G'day Roger, thanks. I don't actually like soldering and tend to TIG weld/braze where I can. Some of my soldering has been a bit rough in the past, it's an acquired skill and I still have a ways to go yet. :o) Happy Distilling!
Great video, did you notice any difference in better control with longer tubes? it seems most dephlemators run a 6 inch long tube at 5/8 or 3/4 id. Did longer tubes help?
Ahoy from the Maritimes in Canada. So I'm doing my first 2" reflux build (still waiting for shipping on some parts) but I have enough pipe tp do a 4' column, a 2.5' shotgun condenser, and a 5-6" defleg > All over a 10 Gallon / 38 liter boiler. I'm new to this hobby so I've been gobbling up build videos where I can. After watching this, I'm a bit confused now on where to place my thermocouple. I'll be using a PID and 2 - 1500W heater elements (shutting off one when the boiler gets to temp) Some of the stills I've seen on TH-cam have the thermocouple at or just before the point of no return where the vapor spills over to the condenser, but now I'm wondering if I should put it just below the deflegmator (where a dial thermometer would go). which would be best for controlling a PID. just before the vapor enters the pre-condenser (defleg) or just before the point of no return? Interested in your thoughts on this. Thanks. Cheers from New Brunswick.
G'day Stuart, It does in NZ with NZ copper tube schedule, ... I can't say whether it would work in other countries - there are varying pipe/tube schedules. OD of the ferrule here in NZ is something like 101.6mm which makes a tight tolerance fit into the inside diameter of NZ "4 inch" copper tube. My suggestion would be to take a ferrule along to a local plumbing/copper supply place/ scrap dealer and check before you spend any money. Happy Distilling!
So you have used a dephleg instead of using a condensing cook like in a VM? could you simply turn the dephleg on and off depending on if you wanted to run this as a pit or reflux?
Yep - "dephlegmator" is basically a jacketed "reflux condenser". I s'pose you could leave it in there in pot mode - when I'm running a combo-still in pot still fashion I just remove the dephlegmator component all together.
G'day Hector, not sure what you are asking, ... Capacity of distillation vs diameter, column diameter is relative to take off speed but needs a big enough kettle and power source to support it. Capacity of the dephlegmator relative to column diameter? Just for practical purposes I tend to make my columns and dephlegmators the same diameter. Rough guide (for me anyways) for smaller diameter dephlegmators 2"-4' I tend to make dephlegmator 1.5x -2x the diameter of the column/dephlegmator. Happy Distilling!
The total of vapor that pass el dephlagmator depend of cuantity of condensed in reflux, spedd of water extern in de dephlagmator and area intern of dephlagmator. Wich is this corelacion?
If I was making a 3 inch column, off a 50 litre boiler, how long should the column be and how long should the dephlegmator be and can it be made with 3 inch as well?
G'day Peter, Rule of thumb is height for purity and diameter for volume of take off (but you have to have the appropiate boiler volume/power to fed that diameter). To my way of thinking I would still go 2" for a 50L beer-keg boiler ... simply for the cost factor - once you jump past 2", copper stainless tube prices start going up exponentially, but, the fun of distilling is messing around and building what you want to and learning from it. :o) Once you are up to a 100-200L boiler THEN I'd definitely look at upping the column to 3" at least but probably 4". Yes you could certainly make a 3" dephleg off the top of the 3" column - it would make sense to do it that way - copper/stainless reducers are hellaciously expensive for what they are - best to stay away from them unless you really need them, for example where you want to reduce done off the end of the condenser. You could just use a 6" section of the same tube you used for you column to make you dephlegmator - saves on costs and buying minimum lengths of various tube diameters. :o) Dephlegmators don't need to be that long at all - I roughly make mine 1.5x or 2x diameter - as the diameter gets bigger I tend to drop the height further (1:1 for something very large) just because of the mass of water in a bigger diameter dephleg'. Off the top of my head for a 3" dephleg I'd probably go something like 4"-6" tall in the actual core. If you have to much height/volume it takes a while to notice change in reflux - not as responsive. This is all just my opinion based on what I've done - not any hard calculated number crunched figures. :o) Good luck with your build and Happy Distilling!
@@AngryParrotDistillery Thanks for the reply ! Great video. Thanks for making it. My friend is going to build one just like yours, except in a SS triclamp spool.
@@SomeTechGuy666 Heya techguy. I've got a video on my channel here of making a copper core condenser inside a stainless spool - silicon-bronze brazed the copper core assembly into the stainless spool and then silver-soldered up the copper-copper joins. th-cam.com/video/Ak9WiRoHPJo/w-d-xo.html If you're doing something like that it may pay to make the baffles 3mm copper - will make the TIG brazing a lot easier. Happy Distilling!
G'day Lily, Probably due to the youtube filter/algorithm I ran over the video - they had copyright problems with the original soundtrack I had on it. I think it's messed with the audio timeline and removed more than the music. It's the only one of my videos I'd run their filter over. The shield over the top of the thermometer probe is there to stop the chilled condensate from the reflux condenser "raining" down over the thermometer and giving a false reading. The thermometer should be giving you the vapor temp' at the top of the column before it enters the dephlegmator - not the temp' of the chilled condensate. Hope that helps. Happy Distilling!
G'day Steven, yep - completely agree. Unfortunately, back when I did this video I didn't have access to such things in the workshop where I do a lot of this stuff. Recently however we acquired a full-on kiln (plan was to heat-treat stainless steel components on unrelated projects to achieve a desired heat-treated gold color the client was after), so now pre-heating is totally possible. :o)
Hey bud, ever thought of making these and selling them? I’d be interested in getting a deflagmator and shotgun made later on down the track if you were up for it. You in Aus?
G'day Gareth, Yeah, I've sold a few different bits of kit - condensers, s/s kettles, whole stills. Have made a few larger pieces for commercial distilleries. Usually have a few pieces up on tradeMe.co.nz under distilling. I'm based in New Zealand. Let me know when you're ready and we can have a yak about what you'd like! :o)
Angry Parrot Distillery, I'm an up and coming distillery in South Carolina and I would love to pick your brain for a few minutes, I'm not a zombie I promise
@@ericcatoe673, Hey fella, only just saw your comment on the message thread here now - you are welcome too have a chat anytime. My website construction page is "www.angryparrot.co.nz" you can find my contact details there. Hope your venture is going well 6 months on! I'm in the process of getting the paperwork filed to become a legit alcohol producer here in my own country, would be cool to compare notes on how it varies between countries.
G'day Hector - is a 4 inch/100mm diameter copper jacket with 7x 3/4" - 18mm copper internal tubes. I forget what length I made the core in this one. Basic calculation for say a 200mm core would be; 3.142 x 1.8cm = 5.66cm (pi x diameter = circumference) 5.66cm x 20cm = 113.2cm squ (circumference of cooling tube x height = internal area of cooling tube.) 113.2cm squ x 7 = 792.4cm squ (area of one cooling tube x number of cooling tubes = total internal cooling tube area.) So roughly 800 square cms cooling area. (Not including the baffle contact area on the underside) Happy Distlling! :o)
Perfect your calculs, but, why is necesary 800 cm sqr of area of dephlametor for this still? How much included the baffle contact area on the underside? Is posibble will build a column plates for make alcohol 96 grades? How much plates has column for this? Thank You.
G'day Andrew, Thanks. Using a general liquid flux for that "LACO F400" (not a brazing/paste flux that will tend to go crispy critters and isn't that good for silver bearing soft solders anyways). I tooth the stainless area to have solder applied (with a stainless wire-wheel or on a belt sander). I also try not to direct heat onto the stainless join where I can. Soldering copper to stainless ain't the easiest. Pre-tinning can help you A LOT.
To get a good join on the stainless to copper you REALLY want to make sure the stainless is toothed and very, very, clean. I'll often clean it with acetone prior to soldering just to make sure there's no residue/oils etc on the surface.
Hey Andrew, you're welcome. I'm not claiming it's necessarily the best way or the best materials or the most technically correct methods etc, - it's just what has worked best for me with what I've been doing with the still making and with small component fabrication prior to that . Happy distilling! :o)
G'day Peeno, anything with lead content being used for any food/beverage process, especially where heat is involved, is very hazardous to your well being. That is the reason waterpipes are no longer made from lead and there are trade restrictions for plumbers prohibiting the use of lead based solders in potable water lines. Happy Distilling.
@@peenopiani7209 Heya fella, - soft silver plumbing solder. Technical term is "Silver bearing solid wire solder". Usually has a 5%-10% silver content. Happy Distilling!
G'day Eric, a dephlegmator is basically a heat exchanger that condenses the vapor in a still column/still head to force a reflux - predominantly for use in vodka/neutral spirit stills. It serves a similar function to a cooling coil variant of a reflux column head - but rather than the hot vapor flowing around the tightly wound water-cooled copper coil suspended in the still head, in the case of a dephlegmator the hot vapor flows through -and is condensed by, the internal tubes of the dephlegmator which are cooled by water flowing through the cooling jacket. That make sense ?
Thanks Nunti' - makes my 4" pot still configurable as a 4" reflux rig. ... gonna have to make a 4" tri-clamp coupling gin basket at some stage, ... or maybe an inline thumper for infusing pulped/liquid material, ...
love your work, your solder runs are pristine...
G'day Roger, thanks.
I don't actually like soldering and tend to TIG weld/braze where I can.
Some of my soldering has been a bit rough in the past, it's an acquired skill and I still have a ways to go yet. :o)
Happy Distilling!
Great video, did you notice any difference in better control with longer tubes? it seems most dephlemators run a 6 inch long tube at 5/8 or 3/4 id. Did longer tubes help?
Ahoy from the Maritimes in Canada. So I'm doing my first 2" reflux build (still waiting for shipping on some parts) but I have enough pipe tp do a 4' column, a 2.5' shotgun condenser, and a 5-6" defleg > All over a 10 Gallon / 38 liter boiler. I'm new to this hobby so I've been gobbling up build videos where I can. After watching this, I'm a bit confused now on where to place my thermocouple. I'll be using a PID and 2 - 1500W heater elements (shutting off one when the boiler gets to temp)
Some of the stills I've seen on TH-cam have the thermocouple at or just before the point of no return where the vapor spills over to the condenser, but now I'm wondering if I should put it just below the deflegmator (where a dial thermometer would go). which would be best for controlling a PID. just before the vapor enters the pre-condenser (defleg) or just before the point of no return?
Interested in your thoughts on this. Thanks. Cheers from New Brunswick.
Great workmanship and skills shown.
Thanks Petra!
Happy Distilling.
Fantastic build
Well done sir .
Very very nice job. 👍👍👍
Thank you Miguel !
I think the original audio on this video has been corrupted, I may have to replace it.
Happy Distilling!
Hi again.
Will a 4" stainless steel ferrule work with a 108mm copper pipe? The standard pipe size in uk is 108mm for copper not 102mm.
Thanks again
G'day Stuart,
It does in NZ with NZ copper tube schedule, ... I can't say whether it would work in other countries - there are varying pipe/tube schedules.
OD of the ferrule here in NZ is something like 101.6mm which makes a tight tolerance fit into the inside diameter of NZ "4 inch" copper tube.
My suggestion would be to take a ferrule along to a local plumbing/copper supply place/ scrap dealer and check before you spend any money.
Happy Distilling!
Thanks again for the response much appreciated 👍
@@stuartgriffiths9948 you're welcome fella.
Happy Distilling!
So you have used a dephleg instead of using a condensing cook like in a VM?
could you simply turn the dephleg on and off depending on if you wanted to run this as a pit or reflux?
Yep - "dephlegmator" is basically a jacketed "reflux condenser".
I s'pose you could leave it in there in pot mode - when I'm running a combo-still in pot still fashion I just remove the dephlegmator component all together.
Which is capacity of destilation vs diameter column or depend of other things? Thank you very much. Pardon for my english.
G'day Hector, not sure what you are asking, ...
Capacity of distillation vs diameter, column diameter is relative to take off speed but needs a big enough kettle and power source to support it.
Capacity of the dephlegmator relative to column diameter?
Just for practical purposes I tend to make my columns and dephlegmators the same diameter.
Rough guide (for me anyways) for smaller diameter dephlegmators 2"-4' I tend to make dephlegmator 1.5x -2x the diameter of the column/dephlegmator.
Happy Distilling!
The total of vapor that pass el dephlagmator depend of cuantity of condensed in reflux, spedd of water extern in de dephlagmator and area intern of dephlagmator. Wich is this corelacion?
If I was making a 3 inch column, off a 50 litre boiler, how long should the column be and how long should the dephlegmator be and can it be made with 3 inch as well?
G'day Peter,
Rule of thumb is height for purity and diameter for volume of take off (but you have to have the appropiate boiler volume/power to fed that diameter).
To my way of thinking I would still go 2" for a 50L beer-keg boiler ... simply for the cost factor - once you jump past 2", copper stainless tube prices start going up exponentially, but, the fun of distilling is messing around and building what you want to and learning from it. :o)
Once you are up to a 100-200L boiler THEN I'd definitely look at upping the column to 3" at least but probably 4".
Yes you could certainly make a 3" dephleg off the top of the 3" column - it would make sense to do it that way - copper/stainless reducers are hellaciously expensive for what they are - best to stay away from them unless you really need them, for example where you want to reduce done off the end of the condenser.
You could just use a 6" section of the same tube you used for you column to make you dephlegmator - saves on costs and buying minimum lengths of various tube diameters. :o)
Dephlegmators don't need to be that long at all - I roughly make mine 1.5x or 2x diameter - as the diameter gets bigger I tend to drop the height further (1:1 for something very large) just because of the mass of water in a bigger diameter dephleg'.
Off the top of my head for a 3" dephleg I'd probably go something like 4"-6" tall in the actual core.
If you have to much height/volume it takes a while to notice change in reflux - not as responsive.
This is all just my opinion based on what I've done - not any hard calculated number crunched figures. :o)
Good luck with your build and Happy Distilling!
What thickness/gauge were the end cap pieces ?
G'day, about 2mm or so.
Happy Distilling!
@@AngryParrotDistillery Thanks for the reply ! Great video. Thanks for making it. My friend is going to build one just like yours, except in a SS triclamp spool.
@@SomeTechGuy666
Heya techguy.
I've got a video on my channel here of making a copper core condenser inside a stainless spool - silicon-bronze brazed the copper core assembly into the stainless spool and then silver-soldered up the copper-copper joins.
th-cam.com/video/Ak9WiRoHPJo/w-d-xo.html
If you're doing something like that it may pay to make the baffles 3mm copper - will make the TIG brazing a lot easier.
Happy Distilling!
@@AngryParrotDistillery Thank you !
Can you buy the flange pieces in 4"
There is a lot of talking that is not being heard. Wishing I could hear it. Like with the heat shield and how & why to use it.
G'day Lily,
Probably due to the youtube filter/algorithm I ran over the video - they had copyright problems with the original soundtrack I had on it.
I think it's messed with the audio timeline and removed more than the music.
It's the only one of my videos I'd run their filter over.
The shield over the top of the thermometer probe is there to stop the chilled condensate from the reflux condenser "raining" down over the thermometer and giving a false reading.
The thermometer should be giving you the vapor temp' at the top of the column before it enters the dephlegmator - not the temp' of the chilled condensate.
Hope that helps.
Happy Distilling!
Bake everything in an oven to pre-heat. Saves a bunch of time.
G'day Steven, yep - completely agree.
Unfortunately, back when I did this video I didn't have access to such things in the workshop where I do a lot of this stuff.
Recently however we acquired a full-on kiln (plan was to heat-treat stainless steel components on unrelated projects to achieve a desired heat-treated gold color the client was after), so now pre-heating is totally possible. :o)
Hey bud, ever thought of making these and selling them? I’d be interested in getting a deflagmator and shotgun made later on down the track if you were up for it.
You in Aus?
G'day Gareth,
Yeah, I've sold a few different bits of kit - condensers, s/s kettles, whole stills.
Have made a few larger pieces for commercial distilleries.
Usually have a few pieces up on tradeMe.co.nz under distilling.
I'm based in New Zealand. Let me know when you're ready and we can have a yak about what you'd like! :o)
Angry Parrot Distillery, I'm an up and coming distillery in South Carolina and I would love to pick your brain for a few minutes, I'm not a zombie I promise
@@ericcatoe673,
Hey fella, only just saw your comment on the message thread here now - you are welcome too have a chat anytime.
My website construction page is "www.angryparrot.co.nz" you can find my contact details there.
Hope your venture is going well 6 months on!
I'm in the process of getting the paperwork filed to become a legit alcohol producer here in my own country, would be cool to compare notes on how it varies between countries.
How much total area have el dephlegmator? Thank you.
G'day Hector - is a 4 inch/100mm diameter copper jacket with 7x 3/4" - 18mm copper internal tubes.
I forget what length I made the core in this one.
Basic calculation for say a 200mm core would be;
3.142 x 1.8cm = 5.66cm (pi x diameter = circumference)
5.66cm x 20cm = 113.2cm squ (circumference of cooling tube x height = internal area of cooling tube.)
113.2cm squ x 7 = 792.4cm squ (area of one cooling tube x number of cooling tubes = total internal cooling tube area.)
So roughly 800 square cms cooling area.
(Not including the baffle contact area on the underside)
Happy Distlling! :o)
Perfect your calculs, but, why is necesary 800 cm sqr of area of dephlametor for this still? How much included the baffle contact area on the underside? Is posibble will build a column plates for make alcohol 96 grades? How much plates has column for this? Thank You.
Great work but What flux are you using to solder copper to stainless?
G'day Andrew, Thanks.
Using a general liquid flux for that "LACO F400" (not a brazing/paste flux that will tend to go crispy critters and isn't that good for silver bearing soft solders anyways).
I tooth the stainless area to have solder applied (with a stainless wire-wheel or on a belt sander).
I also try not to direct heat onto the stainless join where I can.
Soldering copper to stainless ain't the easiest. Pre-tinning can help you A LOT.
To get a good join on the stainless to copper you REALLY want to make sure the stainless is toothed and very, very, clean. I'll often clean it with acetone prior to soldering just to make sure there's no residue/oils etc on the surface.
Thanks for the advice.
Hey Andrew, you're welcome.
I'm not claiming it's necessarily the best way or the best materials or the most technically correct methods etc, - it's just what has worked best for me with what I've been doing with the still making and with small component fabrication prior to that
.
Happy distilling! :o)
Very good work, done very well, I was very necessary, and useful.
Thanks! :o)
Dear sir:soldering is not poisonous for distiling becouse of having lead in it
G'day Peeno, anything with lead content being used for any food/beverage process, especially where heat is involved, is very hazardous to your well being.
That is the reason waterpipes are no longer made from lead and there are trade restrictions for plumbers prohibiting the use of lead based solders in potable water lines.
Happy Distilling.
they use silver based s0lder
@@AngryParrotDistillery hi dear sir:then what is the filler alloy you use for soldering?
@@peenopiani7209 Heya fella, - soft silver plumbing solder.
Technical term is "Silver bearing solid wire solder".
Usually has a 5%-10% silver content.
Happy Distilling!
what does a dephlegmator do?
G'day Eric, a dephlegmator is basically a heat exchanger that condenses the vapor in a still column/still head to force a reflux - predominantly for use in vodka/neutral spirit stills.
It serves a similar function to a cooling coil variant of a reflux column head - but rather than the hot vapor flowing around the tightly wound water-cooled copper coil suspended in the still head, in the case of a dephlegmator the hot vapor flows through -and is condensed by, the internal tubes of the dephlegmator which are cooled by water flowing through the cooling jacket.
That make sense ?
she is sweet looking. nice one.
Thanks Nunti' - makes my 4" pot still configurable as a 4" reflux rig.
... gonna have to make a 4" tri-clamp coupling gin basket at some stage, ... or maybe an inline thumper for infusing pulped/liquid material, ...
👍👍👍👍🥃