Home Distiller

Hi everyone, been a while since I have made a post, just wanted to offer up a little help to those wanting to build a thumper but not having a big inventory of tools. I had a little slack time at work today and took some parts that were laying around and built a little universal thumper attachment for any keg with a 2 inch triclamp fitting. It has to be finished to the persons dimensions but will only need simple copper to copper soldering. I built a little stainless chamber from a 2 inch ferrule and 2 inch 304 stainless and capped it. Then I silver brazed in two 3/4 inch slip collars so standard 3/4 inch copper will slide through it for easy assembly. Simply slide a length of 3/4 tubing through the vertical opening and run it down to the bottom of your vessel and solder in place then slide a piece of 3/4 inch copper in the horizontal opening ans solder in place you can then plumb it how you want for your particular set up. I was thinking of this since so many use stainless kegs for boilers and thumpers but don't have the equipment to do TIG work. Plus the standard soldering won't unsolder the collars as they are silverbrazed and need over 1100 degrees to melt. I could make these on a limited basis if someone needs a little help. They aren't fancy but they will work well.

Thanks, Corene,
I am just getting into distilling again and this is such a practical idea, using the tri-clamp.
I would be able to switch between using the boiler as a pot still and using it as a thumper.
And I would be getting my son or a friend who is a refrigeration mechanic to do the welding or soldering, my son does most of his own stainless manufacture and repair for the bakery and has access to TIG and MIG welders.
Geoff
By the way, you said, 'Then I silver brazed in two 3/4 inch slip collars...'
Slip Collars?
Didn't know you could get them.
I have used the 'joining fitting' and filed down the ridge, which is painful with a little rat-tailed file!
G.

Handy kit.

Great idea. I wonder if you could fit the same thing on top of A copper (dont know the term) blank off disc that fits in a triclamp. Do you know the piece im referringto? Its just a flat ,round disc with beveled edge on the top side.

jb-texshine wrote:Great idea. I wonder if you could fit the same thing on top of A copper (dont know the term) blank off disc that fits in a triclamp. Do you know the piece im referringto? Its just a flat ,round disc with beveled edge on the top side.

End cap.

Yeah would be a nice option to outfit with a 2" copper ferrule

Nice project Corene. Too cold to shoot a bow outside, so I may just have to build this.
Thanks!

Nice contraption!
I have a 22-15-15 T-piece waiting to be used in the same way.

jb-texshine wrote:Great idea. I wonder if you could fit the same thing on top of A copper (dont know the term) blank off disc that fits in a triclamp. Do you know the piece im referringto? Its just a flat ,round disc with beveled edge on the top side.

Been thinking the same thing for quite awhile. Drill/machine a hole of the appropriate diameter through the blank and drop a piece of copper pipe through it so it's just off the bottom off the keg/boiler and fit it to a 2 inch stainless Tee. This would fit up just dandy with my shotgun as it has a 90* ferrule.

Im currently building a thumper and want to drop a 2" pipe into a 3" triclamp. Id originally thought i could cut the top off a conical reducer to let the 2" through and i could still be left with enough room to take a 1" output off the side of it. Im not sure anymore will i go ahead with this. Cool kit btw.

GrassHopper wrote:Nice project Corene. Too cold to shoot a bow outside, so I may just have to build this.
Thanks!

It is never too cold to shoot a bow. It just takes a bit more warm up. Vegas is coming soon , Feb. 10 thru 12, have to keep practicing.