Modular bubbler

[MacStill]

Well I finally finished my latest build and had a chance to run it today, I've gotta sort out the plumbing properly as it's a bit dodgy just now but it got me going for now.

It's set up to run as a 4 plate column today, has 3" sight glasses that are unreal to view the plates through :dance:

Here's a pic.

P5062033.jpg

[Cane Toad]

Geez Mac,is that water hose holding the power box up? :think:

[MacStill]

Pic of bubble cap downcomer in action, it's soldered into a 1" x 3/4" reducer.... the 1" is the overflow for the plate & the holes in the brass insert have been drilled to 4mm.

P5062034.jpg

Here you can see the plate working and the top of the downcomer.

P5062036.jpg

[Kimbo]

Ooh!....very nice ;-)

[MacStill]

the dephlamator is only 70mm long and has 4 x 25mm tubes in it, even being so short it achieves 100% reflux :dance:

P5062037.jpg

[MacStill]

This time I decided to mount the thermometer "above" the reflux condenser, turned out to be an excellent decision too :dance:

By placing it here I'm getting huge temp fluctuations with even slight adjustments to the reflux valve. :D

P5062038.jpg

[stubbydrainer]

Geez, Mac those 3" peepers do like mighty fine , amazing view area with them :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Good pic's to Mac :clap:
interesting about the top thermo, too, good thinking :geek: , I have often wondered if it would give an " understandable" reading there :?
from what you say it sounds like a very good reference to coolant flow into the dephlemator :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

Geez, Mac those 3" peepers do like mighty fine , amazing view area with them :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Good pic's to Mac :clap:
interesting about the top thermo, too, good thinking :geek: , I have often wondered if it would give an " understandable" reading there :?
from what you say it sounds like a very good reference to coolant flow into the dephlemator :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Gotta thank 5Star & Fester of www.5stardistilling.com.au for making the bubble caps and sight glasses readily available, I love the ease of the build using their product :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Yeah the thermo location is awesome, better than expected actually... and with the tiny reflux condenser the readings are as real time as can be, all my bubbler builds from now on will be the same :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers. :mrgreen:

[scarecrow]

By placing it here I'm getting huge temp fluctuations with even slight adjustments to the reflux valve.

That's what I thought. Putting a thermometer below and saying temps are solid as a rock is piss and dribble in my books. If I adjust my product condenser too much, it can make the thermometer dance something chronic.

I'd like to know how your temps vary from start to finish. My CM is a constant fiddle, but easily managed during a 4 hour run.

Dayum those peepers are huge. It's like looking through a port hole. :laughing-rolling:

Nice rig.

scarecrow

[MacStill]

By having the temp probe here I'm finding it a dream to run, once the 78c is reached it's rock solid and remains that way until tails start to get there.

A slight adjustment of the valve sees the temp change dramatically, unlike with the temp probe below where it just sits at 78c no matter the reflux adjustments.

3" peepers are the way to go too, fuck squinting in there with a torch trying to see what's going on :laughing-rolling:

[audistiller]

Would be cool to be in possession of one of these, I think I need to have one, problem is I don't have a shed. ;-)

[MacStill]

Would be cool to be in possession of one of these, I think I need to have one, problem is I don't have a shed. ;-)

If you talk to 5Star real nicely & want to open your wallet I can assure you that you'll be very happy with what www.5stardistilling.com.au can supply you ;-)

[audistiller]

As much as I think they definitely look very nice built from stainless, I think they are sexier in polished copper. I'm sure I will own something like this in the near future sometime, I just need to learn more, but then again nothing beats hands on experience.


Regards

[SBB]

I'm sure I will own something like this in the near future

Mate dive in at the deep end........when i started my bubbler build I had very little experience at distilling.....and very little experience of soldering or still building.......at times I felt I was way outta my depth.....Starting that build and seeing it through was the best thing I ever did :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Be warned though it is very addictive.....I cant go to the plumbing supply place now without drooling over and fondling the 5 and 6 inch copper pipe :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

[crow]

Right with ya on this Aud need a decent shed and getting quite obsessed with the idea of owning one of these types of stills . The the more I look into it the more I tell myself dude this is what you really need , they look similar to the still my uncle had yrs ago he and his mate built it . His mate was a Scotsman from (Perth Scotland) and had worked for one of the distiller's there I'm not 100% sure but I think Dewar's . Anyway my aim is to produce liquor of the quality those pair did and I'm not convinced I will with the equipment I currently have . I've made a career out of making strawberry jam from pig shit but ya need the right tools to get it done

[MacStill]

Just a quick note:

This still is not for sale, I'm keeping it.... no more PM's about this rig please :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Happy to build you one, but you'll be on a list with about 6 stills in front of you to be done.... a couple of months wait at least.

Cheers.

[audistiller]

Hey SBB,

You don't have to warn me about addictive, I know how easy it is only too well, and I suppose the fact I often stay up all night reading different sites about this interesting hobby, you could say I am already addicted. The lack of a shed is probably my biggest problem, and being a perfectionist it will likely take me over a year to build something. What I meant about learning more, I think knowing what things are, and what they do is paramount to building something properly.


Regards

[crow]

hey 5Star I saw ones similar on a build elsewhere and thought they looked fantastic . How do they compare price wise with the triclover system and would they suit a 4" build . : McStill Probably a dumb question ( still in the process of understanding these type of stills ) I assume the two gauges in the boiler are pressure and temp just wondering how they assist in distilling .

[R-sole]

I answered your questions in the www.5stardistilling.com.au thread to save cluttering mcstills beautiful build with ads...

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1069&p=16790#p16790

[MacStill]

They've heard it all before

I'm serious :)) been without a working still for about 8 weeks now, so this one's staying here ;-)