StillSmart

ok guys in the next week or so im gonna try and attempt to make and build a parrot using phantom post here viewtopic.php?f=15&t=773 now it states to use 20mm tubing for where spirit hybrometer floats in,also ive seenn on hd (??) i think it says use 22mm tubing and ive seen 24mm,anyone know whats gonna be best

as for the lead free solder can i use multipurpose lead free solder bs219 grade 99c which i use for soldering wires onto pcb,or should i use silver solder

@ aidanmac is your parrot which is pitchered here viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1028 the same type as phantom post just cant really see it all

Lots of sizes are quoted, the internet is a big place and people post about parrots from everywhere in the world where material availabilty differs.

In the UK you will be limited to the old 3/4" stuff which is now called 22mm (outside diameter) but some people refer to as 20mm (inside diameter). But generally if you go to the plumbers shop B&Q and ask for 22mm you will be OK.

You do not need silver solder it is a lot more expensive and a lot harder to use than standard plumbers solder.

Electrical solder may be lead free but sometimes has flux built into it, which is not suitable for your purposes.

Stick with Lead Free, Plumbers Solder and you wont go wrong.

Good luck with the Parrot, Dont forget we want to see the pictures.

My draws are in this pdf on page 2.


AM

I would quite like a parrot, unfortunately my manufacturing skills are somewhat lacking.

Does anyone know where you can buy these? I seem to draw a blank everytime I try searching.

@Magnu420 good luck, looking forward to the pics

With the drawings you should be able to get the pieces needed and any half decent plumber could solder one together for you and he won't be any the wiser if you spin him a story about what it's really for

When I made my first one I'd never done anything like that before and I'm not one of those super duper DIY engineers.

AM

shawry99 wrote:I would quite like a parrot, unfortunately my manufacturing skills are somewhat lacking.

Good, then this is a good place to start and practice before you build your own still - you can't put it off forever.

Work with Aidanmacs drawings and get the bits together, soldering them is easy-peasy, there are many do it yourself videos on U-Tube that will show you how to solder them together.

Go-On you know you want to. It's so much nicer when you use your parrot when you made it.

If you can paint by numbers you can make a parrot, trust me.

YHB wrote:

shawry99 wrote:I would quite like a parrot, unfortunately my manufacturing skills are somewhat lacking.

Good, then this is a good place to start and practice before you build your own still - you can't put it off forever.

Work with Aidanmacs drawings and get the bits together, soldering them is easy-peasy, there are many do it yourself videos on U-Tube that will show you how to solder them together.

Go-On you know you want to. It's so much nicer when you use your parrot when you made it.

If you can paint by numbers you can make a parrot, trust me.

I see what you're saying, but I dont have any of the equipment either, I'd be reluctant to buy all the stuff just (try) to make a parrot, as I dont have the space for anything but an air still really.

Anyway, not my thread, and i've sorta hijacked it

I've decided I'm going to make an attempt at this and get some experience with working with copper and soldering. I've just ordered all the bits I need. If it works out, I get a very useful piece of equipment and I'll be enthused enough to build my own still . The PDF is a great help AM, many thanks

+1 what Brian said he knows what he's talking about

This might seem obvious to some people but I learned the hard way that, when soldering, if you have a couple of joints together you need to solder them at the same time, and this actually makes the job a little easier.

See if this helps explain a bit better.


AM

some good points there aidanmac,hopefully il be havin a do this weekend
and post some pixs up

@ shawry no i dont mind you hijacking my thread

If one of you guys makes one and decides they want to make another one for someone else, Im happy to cover costs ;-)

EDIT: I've moved the suburbanhillbilly build pics to a separate thread - CC

Have made a parrot but struggling really hard to get the output 8mm tube to solder to the shoulder of the reducer. I'm not getting a water tight seal after 3 attempts. At the moment as an interim solution I have put some plumbers mait around it. Question: is plumbers mait suitable for use with alcohol for consumption?

I will make another attempt at this again soon

I found fitting the product spout the hardest part. I stood the parrot on its head on a piece of wood, then used another piece of wood with an 8mm hole drilled at approx 45o angle to hold the spout in place while I soldered it.

It is essential that the spout is a very tight fit all round in the hole you drill in the reducer shoulder and there should be about 2-3mm of the 8mm tubing visible inside the reducer.

If at first you don't succeed, take it out, clean it down thoroughly, re-flux it and try again and remember - the man that never made a mistake never made anything!

You'll get there.

AM