Danger, Will Robinson, Danger !!

[snapperhead]

Chipping away at this, bit by bit.
I have made the parts for the spill tray, magazine parrot case, and outlet funnel cap. They fit nicely together and I am very happy how they turned out.

Condenser stand progress 4.jpg

Condenser stand progress 5.jpg

As soon as I get my hands on some 20mm tube, I will start making the internals of the condenser. I still want to have curved, clear glass viewing windows into the condenser, and its great that bottles are very close to the OD of the outer shell. I will try and slice up some bottles on my wet saw, hopefully giving me the window panels I need, then make some sort of clamping flange to suit the windows. I really liked Yummyrum's helical PC tubes on the peeper'd VM rig he built, and I will do the same (although they will be curved slightly more). Coolant outlet will have a small catchment manifold attached at the barrel end, to smooth the outlet flow, then split into 2 outlets that go into the basement for heat recovery.

I so wish I could have taken the easy route and just fitted a straight tube from then swan neck to the PC, but thats not in me. I brought 3 copper vases off trade-me and I intend on butchering them up, to make what will look like the gun has just fired. Time will tell if it looks any good.

One thing I have backed down on, is my multiple burner idea. It is going to be difficult to light and adjust the mixture on them through the run, another solution is needed. I have the internals of a couple of gas heaters ( those mobile ones with the gas bottle in the back) and I may try to incorporate them instead. Still dont know what I will be doing exactly, but lots to do on other components, so I am in no rush to solve this straight away.

Scored up on collection jars this week. Picked up 50, 570ml glass jars (ex orchid tissue culture), they have a large neck for airing and should be just right for the size of the shelf they sit on. $1 each and they have hundreds of them still if anyone is interested.

Thats the latest
Back to the grind
peace out spider monkies

[Kimbo]

Pure Brilliance :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Yummyrum]

:laughing-rolling: Just realized your a fellow sheep shagga .Kiwi ingenuity :handgestures-thumbupleft: .Here I was thinking you were just an artist .Bloody brilliant mate

Someone get the man some 20mm ,can't wait to see what he's gonna do with it :clap:

[dogbreath vodka]

Absolute brilliance...
You Sir are an artist extraordinaire :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Pure visual pleasure, that still

Waiting to see it finished cause it looks fantastic now

DBV

[snapperhead]

Hey thanks so much, it means a lot coming from the people here, who inspired me to get stuck in and build something.
I have been caught up in my renovation , so few chances to post updates, but I still get a bit done everyday.

I finally received the 3 vases I needed for the link tube between the PC and lyne arm. I am going to try and make it look like the gun has just fired, I have a crazy plan to basically have fibre optics and slash cut copper tubes with glowing marbles at the ends (looks fine in my head, but words dont do it). The blunderbuss end of the barrel hides a bullet tipped end, for connection to the PC, and it gives me a space between to fit the "sparks" to. It kinda looks like I'm shooting a pregnant seahorse in the face, but I'm cool with that.

I rebated a slot through the underside of the stock, and the coolant lines are hidden inside it. I had to cover them up, so I made a cover plate from copper and threw on an oversized trigger and guard. I also shaped up an oldschool clam shell manifold for the coolant outlet, which I am hoping will smooth out the flow and reduce any outlet back pressure. I am going to make some angled inlet jets on a manifold, that should help with coolant flow through the PC.

I have now made a hidden fixing for the PC outlet/ parrot inlet piece, and put a viewing window in it, to watch the PC outlet directly (watching the drips). I cut up a couple of cheap gin bottles on the wet saw, to fashion some curved glass windows. They are quite thin and heavily tapered, so I will have to make custom gaskets for them, but since its only coolant on them, it will most likely be clear silicone.

Well thats where it is today, bit by bit, it will get there. I have half the 20mm tubes I need for the PC, so I am now thinking up ghetto ways to get the curve I need from them all.

Thats enough words, piccy time. Thanks again lads, I may just give art a go one day, if I ever get Dali's shotgun finished.
Peace out spider monkeys
Phillip Rogers, Inventor of Shark repellent hiking boots

bit by bit.jpg

bit by bit2.jpg

bit by bit3.jpg

[dogbreath vodka]

Damn fine piece of art that..... and it just might distill too :D ;-)

DBV

[Kimbo]

Wow! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[snapperhead]

More pics of some of the detail, and thank you.

smors.jpg

smors2.jpg

smors3.jpg

[deejay]

:clap: incredible :o ^:)^

[snapperhead]

Finally, I have the 20mm I need to do the PC, Ended up going to the scrap yard each day, got them, plus a lot more than I wanted.
Scored a 1200 x 1200 sheet of close to 1mm thick copper (havent put the calipers on it yet)
I was wishing that I still had my wood lathe to knock up a tasty former to get all the PC tubes the same, and sticking out of the mixed metal bin was just that, cost me $25 because it still had the motor in it. Let it dry out for a couple of days and just plugged it in expecting a bright flash, fuck me, it works and its complete with tool rest and end stock.
I felt I was having a good day until, on my way back to the yard office with the lathe, I looked in the heavy gauge bin and spotted a rusty, but again complete Hilmor tube bender. Has both mandrel sets for 1/2 & 3/4 tube to boot. $10 for that, thank you very much

The copper sheet, 4m of 20mm tube, wood lathe, and tube bender cost me $145, I was a happy scrapper for sure.

Threw the rusted and seized bender into my electrolytic bath and after 24 hours, it was clean, all bolts came undone easily, and I let it go for another 24 in bits. Prepped and painted it, and just gave it some test bends, awesome piece of kit

hilmor before.jpg

hilmor after.jpg

I am now doing the same to the tail stock and tool rest for the lathe, while I can now plan a proper jig for curving the PC tubes.

I also wasn't comfortable with using mangled elbows inside the stock for the coolant lines, now I can make them in 1 piece, and bend the tube to suit properly.

So not so much work on the actual still, but more of a gearing and tooling up week
If I could only find a bottle of argon now, I would start tig welding some bits together

[dogbreath vodka]

Recycle, reuse and renovate.... sounds good to me. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Always nice to have a win occasionally.
Makes it a day to remember. :D :D

DBV

[snapperhead]

Ive been caught up doing other things, but every chance I get, it's chip away, making bits.

Cobbled together a handful of Yummyrum inspired viewports. 2 of them at 3", and the other 5 are 2". There is no way I will be using them all for this rig, but I want to make a VM/LM combo, and some sort of bubbler in the future, so having them ready will be a benefit later on. I will continue making more as soon as I can find more large diameter fittings.

viewports.jpg

I will be modifying the gas welding tips to make inlet jets for the coolant into the PC. I will try and get 4 jets spread between the PC internal tubes. I want the coolant water to spin on its way through the PC, maybe this will help that to happen.

Coolant jet mockup.jpg

With the rebuild of the wood lathe now done, I knocked up a former for the PC tubes. Rough as guts, but it got the job done. I now have the 6 helical tubes, that do 1 complete spiral around the inner straight tube. I am very happy with how they turned out and now I can start on some end caps for it.

PC helix.jpg

Slowly, but surely getting all the bits roughed out, and heading towards the nightmare which will be the assembly of everything. I am certain now, that it will need a mix of TIG, hard, and soft solder to get this puppy stuck together. I havent picked up a TIG torch in over 10 years, and I dont have the argon bottle anymore, but with a couple of staino welds to do as well, it's time to get one (Ouch $$$)

Thats all from me for now, back to chipping away.

[1 2many]

Trippy as usual Snapper can't wait for more , :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Yummyrum]

snapperhead ....Mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: fucken priceless .Just when we thought a bubble was a bubbler and a Pot stil was a Pot stil



Keep it coming

[dogbreath vodka]

I'd have that thing in my lounge room and pitch the tv out. :D :D

You're just amazing mate.
Keep it up and take your time, top job. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV

[gad]

Just came upon this thread ....................
Far out man, you have to be the reincarnation of Leonardo da Vinci for sure.
F'n Awesome

[Kimbo]

When are you gunna finish this thing Snapper? :mrgreen:

[dogbreath vodka]

Not logged on since 5th of August
Sounds like he is busy with life's issues.

I'm waiting to see what progress has been made as well.

DBV

[Yummyrum]

Pretty much sure you're gunna blow us away again soon snapper :handgestures-thumbupleft: .....but the suspense is killing

[Kimbo]

Hey Snapper, any progress?