3" boka LM build

[haze]

Hey im new here and starting a boka build. I bet many threads start like that......

Im handy and have the tools, a shed and a somewhat understanding wife.

I would like to build a 3" Boka LM still, 50 litre keg with 2 x 2200w electric elements as simply as possible.

Ive sourced the keg and also found the heating elements on craftbrewers and i will sort electrics out ok with info from this site. Im even lucky enough to have 3 phase power in the shed but ill have to check the amps available.

Ive been offered free 3" stainless steel tubing which im wondering if i should use or should i buy copper? Stainless isnt as pretty so i hope theres a reason i can justify buying copper. The packing inside will certainly be copper.

But what i really need is plans for the colum for 3" for a noob. Ive been searching but im not finding anything great. is there a holy grail for 3" design around that i can just copy for my first go ? Things like column height, condensor size/tubing size, plate locations ect..

also quickies..
Copper packing supplier?
Should i bother putting a tap in the bottom of keg?
Triclamp idea ok for 3" or would i need to reduce size of column before it goes onto keg?
What temp guage/guages should i buy?
good alcohol meter?

And this may be a weirdidea.. but i have a lot of speaker wire in the shed. can i strip it all back and scrunch up all the copper for packing or would it just be a pain.

Mike

[R-sole]

No matter what you're column is made from, you won't see it.
It needs to be insulated.
Use the stainless, 3" copper is exe.

There's much better elements around than those, apparently they have connection probs.

I can help with copper packing pm me.
Yes you should put a drain in your keg.
you need a 3-2" reducer to go from keg to pipe, or cut the top of the keg out and weld a 3' ferrule in there.
You need a thermometer with good resolotion, the accuracy doesn't matter. It needs to go down to .1 of a degree and it needs to not automatically switch off all the time.

There's plans around somewhere, i'm sure someone will point you to them.

[stubbydrainer]

Hiya Haze
what 5Star says about the thermo is right , mine turns off all the time and it's a right royal pain in the arse, ( gotta get another one, but don't get to town much and havent looked real hard yet :-D )

Have a look at Ceezed's thread on 3" boka builds, its in the reflux section, the links you need are in there, in the links you'll find templates for the plates and their locations etc.

I,d go with a 3" to 2" reducer on the keg mount , it leaves the keg ( loosely speaking ) "standard" and it leaves a wider scope of options for later. IMHO 3" isn't a popular size and its better to have the boka fit the keg, not the keg fit the boka.

I've got a 3" boka and be prepared to shell out serious cash for the packing ( is a big tube ya gotta fill up ) and Punkins got the best stuff to do this with ( we'll speak about commissions later 5Star :laughing-rolling: )

[JustStillin]

Hi Haze,

You could follow czedd's build : viewtopic.php?f=8&t=622.
In that thread there's a link to http://distillapedia.org/index.php?titl ... ted_Plates. If you look in the templates section, you'll find a link to a PDF that some people have found helpful.

Happy building.

cheers,

JS

[JustStillin]

or you could follow Stubby's advice :angry-banghead:
(note to self, next time read previous posts completely before posting)

[stubbydrainer]

Its all good JS at least the links are there now :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Im a bit of a knucklehead when it comes to posting links coz I duuno stuff like that :? :?

[haze]

Sweet thanks guys!! il start looking through czedd's post. It is lacking pictures though :violin:

Pictures all gone from some virus thing is that right ?

Im taking onboard all the suggestions :)

PM sent to 5Star for packing

Ill be looking for another supplier of heating elements. But i cant understand how these ones fail. Supply them electricty and they heat up? where do they fail? I kinda liked these ones because they didnt need a threaded fitting welded to the keg.

Cheers for help. i guarantee to repay with photos of my building failures :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[haze]

So ive got the keg, 1.5 metres stainless 3" tubing, 3/8 tubing 8metres, 1/4 tubing 2 metres, Brass needle valve.

Keg look ok? I gotta get the top off but havnt looked at it yet.

Brass needle valve i hope will be ok if pickled.

So id love to start making the condensor tonight or tomorrow with 3/8 tube. Anyone built a 3" and can give me tips on condensor? Double helix? Triple? What mandrel sizes should i use to wrap it around? What length should it be for 1.5m long 3" still. any tips appreciated

I guess im going to fill it with salt from the reading ive done so far.

[maheel]

hey Haze

you can wind 3/8th without salt, it "flattens" a little but works very well. assuming it is nice soft annealed tube
i find the tricky bit being the start and the finish and where i might get a "kink"

but if your unsure use the salt....

i have a double helix in 3/8th for my 3" boka
wound the 1st inner coil i think over 1" mandral then rolled the coil in thin cardboard (weetbix box) then rolled the 2nd coil over that back to the top.

mine is around 10 inches long and works fine but has not had a lot of use yet as i have to fit my SS valve properly

[maheel]

with your keg

i used a socket on a T-bar (breaker bar)
the sockets fitted the rubber ring area on the top and i depressed the rubber ring using the tbar to release the pressure by pushing down.
might have used a spark plug socket ?

throw a towel over it as well to stop yourself getting a beer bath... if it has a bit of beer in it once you depressurize it once shake it up then do it again

then do the grab and twist of the middle bit, or jam to screwdriver down inside the rubber area to catch the gas in / beer out holes in the "spike" and twist and push etc
once it's dropped in you unscrew the whole spear

you can also use a punch / pin / driver to open if you dont have a set of Stilsons big enough to open it
poke it in the hole in the "ring" on an angle and tap with hammer to get it turning around

keep degassing as you go as gas can build up again quite fast
once you have the spear out cut the lock tab off, reassemble it and you can just screw it in and out easy

[haze]

Maheel thats awesome thanks for your time. Ill let you know how i go cracking open the keg.

So 10 inch long double helix around a 1" mandrel sounds good. Did you end up with much space between the 3" pipe and the condensor? Should I use a material thicker than weetie box to push it out closer to the wall or did yours work out nice. Im guessing it should be as close to the 3" pipe as possible?

[maheel]

i will take some pics later today and measure it a but better to confirm

i did a couple of wraps of card (maybe 3) and stuffed a scrubber up the middle "hole"

[haze]

Got the keg open. Cheers for tips. 24mm socket did the trick. Took a bit of a brute force attack to get the spear to drop down but got it done in 10 mins. I ended up hacking at that rubber seal to see what was under it then levering up the retaining ring. Just turning the middle with pliers did the trick. i went the hard way.

For the condensor. I like the look of dixiedrifter method
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 54&start=0

For anyone reading/building theres another good guide
Hookline - http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=14559

Ill make the rig and give it a go tomorrow if i can. Its dam hot in perth right. temps for this week 38,40,40,39 and saturday 42 :handgestures-thumbdown:

[SBB]

If thats the sort of keg I think it is a set of stillsons works well to get the flange bit off

[haze]

Yeh i gotta buy some stillsons. Hammer n punch works ok depending on alcohol level and pain threshold when you bash your hand.

I built a winding rig. tried a couple things but ended up with this which is pretty much a copy of others designs. Its a 1" pipe in there. hope it will be ok.

I had a go at winding some copper but failed miserably. wish i remembered to borrow the pipe bender from work to do the first bend. So now im trying water. The pipe is now filled completely. It was very easy to do. i read people complain getting salt out after but water is obviously no problem. I just used a syringe to push water in from the bottom to the top (to avoid air trap problems) and then bashed it with a hammer both ends to seal it.

Ill try winding it again when i get back in a couple days.

some pics.. and some copper pipe i was learning with.

[JustStillin]

Interested to see how the water trick goes, are you going to freeze it first or just as is? I heard of others using salt or water then freezing it, but not just water.

JS

[MadsF]

The tube might crack if you try to freeze it with both ends sealed.

[MacStill]

The tube might crack if you try to freeze it with both ends sealed.

I agree

I would just fill it with water, seal it, then wind your coil..... you cant compress water so there's no need to freeze it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[haze]

Yeh water doesnt compress was my thought too. only worry now is that as im bending it will force open the ends that ive beaten flat. Might be able to give it a go tonight.

Hey for a water recirc device has anyone tried using a PC water cpu cooler? seems ideal. little radiator and pc fan and pump in compact unit. dont want to waste water here and dont have a pool so i want to sort something out

[R-sole]

Beat the ends flat and then crimp them over and beat them again.