Thumper.

[Icefever]

No not the rabbit.. ..a thumper to add onto my potstill, I want to try and get more flavour through from these GS washes I'm now running.

I received the spring toggles t'other week from China land...so while I was running my last GS wash today I've made a start...should be straight forward...

I thought about using copper rivets, but thought better of it as I don't have the correct tools to flatten them...and don't want it to look like a dogs dinner.

I've ordered some 4m stainless bolts, washers & nuts off the Bay...2 for each clip and 1 on the lid for the "hook" part to latch onto. I've drilled a couple of 2mm pilot holes for the first toggle, now I'll wait for the bolts just to make sure.

[Myles]

What are you using as the pot for the body of the thumper?
You can use a small 20 or 30 litre keg as a thumper but it sounds like you might be using a stock pot.

You have several options and depending on your product condenser this even includes use of a water seal.

I like thumpers even though my next rig may not use one.

[Easydrinker]

I am guessing a typo in there somewhere, " 4m stainless bolts" seem excessive to fix your toggle clips?
Robert

[Icefever]

@Myles...I'm using a 12ltr stockpot...on my T500 boiler..should be large enough to handle 23/25ltr charge??

@ED...The holes in the toggle are 3.6mm, my idea is to open them to take 4mm bolts.

[Icefever]

Had an hour to spare this afternoon, so I thought I'd start fixing the toggles as the bolts& nuts had arrived from the Bay.




There's a slight problem... the nuts are nyloc... I don't want that inside when the thumper's in action...can't turn them around as the toggles won't work/latch.

Back to the Bay for non-nyloc nuts.....nothings ever easy is it???

[Easydrinker]

I'm guessing that you have tried the bolts and nuts the other way around and that even sawn off the toggles don't close?
Just stating the bleeding obvious

Robert.

[Icefever]

Yes mate..the toggle spring clip won't then close...I've ordered some SS 4m nuts they will do the job.

[Myles]

Order some M4 copper washers (available at RS) also. If you put one inside the pot (and outside if you have room) you may find that you can get it tight enough to be leak proof without further sealant.
Or were you going to solder the nuts after you tighten them up?

[Icefever]

I was hoping to get a seal just by them being tight???.....but your the man...copper washers it is. I have a day off tomorrow (that's if there's no phone call at 0400) so I want to drill all the fittings and look at what size copper I have left, to make a start on that single connection..

[Myles]

The copper washers can be anealed to make them soft which you can't do with stainless ones. I have used that method with drain connectors also.

I used 5 mm stainless bolts to fit the brackets to the keg. I was surprised by how easy it was to snap the bolts with a socket wrench, so watch your torque.

[Icefever]

A day off work today....so I thought I'll run the GS wash sat in the fridge, and while that's running I'll do a little more to the thumper.

It's gone spiffing...





Nearly finished...all I have to do now is make a new shorter coloumn to fit the boiler, which I have all the bits for....so just a question of soldering it up and hey presto..

[packapoo]

That's looking PBG Ice man. Can see I have to study those things.

And by chance last week I discovered a supplier very close to me with a great stock and range of all those coppery thingies.

[Easydrinker]

coppery thingies.

Cute, should lead to Alcohol thingies

Robert

[packapoo]

I'd like to put a pot on my GF.....

Have just to decide whether to proceed like GTF did or go with a dome. Been studying the how of how to beat - have the raw stock to hand.