Okay, so who want so play with my balls?

[Capt-Cudellez]

Well, one ball, check out my new bubble ball from Artisan Copper Works - in the process of being re-branded as Still Dragon.

Its a work of art, can't wait to run it.

Click on the image to enlarge.





Also check out my new quick connect fittings and yellow on black colour scheme.



A very happy chappy.

CC

[YHB]

It's a cracker.

I have been waiting to see this since you first mentioned it - with your black set-up it looks awesome - its not often I am jealous, but this is an exception.

Are you waiting for your SPP before you run it?

[Admiral Toad]

That looks bloody amazing cap'n please tell us a bit more about it when you can it looks so well built would love to see it in the flesh one day ! Yours with deep reverence AT

[Capt-Cudellez]

Are you waiting for your SPP before you run it?

I think I'll change one thing at a time, so I know where I am. I'll do quick cleaning run with it this weekend - I've got most of a 30L keg full of heads that I could run for neutral after the clean - but it might have to wait a few weeks before I can get to that.

It has 5 bubble caps on the plate, and one inverted on the bottom for a down-comer - it wasn't really designed for using under a column with the addition reflux that produces, and I may have to modify it by swapping it out for a 3/8" J tube - we'll see how we get on.

The SPP supplier hasn't replied to my mail asking for tracking - its been a month and nothing yet - I'm hopeful he is just unorganised, and not doing me over.

Time will tell on that one.


CC

[mozr]

I think when CC has finished his still will look like this.



It looks cool.

Pardon my ignorance, what is a bubble ball?

[Capt-Cudellez]

Pardon my ignorance, what is a bubble ball?

It is like a single plate from a plated still. The idea with using it at the base of a column is as follows....

Columns are all about the reflux, and that condensed reflux interacting with the vapour going up the column.
At the top of the column this process is very efficient, but further down the column this is less efficient (where the vapour contains more water), so the reflux speeds up lower down and there is less contact with the rising vapour.

By putting a tray bath, that the vapour has to bubble through - (guaranteeing contact) , the vapour leaving the tray is richer in alcohol and the column is more efficent - so you can pump more power in and take off at a much higher rate.


Using a column on a thumper would achieve the same thing

So you can pull off 95+% much faster - but I know from my own experience that not all 95+% alcohols are equal. Less reflux = more flavour, so to get very neutral alcohol you still need to maintain a decent ratio.

I think this might be good for running a big boiler-full in a shorter time -
so with the plate, i reckon I could turn 45Lts of 40% into 18.5L of 95% in just under 6 hours after warm up (I would stretch that to 8 hours to compress heads somewhat) , then re-running the middle cut with an increased reflux ratio to get lots of very neutral grog in less time over all.


I've got some playing to do this year.

[billmcc]

Captain that is a propper bit of kit i am very envious

[Capt-Cudellez]

Thanks for the kind words guys, last photo for a while, the troosers is less impressed with this carry on than we are

After I finished covering my keg the other week, I had enough foil left to do another layer on the T500 boiler, and coat it in black tape.

I probably wont run this configuration, but looks good. - again, click to enlarge.

[Capt-Cudellez]

Double, double toil and trouble..........


click to play

[YHB]

You cannot deny the liquid/vapour interaction i-ts very impressive.
Does that count as one plate? Or do you get more due to effieceincies?
What ABV did you get?

[Capt-Cudellez]

Does that count as one plate? Or do you get more due to effieceincies?
What ABV did you get?

------------------------------------

I'm running it with the VM on top so the ABV is already going to be 95% without the plate. What this is letting me do is run quite a bit harder and faster without flooding the column.

Usually if I run the full 1800w, about just after I get into the hearts the column floods at the top (you hear it gurgling, if you don't act it will start bubbling high proof out the top of the column) - removing a scrubber from the bottom seems to remedy this, but I can only pull 1.2l/h while maintaining 95%+.

With this in place I'm running 2 l/h and can't chase it off of 95%+ and the temp is stable.
I'm looking forward to trying this on the big boiler with a bit more power to see what the limit is - I'm sure i can get a faster take off out of the 2", but I need more power to maintain a reflux ratio to make the product neutral.
I'm guessing 2.2Kw with this packing will be about the limit - if my SPP ever arrives I might be able to pump the full 3KW in......or not......will be interesting either way.

[Phantom]

I was looking at the pic's and trying to work out how you modded the keg to take an electric element ?

As for the rest of it ? Damn that's some smart kit. I hope it works as well as you hope CC.

Myself ? I'm still trying to decide on what kit I need to convert my keg, let alone whether to follow the electric or propane route (electric preferred of course).

If it's not being necky, perhaps you could post the shopping list of parts and links to suppliers, prices etc.

I'm not so fussed about the bubble plate, but if it's not fortunes, then it'd be a nice thing to have.

Whether you're right about how it works or not, I don't know but it certainly seems plausible i.e. alluding to how it's like having a thumper inline of the column etc. I understood that while you can get a nice high % spirit from bubble plate columns, they do tend to retain flavour. Whereas I'm not worried about flavour, I just want to attain the cleanest, clearest neutral I can manage.......

Brilliant ! No, not brilliant, f*****g outstanding >:D

[Capt-Cudellez]

Exactly Phantom - its an inline thumper of sorts - As for modding the keg i had access to some nice kit - here is the thread.

http://www.stillsmart.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=749

Plasma cutters are really easy to use - but very pricey - having one in the family is a real bonus - just wish I could tell them what its for, else i would have went for an 8" ferule on top for cleaning purposes - having to do this all under the guise of beer brewing.

Off the top of my head...

VM
2", 1.5" and 1" pipe from metals4U (column, condenser outer and inner)
3/8" pipe from Ebay (cooling connections for condenser)
joint in the middle is a 2" male hex fitting with the hex ground off going into a 2" half socket, bought from http://www.valves-online.co.uk/

Also from them I bought the stainless 1" gate valve, the 1" weld nipple for the VM take off and the 2" tri-clamp ferules, the 1/4 socket for the themo - I also bought the 2-1/4" full socket for the keg.

I have used http://www.zx55.com for some bits and bobs too - depends which way the wind is blowing as to who is cheaper. There is minimum order value and shipping to consider, it can go either way.
http://www.bes.co.uk is bar far the cheapest for run of the mill fittings, but don't do any triclamp stuff.

The ends for the condencer were cut discs from sheet and TIG welded in place by someone who does custom stainless exhausts for a living - he's a top notch welded, a friend, and did it after hours for a few bottles of gin. His circumstances have changed and he is now not close by - hence having to mod the keg myself, with some help. He would have done it better.

Quick connections were embarrassingly pricey from http://www.tom-parker.co.uk, but I'm a sucker for aesthetics, and had a bit extra cash in my pay to spend on myself - so for me it was worth it.

bubble ball was bought from artisan copper works - now being re-branded as http://www.stilldragon.com - but you can't have one - they are all sold and there wont be any more - they will be releasing a cheaper stainless one made from 2 2"x4" reducers with a 2" sight glass - looks good, but not on the website yet - I have also seen pictures of there 4" stainless plates for modular builds - look really nice.
You do have to worry about importing this stuff- mine was bought by a friend, but it did arrive with "copper still ball" on the import documents

This is my second keg boiler - I cut a hole in my first one with a jigsaw using a wood blade - it was very slow, had to stop to keep cooling to stop it getting tool hardened, and was unbelievably noisy - I wore ear defenders but your neighbors will all know about it.
I used a flat 2-1/4" Essex flange on that one, it was leaky, and I had to seal it with silicone in the end - my baby brother is now using it as a pot.

I have spent quite a bit of cash here over the past 12 months, but I have some really nice gear, that is pretty indestructible. I like premium gins, and happily spend single malt money on a nice bottle - I still buy the odd bottle to taste against - but what i have saved has more than offset any out goings on equipment - I'm now making gin that I am proud of, which was my goal when I signed up here in Dec 2010

[Capt-Cudellez]

My brother in laws plasma cutter - a 2min job with a tool like that.

[Capt-Cudellez]

Phantom - a mistake above - the connection in the middle of the column is 1.5" thread not 2" as stated- its 2" OD so welds nicely to the column.

BTW, this is also the same thread as the T500 fitting - so rather than triclamps you could just use that.