4" Crystal Dragon

CothermanDistilling

Here is another pic for @captainshooch or anyone else looking for a different way.. after turning down the struts in the lathe to face the ends, I lost another 1/16", so the length went from 20.125 (20 1/8") down to 20 3/32".

The cross hole was 7/32", I started at 1/8", and just stopped getting bigger when I felt sure I could get the TIG electrode in there. I coudl have cut the threads off the included struts, but the local fastener shop had 1m length of stainless 8mm threaded rod for $8. Welding up this way also had the side benefit of being able to true up the threads to be straight with the strut. (I also faced one end of the threaded pieces in the lathe so they look nice)

Also is a pic of the assembly before compressing, it is a bit over one thread. I compressed by turning one flat (1/6 turn) at a time, and you could definitely tell when it went metal to metal. The assembly is extremely stiff.

captainshooch

@CothermanDistilling very nice work and thanks for the info. I can not wait to get home and start tinkering with mine. =D>

captainshooch

Made it home and decided to practice with the sight tower

and I have the rods ready for the crystal which is due here tomorrow.

A little "Bling" to dress them up. Thanks @CothermanDistilling, I will be tinkering with the Crystal tomorrow. :D

Moonshine

@captainshooch, gotta say a sight tower just looks awesome!

captainshooch

@CothermanDistilling I was in the middle of a run whe the crystal dragon showed up in the mail at noon today so I added some bling, check it out @Lloyd , and I put her together but I did not use it on this run.The brass rods plus the glass and copper plates just brings it all together nicely!!! Thanks for your help figuring out the support rods ! maybe one day we'll go slay some hog snappers :D Next run will be 10 plates, hope I can go straight from fermenter @ 14% to product @ 95ABV,...next run will tell.

Lloyd

@captainshooch, the brass rods are beautiful.

Anyone interested in contributing to or organizing a Crystal Dragon Users Manual?
The rods needed for 4, 5 or 6 plates would be a handy reference.
@RedDoorDistillery reports the gaskets adhere to the glass after many runs so we need to address that with some kind of lubricant during assembly.
I like to mount the product condenser close to one of the rods so the opposing rod takes the weight stress.

captainshooch

@Lloyd for a 4 plate crystal like mine I used standard 36" ss all thread rods x 5/16"-18 cut inhalf at 18", all gaskets including top and bottom at the tower flanges are standard crystal dragon gaskets instead of 1/2 gaskets at atop and bottom like it is recommended. This gives you enough gasket to allow for compression when tightening together and it uses all material without waste and places the bottom plate up higher and in view at the bottom of the first glass versus down in the TC joint. @CothermanDistilling used 5 glass section and ended up around 21.125" rods, you can check his post. I use a trimmed crystal gasket on the bottom of the sight tower because the studs are barely long enought to place the plate at the bottom of the glass for a better view and have enough threads to connect the top flange but with the crystal dragon with full crystal gaskets all the way, it works just fine for 4 plates and 4 glass sections and 18" rods.

captainshooch

Oh, ps @Lloyd I agree with mounting the condenser near a support rod to help with weight. I got it made, just use overhead rope and pulley to hold the extra weight of the condenser and parrot....sorry I had to rub it in a bit :D you get all the dragon stuff u want, I got the building height and supprts :D , but I might need a hole in the roof to fit the crystal :))

punkin

Gotta say those brass covers look great against the SGK's in the background.

captainshooch

I put the combo together, dash-2 x 5 plates plus crystal @ 4 plates, plus 1 sight tower on top for a total of 10 plates. My question is @Lloyd or anyone willing to share , is it better or does it make any difference, wether the condenser is near the u bend at the top or down lower below a couple of TC pipes? First time messing with this many plates, goal is absolute azeo, as close to super clean neutral as possible with a single run from fermenter, not sure if possible, but I am sure going to try, and if i end up having to run twice, then it will be that much more neutral!, any advise is welcomed!

captainshooch

@Smaug good news, still got enough room for another 4 plates without cutting a hole in thje roof :D

punkin

You could put another plate down the bottom in your 4" extension too. You wouldn't have a window, but that wouldn't matter. Same goes for the top of the CD.

It looks really good. One of my customers was asking me about doing the same thing to his Dash this week.

captainshooch

@punkin , yes I though about that, could end up with 12 plates as is..Think I'll try 10 first...this is exactlyt what makes SD!!! the ability to modify, grow, adjust, the combinations are practically endless!! Big ole papa @Lloyd ..U the man!! =D> I do have a preliminary result on the aging, toasted, charred test, remember? I will get back 2 u soon. Homade charred sticks rock!!

Lloyd

@captainshooch, not sure if you'll get a true neutral with only 10 plates from a wash but it's no doubt that you will get azeotrope. I doubt it makes any difference where the dephlem is located as long as it is above the plates.
I agree completely about fully modular... having everything soldered or welded together puts limits on configurability.
That is a beautiful still, Captain.

Even the best vodka, in my opinion Stolichnaya Gold, still has a touch of flavor. In Stoli Gold it's a slight peppery taste that I assume comes from rye.

captainshooch

Thanks @Lloyd I was not to sure wether or not it could be done with only 10 plates, but i sure do not mind watching all the action going on in the plates twice around! Is that much more fun! Plus 2 runs times 10 plates each outta get er done and you must have been reading my mind cause the first run in her will be a wheat/rye mash vodka , or maybe do as @punkin said and go up to 12 plates, still got plenty of roof space :D and plenty of power to drive her. Two runs thru 10 or 12 , and running the hearts only on 2nd ought to be good enough.

RedDoorDistillery

@captainshooch I have found I get a better product running my strip around 170P quickly cutting heads and tails. Then rerun just the hearts in the 2nd to azeotrope. Trying to go straight to azeotrope is slow and still has a bit of taste not "Neutral" so to say.

Moonshine

@captainshooch, looks like it's time your that new camera you wanted to buy! Don't make that run without video footage, and also post some pics to The Wordless Distilling Thread. ;)

Lloyd

@captainshooch if you follow that plan of yours you will put Stoli Gold to shame.
Seriously, shame upon shame.

You might want to keep a tiny fraction of late heads and early tails to add to your straight sippin vodka for character (what the learn-ed individuals call complexity) though I understand the desire for pure neutral for extracts and gin making. What makes Stoli Gold so good (for me) is the clean little pepper bite that is subtle but removes the slick and sweet taste of a true neutral spirit.

DontWantYouTossingOutALLofTheGoodStuff

captainshooch

Thanks @RedDoorDistillery, I see what you are saying, run a bit faster on 1st run to save time but still keep proof up and retain some flavor. @Lloyd we are definitely going to give it our best shot the trick is like you said that tiny fraction of late heads and early tails that is going to make the difference.`the last run on 6 plates we collected in 500 ml samples and it was hard to find that line between heads and hearts prolly because it went in the fores jar so i neede to make more samples at about100- 150-200 ml each next time specially around those areas of transition fores/heads heads/hearts and hearts/early tails. I like to err on the safe side and collect a good amount of fores, prolly too much. I know I have learned a ton here and with the Dash and every time i run her i will learn something, still got a lot of lerning to do. @Moonshine, you bet I will be taking a video! my mrs got me the camera, early x-mas present, now all I need is for the wash to finish :D

Lloyd

@captainshooch you are probably right, 500ml collection jars are kinda big for the fractions but its common to have even bigger for the hearts. I typically toss the first coffee cup full (~200ml) that comes from my keg boiler but I should rethink that. Its just an old habit from information gleaned long ago. The first 500 or so ml collected in 50ml or so fractions would make a lot more sense.
I'm typically well into good hearts by the time 500ml has been collected with proper column stabilization (which oddly enough I tend to do).

I'd very much like to be one of those people that run the same wash recipe and column configuration time after time until its perfect but I'm not like that - I find what works great and take it apart until its broken trying to make it better. :))

captainshooch

@Lloyd you are absolutely right, I pulled 650 ml fores and heads, then started numbering, too late, think most of the heads went in the first 650 mls. and there might be a bit , if I am lucky in jar # 1 but i doubt it. Another lesson learned, much smaller samples like you said 50 mls for the first 600 should definitely work better at gathering that special late heads early hearts and same for tails.

punkin

Be careful with the tails, a bit of late heads are what i like (used to call my white rum H&T Vodka) but the tails can be not to everyones tastes and get a bit 'dirty' tasting. Just try a small batch of each together, with and without, and see what a few different people think side by side before you tip tails in to a large batch.

sandsquirt

Do you guys have plans on making a 3" version of the Crystal Dragon? I already have 3" sight towers in my rig and would love to switch over to a Crystal Dragon.

Lloyd

@sandsquirt there are no current plans for a 3" but 6" is on the drawing board.
I may revisit this after the Chinese new year though.

Pretender

Hello gentlemen, look through this topic and do not know if I'm wrong, but whether the segment in SD and CD are at the same height? It seems to me that the CD is smaller? What height is a glass tube in a CD?

sandsquirt

I hope it works out for the 3". Really all I need is the special seals to hold the plates and seal the glass. I can fab the plates.

RedDoorDistillery

@pretender The 8" glass for the D is 100mm tall for each section. Add just about 4 mm for the gasket on both ends yo u have about 104mm between each plate. I believe the 4" CD is the same.

Pretender

@captainshooch said: .....

RDD Thank you for your answer, if you say so it must be so. And looking at this picture, it seems that there is a difference.

Regards

RedDoorDistillery

The 4" Stainless Bubble T's I believe are 6" (154mm) tall 1Kg. So the glass for the CD is about 30% shorter.

Pretender

Is "Stainless Bubble T's" is a tower in SD? Excuse me, but all the shortcuts, in addition to the English cause me a problem. If so, in fact, but only now drew attention to the pictures, of course, that dephlegmator has the same height as the Tower in Stilldragon.