sight glasses
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sight glasses
I was on this sight about 8 or 10 years ago and found it very helpful. Made a turkey fryer still with a wet cooling coil and a 1/4 beer keg with 2 inch copper and a shotgun condenser. The beer keg stuff was modular to be able to move it to a 15 gal beer keg I owned but had not set up yet. I built a flute from 4 inch copper with 6 preferated plates. Built the shotgun defrageameter with lots of pipes by mistake but i guess there cannot be too much cooling. Now the important part. I used copper triclamp ferrels for the sight glasses and bought pyrex glass made to fit sight glasses that attached with multiple socket head screws to another type of sight glass. I had intended to use 2 inch triclamps with the included silicone o-rings. Internet was full of this method at the time. Now I can not find any reference to this on the internet at all. Went back to some old still dragon literature and pics of this method are there so I did not imagine it. Why did this method disappear. Is it dangerous. Is another method better and safer. Tell me what you think or even better what you know. I have a lot of very nice copper work and I really do not want to de solder and resolder different sight glasses but it can be done if it has to be done. Thanks for your time.
- Salt Must Flow
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Re: sight glasses
I suspect you don't see that style these days because you can use Tri-Clamp Sight Glass Diopters which allows you to see more of the bubble caps than a round plate in the front.
- Windy City
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Re: sight glasses
Check out Still Dragon
https://stilldragon.com/2-brass-sight-glass-kit.html
These are the two inch units, they also have them in three inch.
They bolt up right on a tri-clamp ferrule.
Still Dragon also sells just the borcilite glass
https://stilldragon.com/2-sight-glass-lens.html
Hope this helps
Love to see some pics of your builds
https://stilldragon.com/2-brass-sight-glass-kit.html
These are the two inch units, they also have them in three inch.
They bolt up right on a tri-clamp ferrule.
Still Dragon also sells just the borcilite glass
https://stilldragon.com/2-sight-glass-lens.html
Hope this helps
Love to see some pics of your builds
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- Twisted Brick
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Re: sight glasses
Early on I bought a Still Dragon 3" borosilicate replacement glass and after wrapping the rim in PTFE tape just tri-clamped it to my tee and it worked a treat.
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Re: sight glasses
I bought the still dragon 2" borosilicate glasses. Was the first shipment back 10 or 11 tears ago and attached with ptfe tape and tri-clamped. Worked great and are still working fine today. No need for more viewing area I can see all I need to with them.
Re: sight glasses
bought one of these recently works good, just changed the gasket to a teflon one,
Re: sight glasses
? it is affixed to a another ferrule and uses standard tri clover clamp, see video in ad.
Re: sight glasses
Nope one ferrule sweat to column glass wrapped in PTFE and tri-clamp to hold all together. It is too thick to use second ferrule. Did a bevel on the glass years ago but wasn't needed.
Re: sight glasses
Will send a pic if you like geez
Watch the video in the ad.
Watch the video in the ad.
Re: sight glasses
the one that you replied to in my post. yo been drinking, lol.
Re: sight glasses
Don't go to posted ads here as i get blasted with spam. And ya I've been drinking what's your point ? The OP was the intent of information you post was just side step to the old idea of site glasses
Re: sight glasses
it is a link to amazon, lol.
maybe you shouldn't have replied to my post which was a reply to the op where he asked Is another method better and safer. I have the still dragon and the one i posted. slante
maybe you shouldn't have replied to my post which was a reply to the op where he asked Is another method better and safer. I have the still dragon and the one i posted. slante
Re: sight glasses
If your happy with a 40$ Half a window NOT APPROVED good for you and go with it. Just not here.
- SaltyStaves
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Re: sight glasses
It looks perfectly kosher to me. Once you replace the included gasket with PTFE and get a standard tri-clover clamp, it is good to go.
Re: sight glasses
Re: sight glasses
Re: sight glasses
To the op. If the triclamp glasses served you well and the ferrules still well soldered/leak free, just stick to them. Hell, even if they leak a bit I would just fix it.
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- Saltbush Bill
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Re: sight glasses
Can't say I blame you for missing that AC, took me a while searching the page, scroll way down the bottom.
Imagine that huh? someone on a distilling forum drinking.
Whole thing looks overly complicated and the glass is crazy thick, in short over kill for a 2 inch window..........Ive run the same standard 2 inch Still Dragon site glasses for 11 years now and never a problem with one.
Once you get into the bigger sized sight glasses they become more " fragile" when you tighten them" that's been my experience anyway.
If they make those things in 3, 4 and 6 Inch then Id buy one if I needed a larger size than 2 inch.
- squigglefunk
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Re: sight glasses
ecir54 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 02, 2023 4:22 pm bought one of these recently works good, just changed the gasket to a teflon one,
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SL1WR7R?re ... tails&th=1