MacBoka users

High performance modular SS304 plated columns and accessories.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Thu May 28, 2015 9:37 pm

Fishboy wrote:Hopefully have some non water info after the weekend. Fingers crossed.


:text-+1: :pray: hope my TPW are ready, long weekend would be a shame to waste it...
Hawkeye
 
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Fishboy » Sat May 30, 2015 11:41 pm

All righty,
Got a bit of time yesterday to degrease the copper mesh properly, clean everything else up and run a vinegar and etoh clean.
The second clean run was with about 30% using some neutral, and feints I had.
I mixed the run up by putting it into full reflux as well as running it flat out.
Highest product temp when running flat out was around 19 deg.
I'm guessing it would be higher with the packing removed but I'm not at that point yet.
I've got a nutrigrain on the go, but I'm not ready yet.

I think if what I've seen so far is a good guide I don't think excessive temp in the product is going to be a concern.
Flat out was something close to 2.7 lph...
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Sadly found I don't have the time or patience to do this justice.

Oh well... Next Hobby !! :D

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Sun May 31, 2015 12:16 pm

Was that with or without your Liebig?
And flat out with the packing in?
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Fishboy » Sun May 31, 2015 3:46 pm

Liebig on.
I've mounted it up and plumbed it, so there is no reason not to run it every time.
It uses no extra water as the outlet of the Liebig is connected to the inlet of the condenser coil.

And yes that was flat out with a full column of scrubbers.
I replaced the supplied stainless ones as they got oil in them from the copper before I decreased it.
I already had a packet of bunnings scrubbers, so I just used those.

I will be trying different configurations as I go ( have time)
I will post more when I can
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Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:29 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: nothing any more :(
Sadly found I don't have the time or patience to do this justice.

Oh well... Next Hobby !! :D

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Sun May 31, 2015 4:59 pm

Just took mine apart to wrap the condenser in copper mesh and had another nuh duh moment...

The thermometer doesn't need to be sealed in, the port for the thermometer is completely sealed and shielded inside a piece of pipe on the inside so no vapour can get out that way...
:doh:
Hawkeye
 
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby MacStill » Sun May 31, 2015 5:30 pm

Hawkeye wrote:Just took mine apart to wrap the condenser in copper mesh and had another nuh duh moment...

The thermometer doesn't need to be sealed in, the port for the thermometer is completely sealed and shielded inside a piece of pipe on the inside so no vapour can get out that way...
:doh:


:laughing-rolling: good one :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby hillzabilly » Sun May 31, 2015 5:44 pm

Hawkeye wrote:Just took mine apart to wrap the condenser in copper mesh and had another nuh duh moment...

The thermometer doesn't need to be sealed in, the port for the thermometer is completely sealed and shielded inside a piece of pipe on the inside so no vapour can get out that way...
:doh:

Darnit ! it's those detail's that let ya know your dealing with experience and pride ,scarce comodities these days ,that I am more than willing to pay a bit more for.happy stillin hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:30 am

Well ran my first TPW through the still yesterday arvo. Got some numbers :)

25L of TPW, approx 9.5%
Boil up time 55mins. Column temp 77.2
Reflux for 30mins.
200mls fores at 1 drop/sec, total 1 hr.
Heads jar 200ml at 3 drops/sec, total 45mins
Then got 9 x 200ml jars, at around 800-900ml/hr
Column stable between 77.1 and 77.2
It was getting late so when temp started going up I just let it run, I didn't try and reflux it to get more of the tail end...
Total run time 6 and a half hours.

This morning jar 6 in the middle of the run has an alcometer reading of 94% :handgestures-thumbupleft:

So I do right?? That was my first run ever and I'm buggered this morning. Tasting/cuts tonight :happy-partydance:
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby tipsy » Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:35 am

Hawkeye wrote:So I do right??


I reckon so :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I used to do the same with my old Nixon stone.
I tried to run it as fast as I could without the temp rising.
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby hillzabilly » Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:54 am

tipsy wrote:
Hawkeye wrote:So I do right??


I reckon so :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I used to do the same with my old Nixon stone.
I tried to run it as fast as I could without the temp rising.

:text-+1: Your onto it,half the reason ya so buggered it can be a worry getting through those first few runs ,I had my bro show me so I had the luxury of haveing someone else there ,but Iam sure your allready thinking of the next one .happy stillin hillzabilly ;-)
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby MacStill » Wed Jun 03, 2015 12:19 pm

Sounds like a good run Hawkeye, well done :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Thu Jun 04, 2015 10:48 am

Cheers Mac!

Did cuts last night, turns out I'm a bit more sensitive to the different tastes than the bloke around the house is, so we tossed jars 1-4 and 9-11 in feints, and only kept jars 5,6,7,8, which was 733mL of 94%
(Cue boot scooting baby song in my head :)) )

Overall pretty happy with how the run went, Boka was pretty easy once got going, could set it the flow rate and then I could leave it and just get him to swap out the jars as needed while I did cooking and writing and shit.

Also super impressed that I pulled 94% on my first run, thought it would be way harder to do that??

Have another TPW that will probably be ready by the weekend, so will get to run again.

Will do up all the books to find out what I've spent so far. What's the going rate for vodka these days? Haven't bought any in ages...
Hawkeye
 
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Pete8686 » Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:00 pm

Just a tip for 95+ % hawkeye. To get that last 1-2 percent to hit azeo, make sure packing is tight enough (but not too tight) and run a little slower. I usually run a little faster and comes off 94% and im more than happy with the product. But if you want that special batch follow the steps above :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby Swisswa » Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:51 am

Sounds like Hawkeye did hit azeo (or close to it), if the jar was airing out overnight I would expect the ABV to drop to 94% the next morning...
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Sun Jun 07, 2015 3:41 pm

Swisswa wrote:Sounds like Hawkeye did hit azeo (or close to it), if the jar was airing out overnight I would expect the ABV to drop to 94% the next morning...



I'm just stoked to be pulling 94% on what was described to me as a entry level still on my first run! Think that's a sign of a good quality piece of kit.
I don't have a parrot so figured taking a reading after a day of airing when liquid was around 20 degrees, rather than cooling the liquid or adjusting for temperature during a run. I'm running the boka off the temperature not the ABV output.

Did a TPW stripping run yesterday, but pretty slowly. If I try open valve up and run it fast, the output is too hot and evaporates out of the collecting jar. Fishboy has the right idea with a leibig to run it faster. Mac I think you had mentioned you would be concerned whether or not the condensor could cope, the condesor is more than adequate to cope, it's the temp of the output that limits me.....
Although I think I'm going to be buying a 4" pot still to strip rather than investing in a Liebig for the MacBoka.

Although was just a stripping run, it smells far better than my first TPW. Just thrown it all the first lot back in with strip from yesterday for a double distill today. Have got about 13L in my boiler of around 35%. By the calculators in the newbies section this should leave around 7-8 L in the boiler which should be enough to cover the element.

This is a good hobby :) the only thing is in my quest to become self sufficient in alcohol production I still have to buy mixers :laughing-rolling:

Also for later reference, so I can close the window off my iPad, this is the instruction manual as advised by FSD on how to run a Boka. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13265

Cheers all
Hawkeye
 
Posts: 94
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Fishboy » Sun Jun 07, 2015 9:55 pm

Hi Hawkeye,
The Liebig cost me about $60 to put together, and that included the cost of the pipe, fittings and solder/flux.
All the stuff came from the big green shed.

1 length each of 1/2" and 3/4" hard drawn tube (the short lengths they have on the shelf.)
Two unequal tees 1/2" to 3/4 and two 1/2" capillary to 1/2" bsp brass adapters.

The whole thing took me less than 40 mins to make.

I initially made it when I was thinking of doing a scratch build, but as it has turned out its been useful after all even though I bought the mcboka.

I'm unfortunately having fermentation issues at the moment that have slowed my progress.
I reran some feints and neutral as a low wines run while trying to sort out vapour leaks on the new boiler I just got.

I decided halfway through that I was just going to push it through as fast as I could.

With the boiler flat out (2000w) and the needle valve fully open the condensate temp is around 20c
Fishboy
 
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:29 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: nothing any more :(
Sadly found I don't have the time or patience to do this justice.

Oh well... Next Hobby !! :D

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Sun Jun 14, 2015 4:49 pm

Just got my new alcometer (didn't take long to smash my first one) and just been mucking around with the hearts from my double distilled TPW. It's measuring around 96% temperature adjusted but it's not that accurate reading off the new alcometer, so I'm just gonna say I'm pretty damn sure I hit azeo :-D on my third run ever in my life.

This rig is so easy to use and just performs so well. Neutral is great and a big plus one to double distilling for neutral.

Spirit run took 10 hrs, around 800-900 mls/hr. Got 2L of prime hearts and kept the absolute middle of that for sipping vodka.

Cheers for the tips Fishboy, something I will think bout, still considering buying a pot still though so I can make scotch.... :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Hawkeye
 
Posts: 94
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:01 am
Location: Hobart
equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Woodsy71 » Sun Jun 14, 2015 6:02 pm

Congrats Hawkeye!

Kick back and enjoy the spoils :smile:
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Re: MacBoka users

Postby Fishboy » Fri Jul 03, 2015 4:21 pm

Hey Hawkeye, I managed to increase the stripping rate pretty dramatically by just making a copper cap to the vapour pipe.

All I did was to flatten out a bit of 3/4" pipe that I split lengthways and annealed.
I just bent it up so that it sits supported by the edge of the vapour pipe and creates an angled cover that prevents condensed fluid falling straight back down the vapour pipe without having to sit in the collection area.

I reckon it improved output speed by a good 30%.

With the lieberg on it still kept output under 25 deg even at the improved rate.
Fishboy
 
Posts: 125
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:29 pm
Location: Victoria
equipment: nothing any more :(
Sadly found I don't have the time or patience to do this justice.

Oh well... Next Hobby !! :D

Re: MacBoka users

Postby Hawkeye » Sat Jul 04, 2015 10:31 am

I kinda get what you mean, but being a noob... Pics?
Hawkeye
 
Posts: 94
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equipment: 4 inch, 4 bubble plate on a 50L keg with 500mm packed section.

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