Home Distiller

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.

I Don’t use one . But from years of reading about those that do , make sure that the hydrometer is not a close fit in the tube you use . Otherwise the incoming spirit tends to push up on the hydrometer rather than go around it causing significant reading error .

In the estimation of many people here, a parrot is unnecessary and therefore the perfect version is the one not built

This is the best Parrot design I have found . It was made by Bourbon Junkie . The valve is normally open so the spirit bypasses the parrot .... this elliminates any smearing .

Close the valve to take a reading . The parrot fills .
Open the valve to drain parrot and continue .

Or it could be run with the valve open yo initially take off fores and early heads then close parrot and use inline for rest of run .

I own two......rarely use them though.
If you distill by numbers I guess they have a use.
Still a good project for learning to solder.

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.

My parrot was perfect for learning what to expect off my still when I was brand new. Now I rarely use it.

The real value will be applying the solder skills I learned to copying a cool-looking valved parrot like Bourbon Junkie's and be able to record takeoff profiles of new mash recipes.

I bought mine and didn't make it but I can recommend that it have a valve/drain off the bottom to bypass the parrot. I only use the parrot with hydrometer when I know I'm in the hearts.

Thanks for the input but your all forgetting that you guys are experts. You all know what your doing though many years of practice and experience. The new comers don’t have that knowledge and so a handy tool which would make things easier is welcome. After a period of time we also might not have to use one.

However I personally need a little help. Twisted brick very nice parrot; I need a little help though with sizes. Yummyrum I very much like yours, well not yours, over many I’ve seen. Again a plan!

A parrot wont make you a better stiller faster.
I thought I need one to once.
Now I realise it just gave me something to look at when I should have been paying attention to and worrying about other things.

I don’t need to use mine but I still like it. The perfect parrot depends on if you want it attached or not attached to your still. Connected and having the drain does have an advantage to get rid of the fores. Mine is not attached, it’s a good way to practice soldering. I capped the bottom of mine then got a free sample of granite, drilled it down part way and glued the parrot to the granite base. If free standing having a sturdy base is important.

Slow42 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:52 pm Thanks for the input but your all forgetting that you guys are experts. You all know what your doing though many years of practice and experience. The new comers don’t have that knowledge and so a handy tool which would make things easier is welcome. After a period of time we also might not have to use one.

However I personally need a little help. Twisted brick very nice parrot; I need a little help though with sizes. Yummyrum I very much like yours, well not yours, over many I’ve seen. Again a plan!

You need to learn that you shouldn't be doing strips watching abv at the spout, or cuts on the fly by numbers, temperatures etc. That stuff is handy for experts and commercials running repeat products, using their collected data to find the numbers to use, but leads newbies to make mistakes when think they should use numbers some enthusiastic 'new expert' posted on a forum or Youtube thinking they were being helpful.

Slow
I’m hearing you in regard to needing to learn how to solder .

I think Twisted’s parrot is a great place ti start as it uses common off the shelf plumbing fittings that we commonly use in still building .

Once you have mastered the parrot you will be able to easily transfer thar skill to building a still .

Go for it I say .... even if the parrot sits on the shelf as a reminder if where you started

When I want a reading I just fill up a vial and float my hydrometer then thermometer in it so I have both numbers and can correct my readings. Then I can pour it back into the jar it was destined for.

Mine is just like twisteds.
I like the valve idea though.

cayars wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 4:36 pm When I want a reading I just fill up a vial and float my hydrometer then thermometer in it so I have both numbers and can correct my readings. Then I can pour it back into the jar it was destined for.

Yep, same here, a 100ml ikea glass vase is mine $3-4au from memory

As good as they are for giving you some numbers, your recorded results as a newbie will be pretty much meaningless to you as you get better and more consistent at what your doing

Save the soldering "practice" for a useful item?

Yummy is on to something with that valved one. I quit using my parrot but I’d use something like that! Damn more crafting.

Of course a parrot can be useful during a strip run when you don't worry about smearing. But I'd rather just like at the temperature.

WHO HAS MADE THE PERFECT PARROT?

God.

Geoff

Slow42 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:52 pm
Twisted, I need a little help though with sizes.

Sorry, I am not familiar with the proper terms of the parrot parts, so I'm just gonna make 'em up.

Hydrometer barrel: 1" (10" l)
Barrel top":1" - 11/2" reducer, small end shortened and beveled
Parrot beak: 1/4" soft pipe
Down tube: 1/2" (ID) (9 1/4"l)
Down tube top: 1/2" to 1" reducer, small end shortened and beveled
Down tube connector: 1/2" 90*
Base: 2" copper coupling, cut, annealed and flattened

There is a wad of stainless steel scrubbie 3/4" deep sitting in the bottom of the barrel to cushion a hydrometer that gets dropped carelessly into the barrel.

HTH

Thanks Twisted Brick for the list. What’s the part circled in red for?

RC AL I’m going to make one and when I get as good as you guys ill make a lamp from it. It will be a great conversation piece when someone asks how I came up with the idea.

Slow42 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:02 am Thanks Twisted Brick for the list. What’s the part circled in red for?

439A2366-E46E-4985-A674-B87F4697E258.jpeg

Air vent.

Slow42 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:02 am Thanks Twisted Brick for the list. What’s the part circled in red for?

439A2366-E46E-4985-A674-B87F4697E258.jpeg

How does it stand up? There's no base. I would like to know the capacity. That's at least half a pint. Things change with that amount depending how big your pot is. It's fun to know the ABV when you start and good to know where you're at at the end (if you stop at say 20%) but what happens in the middle really isn't important. It is what it is. Your cuts, if you don't divide the run in pint jars, should be by smell and taste (off your finger and not in a shot glass) and not the ABV along the way.

It tri-clamps onto the end of the shotgun condenser.

That is also why it has the air vent so you don’t get surging in the parrot .

There are some mini alcometers on evilbay from the ukrane that would reduce the pipe size for the body and thereby volume

I consider myself only a newb at this stage, but initially using a small 5-6l still means i have a lot of runs done in the 2 years ive been at this lols

Visually, not close to perfect, but in use, works perfectly, , , ,

RC Al wrote: ↑Sat Feb 08, 2020 8:10 pm There are some mini alcometers on evilbay from the ukrane that would reduce the pipe size for the body and thereby volume

I consider myself only a newb at this stage, but initially using a small 5-6l still means i have a lot of runs done in the 2 years ive been at this lols

I bought a few of those. Not extremely accurate but you can float them in a tall shot glass. (a double) Again, a few drips out of the spout onto my refractometer gives me a accurate reading for what is presently being produced.

Always interesting to hear the numbers vs senses argument. As a newbie myself (and a scientist) I find it hard to trust my untrained senses. Over time I hope to be more natural but I’m making conservative cuts using temps and abv first and taste second until I’m more attuned.

I use a glass test tube that the hydrometer fits nicely into and test abv at regular intervals recording temperatures, flavours, smells, textures, flame and bubble test [emoji1896]

You trust numbers more than your own sence of taste and smell? ......wow Im shocked. By the way flame tests are a complete waste of time.