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Anyone have any tips on wrapping soft copper around a 3" column? Just finished a 3" column with 2" Liebig over 1 1/2" and I was thinking a copper coil around the top would give me some re fluxing flexability. Thoughts?

It would give you a teeny tiny bit of reflux capability. Almost no flexibility.

Put a coil *inside* the column if you want to be able to reflux. Surface area is important - you want lots of it.

Whitewaterqb where did you get those ideas for a build? I personally would suggest thst you read here more first before proceeding forward on any build or completing whar you may have already started. You are working in an antiquated and poor path at the moment. Build yourself a boka!
Ga Flatwoods

ga flatwoods wrote:Whitewaterqb where did you get those ideas for a build? I personally would suggest thst you read here more first before proceeding forward on any build or completing whar you may have already started. You are working in an antiquated and poor path at the moment. Build yourself a boka!
Ga Flatwoods

+1, I just noticed that your liebig is 2'' over 1 1/2'' - that's way more expensive and probably ten or fifteen times as heavy as it needs to be, and at least 5x heavier than that when it's full of water. Reading more before continuing would do you a lot of good, you'll thank yourself later.

My cm has a 3/8" rc coil around the outside & it works great, and will do 100% reflux. So depending on how you make it, yes it will work.

That's exactly what I was thinking about. I wanted a pot since I already have a reflux column. I was just thinking why not. I get all the material free, so what the heck.

firewater69 wrote:My cm has a 3/8" rc coil around the outside & it works great, and will do 100% reflux. So depending on how you make it, yes it will work.

IMG_20141126_214315.jpg

Glad it is working for you, in my opinion as mentioned above inside should be more efficient.

That is a 2" x 16", I have an extension that I rarely use, I usually make whiskey and rum, and take off @ 80% give or take. I like single runs although I have done strips & added back to the next wash. I run as a pot for Brandies, my first still was a lm, but I like this one better. If I were interested in neutrals I would run my lm, it has a double wound 1/4" coil, but I'm not. This is much better for whiskies IMHO.

being in the middle of a CM build/rebuild, efficiency is not necessarily what we are after with the reflux coil???? that was a question.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a fully efficient coil counter productive to what is desired from a CM still? I see a CM as a pot still on steroids. A reflux system that can be dialled in to a particular takeoff. Zero takeoff/100% reflux not necessarily being one of them.

^^ exactly! I ddidn't mean that I ran it using 100% reflux, just that it is capable.

Agreed Firewater69, comment was geared towards Bushman's comment. I am working my mod towards a less than efficient reflux section. I too have a LM and feel its only purpose is neutrals. Ah crap! Ill get flamed for that.

thanks for the support

nuddin butt luv...

bellybuster wrote:being in the middle of a CM build/rebuild, efficiency is not necessarily what we are after with the reflux coil???? that was a question.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a fully efficient coil counter productive to what is desired from a CM still? I see a CM as a pot still on steroids. A reflux system that can be dialled in to a particular takeoff. Zero takeoff/100% reflux not necessarily being one of them.

Not necessarily, how you control the CM is what gives it it's flexibility. You don't have to run it at full reflux but being able to get a 100% reflux and reach azeotrope if you are wanting neutrals is the bonus that a CM still probaby has over the other reflux stills (flexibility on what it can be used for).
I could never do with my VM what I can do with my CM. With the VM I might as well just stuck with birdwatchers as it made a great neutral.