might scrub it up a bit..cheers

Backraft..thanx for that m8...will be hooking it onto my pot still instead of the worm I have now...check out my setup in construction...got a wee parrot ive just made too so I can read my levels as the good stuff comes trickling out the shotgun...that's the plan anyhooo!

Nice one Tal, I just finished my cross flow off, I will get some pictures up asap. The internet can be pretty sketchy out here

PS: I took the splint off my finger and threw it away, it was compromising my build!

Mock up of the internals..............

Nice work there

Yeah, very bloody nice work son!...spose the finger was sticking up in the air while work was being done was it?

Lol, at the gods of fate! It has been a comedy of errors really. My super bendy get into any position gig torch head half broke, it now has two positions, working and not working.........

I usually make the internals of my gattling gun condensers out of copper and gig them in, but I had this thin wall stainless on hand, if the glove fits......

Sorry Tal, I have just realised I am making a mess of your build thread, please feel free to come stomp about in one of mine at your pleasure, you have those credits and more in my book

shit no!...its all good...all about learning and discussing to me m8...I just solder away, try to keep things clean ist but things go black and wont stick!...gonna have to chop the end off the 2 inch pipe to get closer to the internals so I can fix my leaks. Was going to have vacant area of about 150mls each end to let vapour collect and distillate to run out of but due to leaks will do the chop. This will make my shotgun around 800mls long, should be ok tho hopefully.

Don't cut just yet mate, can you get us a photo of the problem? It could be you can fix her up without the old choparoony.

Yeah mate don't chop it yet!!, give it a good scrub with some steal wool or similar. A soak in citric acid wont hurt either!.. I had this problem soldering my bubble plates in deep down in the column. I'd try drop some tinny solder pieces down onto the plate where you think the holes are, flux first then heat from the outside a bit above the plate. Worked great for me. I use cotton ear cleaning tips for brushing flux on, they work good good luck mate.

Nah...havn't chopped it yet..havn't given up, more like busy with work so it's sitting there in pain, i'm going to let it suffer for a wee while and then show it whose boss!..YEAH!...will try those things you suggest. Its a bit difficult cos its way in there, about 150mm, and hard to see whats happening but it wont beat me. I like the citric acid treatment. We have an engineer at work and he suggested that b4 I start soldering, coat the piece I want to solder with a coat of fine solder and when I start joining the bits she will jump together. The cotton buds are a good idea too ta, will use that one. A photo is hard cos its inside the 2inch pipe by 150ml. That shiny shot back there is looking in there. She'll be right m8! Watch this space!

Sounds good Tal, glad you are not going down the "cut the f@#*er up" road

Yup, your engineer speaks the truth!

I am watching this space.........

PS: You flooded out yet?

I was imagining watching the news and seeing the flooded roads, and, in the back of the shot seeing a fellow in a blow up dingy holding onto a still for dear life, cracked me up.

No...all good here...had ALOT of rain tho...i'm over it!...some poor buggers have had water right through there homes again!..found you on face book.

Lucky, I would hate to see that shed get water in it!!!!!

Make a world class stalker you would!

ahhh don't need water in my shed...only for cooling properties that it has! they say that in wine there is wisdom...in beer there is strength and in water there is bacteria!...that's why you shouldn't drink it!...besides....fish f..k in it! lol

Got those leaks fixed!...At a cost tho I must say, bumped my propane torch and bottle off my bench and broke it, so down to the hardware store and got another...bugger!

Got a question for Inglishill as how you are the pro welder...which is better for me to use soldering copper, propane or mapps?...had some problems today with the propane going fluttery then going out...think it was thru tilting the bottle and liquid coming thru?..pain in the butt !

Tal I'm not a pro welder but I found when I soldered my shotgun condensor it was better to use the mapp gas for fast hotter heat on certain joints and propane on other as it wasn't has hot and didn't melt the solder next to the joint I was working on. Propane will sputter alot when tilted at too steep and angle. I purchased a hose extension and that solve the problem with sputter. I used mapp and solder SS to SS with regular solder. Lots of pratice to get it right. Hope this helps.

That makes a lot of sense to me too Aquafish, have been doing a bit of research on these things and am now avoiding splutter with the propane. Seems propane is only good when using soft solder as the rods take "forever" to start to melt, and yes everything else starts letting go. I will get myself a hose for the propane too. A map setup is next me thinks. Really appreciate your imput thanx, helps stabilize my thoughts on this..cheers

Got the shotgun done,took some work tho! Think i'll be getting myself a mapp torch.. ...hope she'll do the job for me.

Hey Tal, looks frikken awesome mate!!!!!!

I replied before, but the tablet for some reason wiped it, which was a shame, it was perhaps the best post on here ever!

Anyways, in a nutshell Aqua is on the mark, precisely.

The only other suggestion apart from map gas I have is that you keep your eyes open for a oxy/acet or oxy/lpg set on TM. I have seen them on there before going for three eighths of f#$k all. Then if you got them filled at supergas or the like then you would be able to do whatever you wanted

Mapp is good, burns hotter. I have seen them in bunnings ranging from $70 - $200 depending on the model.

Gas plant is better

Very nice indeed. Should serve you well

Thanx TS...im hopin, got a wee brew cookin up as we speak in fact,,,couple of weeks and i'll light er up!~

Hey there Inglishill, yep been looking at the gas plants and will continue to do so....think id'e prefer that, those map bottles can cost abit when you're doing a big job...will post some shots when im putting a brew thru...hope it's got enuff grunt?