upgrade

[paul]

hi guys so the mrs likes my neutral spirits iv done so far on the air still and while she was a bit tipsy i suggested an up grade next year she said yes YIPPEE , so im thinking a t500 boiler with a crystal baby dragon for the neutral but not sure on the configuration for a whisky,rum still,would a simple pot still on there website be ok? what do you lot think or should i stick to just a t500 for simplicity

[Anavrin]

Your into big money if you start looking at crystal dragons but they are very shiny

I'd be temped to go for one of the hybrid dash versions, that way you can change the number if bubble sections and choose to use a packed column or leave it empty, the crystal dragons are not so easy to change the number of plates as you will need to take the hole thing apart and use different size threaded rods depending on how may plates you want, if you can get a tri clamp to fit the lid then the T500 boiler would be perfect if it's big enough for what you want.

How exciting, getting permission of SWMBO, I always find it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission >:D

[YHB]

Congratulations on the permission.

The Baby dragon with 4 plates will not give you a neutral. It is designed for whiskey / flavored drinks. It will be possible to add a packed section on top of the plates for neutrals.

I am sure that there will be lots of reports on the SD website in the near future as all the combination and variations are tried out.

[paul]

o i see i think whats the packed section labelled under on there site lol,wouldnt you get more aroma on just a pot still I.E. a t500 with the new copper lid

[Anavrin]

Hi Paul

The packed section is just a 500ml section of stainless with a tri clamp ferrel at each end, I'm on a mission to get 3 of the short 4inch bubble sections fitted in between the two halfs of my torpedo, giving me 4 plates, then to have a packed section of about 700ml for neutral, but with xmas coming I don't think I'm going to get my first extra 4inch bubble section before new year

I think the idea of using 4 plates for flavoured spirits like rum and whisky is you can run them quite hard and collect at around 80% straight from your wash but I'm only guessing at that, others here will probably know better.

[paul]

could i run a t500 with 4" Dash SG Extra Short or is the t500 boiler not up to it? what would i add to that set up anavrin to make neutral spirits as that would be fine for my whisky's and rum as is yeah? blimey i cant wait

[Anavrin]

I think the T500 boiler is 2KW so it should be ok, I have a 50lt stock pot with a 3KW immersion heater and I probably only run it at around 1.5-2KW.

For a neutral just add a packed column on top, with a couple of plates under it you can get away with a shorter packed section, I've just had a look in the SD Europe site and they don't show the hybrid dash stills but they do at least stock all the bits, here's a link to Still Dragon in AUS showing one the hybrids with two 4inch bubble tees under the column

http://www.stilldragon.com.au/4-bubblet ... d-model-1/

[paul]

omg there so call, thanks anavrin im going for that configuration and fill with copper scrubbers,i can just take of the fill pipe when i want to do a whisky run and maybe add another bubbler
thanks anavrin

[SDeurope]

Hi guys,

We'll have the Baby Crystal Dragon available within the next two weeks, as well as the 2" TC 48mm weldless adapter (sorry, no prices yet, but we'll do our best), which makes it possible to add a 2" tri-clamp connection without welding if having a hole with 48~51 mm diameter:



I've never seen a T500 here in Austria, but I've heard they are quite popular in the UK, and that weldless TC adapter is reported to fit just nice on such unit. A T500 with 1800-2000W should have enough power to drive a Baby Crystal Dragon with 3 to 4 plates. In January we'll have a new 30L stove-top boiler made of stainless steel available, which comes with that weldless adapter as well. To go big on a Baby Crystal Dragon would point to our 50L Milk Can Boiler, especially when having the desire to add more plates.

The Baby Crystal Dragon is not limited to making flavored spirits, it just depends on the number of bubble sections, as with any column. We'll be offering the Baby Crystal Dragon with 3 bubble plates by default and the add-on bubble section as accessory (as we do with all of our sample configurations, because the max. number of allowed plates for an unbonded still is 3 here in Austria).

Creating a hybrid would be another option of course when operating on a budget, but additional bubble sections are more effective. If there is a demand for hybrid solutions we can add some sample configurations to our product catalog later on.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Greetings,

Michael

[Anavrin]

Thanks Michael

That connector for T500 boiler looks good, For people with T500, or any type of DIY boiler that needs a tri-clamp fitting, this would be the first step.

The appeal of the hybrid versions of the dash is to keep the cost down, at least it is for me.

Can I ask if you could make available some Still Dragon user manuals for your Dash and Crystal Dragons, there are lots of guys on here including myself who don't fully understand how best to operate such a still, or at least some guide to controlling Dephlegmator cooling in order to make good cuts, it would be very helpfull.

I'm looking to purchase another bubble tee and a Dephlegmator but I'm not sure if a dephlegmator is a better option than I have already, because I've never used one before.

[SDeurope]

Dear Anavrin,

Building a hybrid is easy, and requires only a few parts, which we have all available (except stainless and copper mesh, something on the list to be checked on later).

We have Dash and Gin Basket Kit operation manuals available on the StillDragon Community Forum, as well as the build instructions for the DIY Controller Kit, here is the shortcut link:

http://manuals.stilldragon.org

The Dash manual will definitely get you started on assembling and operating a reflux column.

Greetings,
Michael

[Anavrin]

Thanks Michael, the Dash operation manual I s a good read

[John51]

Depends on what you want to get. If you like the neutral from the airstill then you'll be home free with the basic T500 wrt neutral as the quality is much better than the airstill. If you want whiskies as well, then you'll find the T500 is a one trick pony. A very good single trick though.

[paul]

thanks michael im just waiten for the baby range to come out so i can choose which top configuration to have on a t500 boiler,am i right in thinking michael if i want a neutral spirit i add a packing column and for rums and whisky just bubble plates and a Dephlegmator configuration

[SDeurope]

am i right in thinking michael if i want a neutral spirit i add a packing column and for rums and whisky just bubble plates and a Dephlegmator configuration

Best way is to run a reflux column, either with bubble sections or a hybrid with bubble sections and a packed section, but always the dephlegmator on top (otherwise you would have to rely on the little passive reflux the columns alone provides).

Neutral or flavored spirit depends on number of bubble sections, the rest on take-off speed (the more reflux the higher the ABV). There is plenty of room for experimentation depending on the desired product. It's useful to document each run as detailed as possible to think it over what can be changed on next run.