WTDist T500 Modification

[WTDist]

Here is a more up to date of what my still will look like with better dimensions and measurements to scale. The boiler height is right but im unsure of the radius of the boiler atm. Just need my 2" to 1" and 1" to 1/2" elbow to fit between the condenser and boiler lid and supports should be easy to add on. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

current design.png

Im unsure of my reducer dimensions so i left them out of this design

[WTDist]

Ok so i cut my ends out the other night and when i checked the holes earlier i found they needed a little boring ot as i used a 12.5mm not 12.7, was no biggy really.
I have now bored them out and they all fit the 1/2" well but one end that was close to the edge has split.

When i cut them out i started using my grinder as i didnt think my snips could do it from a previous attempt but after i started with the grinder i realized wow this is shit and used my snips, was very hard to cut but i did it and then i shaped it up with my grinder. One reason i stopped with the grinder was the lack of accuracy it had as i slipped over the line. Would be great if my mate came through with his bloody vice, "oh did you still want that, i gave it to my brother", no i like cutting fingers off :angry-banghead: dick head

Anyway this brings me to my problem. the edge i went over with the grinder was weakened and when i was boring out my holes so they were a good size i bent it a little with my pliers while holding it and it snapped. I can make a new end but with my time constraints i really would like not to :angry-banghead:

I have added a pic below of my problem, Is there a way some flux and a heap of solder could fill this crack when i solder it all up? even if i use a bit more than usual?

Really don't want to have to make a new one but if i have to then so be it :crying-blue:
was hoping to put the shotgun together over the next few days

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Cheers

[rumdidlydum]

Good work mate.
That will be filled in when you solder i dont think it's a biggy.
I'm looking forward to seeing you post results on testing it hope you have better luck than me with sealing it up :handgestures-thumbupleft:
If it turns to shit try my method of branch flaring the plate like i did in a post yesterday. I hope it it doesn't come to that though. Good luck buddy :D

[WTDist]

Thanks rummy

I was hoping it would be ok, as soon as it happened i was like fuck me, kept going anyway but wasn't happy. Ill try get a move on over the next few days with the condenser. i will get my 2" to 1' reducer and 1" to 1/2" reducing elbow tomorrow then im set to start for the condenser and its reducers.

I want to have a 1/4" pipe going straight up from my reflux water in tube. the one that sticks up out of the plastic at the moment. Ill have it go level up through my 90degree bend so ill need a joiner or something. Ive read that tradlink may not have 1/4inch pipe but i notice they have it on their pdf of copper tube online so ill ask about that tomorrow. Might ned some 1/2" to 1/4" reducers too.

[WTDist]

Ok so i picked up my reducers ec. they were

2" to 1" reducer
1" 45deg bend
1" to 1/2" reducer

It appears my 2" reducer wont go over my 2" pipe :angry-banghead: and i havent picked up my 1" for parrot yet and to join the two 1" ends :?

I figure after my PC everything should be a liquid with no vapor. If this 2" cant knock down the T500 2000W then Ive done something majorly wrong :laughing-rolling:
Im assuming that i can just make a sleeve to join them, if that's a term for this, i don't know. I have a pic below of the sleeve in the 2" reducer that i was planing on being in the end of my PC as well, not to close that it will wreck other solder. All i did was cut it with my snips and take out 1mm at a time until if fit tightly into the 2" with no gaps. I was planning on doing this with the 1" connections also which is the rectangle i have on the copper plate in the pic that i have annealed, found easy with the propane torch :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Considering that there should not be any vapor and it is all a liquid from here on out, can i get away with just soft soldering these sleeves in their place?
I would still check for leaks but i figure they wont be to much of a concern.

On top of that wit the reducers and bends in place it looks like it is going to be very close to the lid if not touching or in the way slightly :angry-banghead:

So considering what it will take and cost to extend my reflux coil 1/4 higher so it may pass through the 90deg bend i have thought of an alternative that will cost me the same provided i can still source some more scrap 2". Im thinking now that i should just rip the T500 coil out, i think its situated poorly for packing and it may be more trouble than its worth. From there i thought i could maybe have a 2" RC with 4 1/2" tubes but im not sure of the length.

With the way its looking i could easily do with the extra 100mm rise to clear the boiler lid. With this i was thinking of somewhere between 100mm to maybe 150mm with 4 1/2" tubes. At the moment i only have enough 1/2" for 4 tubes of at max 150mm spare for a RC.

So my questions are... Will these sleeves work to join my reducers and bends after my condenser with soft solder. Also if anyone thinks a 100mm 2" RC with 4 1/2 inner tubes would work and be able to maintain full reflux when packed and also when i add in my experiment at the bottom from another thread (keeping in mind its a 2" with only 2000W boiler). I can go 150mm too if need be. Just a thought.

2015-06-09 11.23.22.jpg

Cheers
WTD

[P3T3rPan]

Next time you pick up the snips don't be in a hurry
Trim close to the mark (4 or 5mm) roughly then go round again on the mark
This is really easy compared to trying to get it all in the first pass or using a grinder (wtf) :-B
Maybe practice first

[WTDist]

Not sure if annealing makes this easier with snips, guess ill find out in a min. I didnt anneal my ends. My snips may be a little blunt also but yea im taking my time now. Dont want any more fuk ups :handgestures-thumbupleft: I used to be a render/solid plasterer before a stay at home dad so these snips below are what i have that used in my old trade

snips.png

Then again looking at mine they look like they just need a good hydrochloric acid bath then a heavy spray of wd40

[P3T3rPan]

Finnish off your edge with a flat file and the vice

[WTDist]

Finnish off your edge with a flat file and the vice

I would love to use a vice but my mate who had 3 gave one to his brother (after he said i could borrow it) and cant find the other 2.
i cant afford to buy one myself. Im going to have to ruff it a bit here and there but ill be careful. Decided i don't mind if i take a few extra weeks now. I don't want to rush

[P3T3rPan]

Any vice grips ?
2 screws and a piece of wood or flat metal ?
A big book and a fat sister ?
That copper gets real sharp when cut so go easy

[WTDist]

Sux, the garage is full of stuff till Wednesday so i cant get in to work. I made do though. went outside to start soldering my condenser.

was a good idea until it started to rain, came out of nowhere the bitch :angry-banghead:
For my very first soft solder attempt EVER i found it quite easy. :D

Anyway i planned on soldering up the whole shotgun part but the rain stopped me after drilling my water in/out holes and soldering in the first end. I might of used a but extra solder on the first go but i wanted to make sure i got it. Been watching YouTube vids on soldering a lot to get an idea :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Ill give it another crack later, on kid duty now :angry-banghead:

here is some pics i took while going. If anyone sees something wrong with my soldering please point it out :handgestures-thumbupleft:

2015-06-13 15.37.01.jpg

1/2" water in/out holes

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after first solder attempt of leaving solder inside and heating around

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Refluxed the front end join and added a bit more solder just to make sure (pretty sure it was fine), first time so i wanted no leaks. Even though i wont know yet

Anyway ill try get outside again later tonight and finish it off. hope the rain holds off here in brissy

[WTDist]

So i got outside again tonight. Not much light but enough to get the job done.
Soldered in the internal pipes and the last end plate. This last end to be soldered in was the one with the split from my pliers
Soldered in the water in/out pipes last.
Checked for a leak, and sure enough there was one, a big one :sad:
I think it may have been where the split was. I fluxed the entire area on that plate and the internal pipes and gave it a lot of solder the first time. So to stop the leak i just added a heap more flux in the general area of the leak/crack and soldered it up again. It seemed to take more heat this time around to solder it up.
Anyway i checked this again and yay no leak. 5 inner tubes and all soldered up with no leak.
Mind you the lighting isn't very good outside at my townhouse at night :-x
Im going to re check tomorrow morning but under a good enough light it seemed to be all good :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Once i decide yes there are no leaks ill start cleaning up the extra length in the internal pipes :D

Now... everyone looking at my soldering remember one thing.... This is my very first attempt :laughing-rolling:
It is ruff, very ruff but here are the pics, im not ashamed. You can see the darkness im dealing with :angry-banghead:
First end soldered up

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Second end soldered up, with excessive solder

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Condenser without water in/out pipes

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[WTDist]

Hmm. 5 images only per post 8-}

Water in/out pipes soldered in

2015-06-13 20.28.56.jpg

Close up on the end with the fixed leak and execive solder. Didnt want that leaking. Going to be bottom/outlet for condenser

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First end, no dramas with this one first go, or so i think

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Condenser inside with better light soldered up.

2015-06-13 22.00.13.jpg

Ill trim the edges off soon, once i know it wont leak. Then reducers and elbows go on. Pretty sure they will be a hell of a lot easier than this was. Ill do them with better light 8-}

On another note, tried looking for some 2" at a scrap yard for an RC and to make more flat copper plates. Didn't have any. :angry-banghead:
Ill keep looking. im not paying $51 meter for an outer pipe of a shotgun. I have some 2" left still , i just don't like cutting things close. Rather have more than i need than not enough

Im happy with my effort today :D All thanks to Macs write up on Shottys. Cheers Mac

Cheers
WTD

[WTDist]

Be aware that plumbing waste bends are not 90 degrees
They are 88 degrees to allow for fall in plumbing waste pipes
You can "fudge" it though
Or anneal the lot after brazing and pull it a little. This might end in disaster if you are not experienced with copper :-B

I was thinking about this, they should not be 88 degrees. If you have a pipe level verticly, going straght down and you want a 90degree bend with a fall of even one degree than you will need a bend of 91 degrees.

91 degrees will have a decline in height of 1 degree where 88 degrees will have a 2degree rise in height creating a pool in the pipes.

I dont see how this can work. it cant, not without having the pipes fill with water and not drain away. Can anyone help me better understand this?

Im no plumber but i know maths and if im looking at this mathematically than logic tells me that if i want a fall than i need an angle greater than 90 degrees. 90 degrees is level, any less and the pipe is heading up again.

Plumbers out there, am i wrong or right or are they actually 90 degrees???

[WTDist]

picked up another piece of 2" today for my RC. Im going to make it 5 1/2" inner tubes @ 100mm. 100mm is all the 1/2 inch i can spare at this time. May be able to get more and if i do i may go up to 150mm RC, unless this is over kill and then i wont.
Im open to suggestions :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I think my 90degree bends will be fine. I did a dry fit of parts just now to see and i think it will be fine. The lyn arm will be much shorter and the 2" with pink spray paint is imitating my T500 column and the RC.
At the bottom of the 2" with pink is a 1/2" tube marking where the column meets the boiler lid at ruffly 700mm. T500 is about 59cm.

Good to see i might be finished in the next few weeks. :D

Dry fit of shotgun to the rest.

2015-06-15 12.04.42.jpg

Ill make a free standing parrot for this. thought about one attached but im pushing it with the weight already i think :think:

having done my PC i think the 100mm RC will be a walk in the park now :-D

[Professor Green]

Nice work. You're going to have the most pimped out T500 on the planet when you're done.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[rumdidlydum]

Great work w
Glad to hear you didn't have any dramas with the pc :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WTDist]

Cheers guys :-D

Im starting to think the only original T500 part will be the column minus the the original reflux coil :laughing-rolling:

Not sure what to call it yet :think:

T600 :laughing-rolling:

Hopefully i dont run into a drama when removing the coil :pray:

When im finished this part ill try make a removable part that can slide in and out with some plates on it for flavor runs. it will be an experiment though and will have to work with 2kW only. im thinking 3 plates. ive read 4 plates uses a full 2.4kW unless ive read wrong. they were 4" also so maybe i can do 4. ill experiment :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WTDist]

Soldered up the reducers and bends into the last 1/2"
Now to connect these to the PC, make the RC and solder the Lyn arm

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I might try make a citric acid paste up and clean them that way, otherwise it may be a while.

still ruff soldering but no leaks :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Really enjoying this :smile:

[P3T3rPan]

Be aware that plumbing waste bends are not 90 degrees
They are 88 degrees to allow for fall in plumbing waste pipes
You can "fudge" it though
Or anneal the lot after brazing and pull it a little. This might end in disaster if you are not experienced with copper :-B

I was thinking about this, they should not be 88 degrees. If you have a pipe level verticly, going straght down and you want a 90degree bend with a fall of even one degree than you will need a bend of 91 degrees.

91 degrees will have a decline in height of 1 degree where 88 degrees will have a 2degree rise in height creating a pool in the pipes.

I dont see how this can work. it cant, not without having the pipes fill with water and not drain away. Can anyone help me better understand this?

Im no plumber but i know maths and if im looking at this mathematically than logic tells me that if i want a fall than i need an angle greater than 90 degrees. 90 degrees is level, any less and the pipe is heading up again.

Plumbers out there, am i wrong or right or are they actually 90 degrees???

ROFL
I think you are not seeing it
On a vertical pipe
91 degrees is over square (heading back up)
88 is under square (heading down)
The measurement is of the angle change from straight.
Not the enclosed angle