Baby Dragon - Ace of Hearts

FullySilenced

Or less

Lloyd

It will take most of today for us to go to the box factory and back but we need to get the Baby Dragon glass shippable. We have so many different sizes of boxes but absolutely nothing lends itself to shipping the 4 glass sections.

The quartz parrot (tagged Crystal Parrot by Punkin) is a work in progress. The idea is to keep it as simple and low cost as possible.

This is being made by a scientific glass company and they only work in quartz glass.
The reason I chose this company is because they are the only one that would talk to me when I told them the order quantity would only be 100 pieces.

I'm figuring on connecting the input pipe with a section of silicone hose and the other end to the standard SD surge breaker. I'll need to fab a 3/4" end cap with a short section of 10mm pipe to connect the hose to. Shoot, I might luck across a 3/4 end cap with hose barb.

The baby alco is about 44% shorter than the standard DragonFire alco.
It too has not been produced yet but I'll get it "dragonized" with the triple scale like the DragonFire alco.

FullySilenced

The barb needs a turned up vent pipe as well to prevent the surge from happening...just reminding you oooooh great "King Of the Dragons"

punkin

I'm trying to talk Lloyd into a collection cup on the parrot to delete the surge breaker for a standard 2z3/4 reducer and lend the small parrot to other pot stills and home made units. Probably building a cross for my back regarding shipping when people want me to send one and alcometer in a small satchel :))

FullySilenced

That would work as well ... but it has to be on the main body.. all the beaks and other arms increase the fragility.... fragility my word of the day i guess ... LOL

happy stillin

FS

@Lloyd .. could the beak and collection cup screw on in glass? then the fragility issue may be diminished.... at least during shipment... never tried to thread glass or had it threaded... cup may not have to be glass may be metal.. just a thought.. so something like a large base graduated cylinder may be the base model... again just an idea..

FullySilenced

Afterthought... the cylinder could just have a hole in it and the beak or cup could have a rubber gasket and a clamp to hold the beak on and seal to the cylinder... same for the cup... and by god that might work... really well...

upper clamp might support the cup and tube to the bottom as well..

Lloyd

I think we've come up with a clever solution for packing the baby dragon glass, we'll see in a week when the boxes are ready if all goes to plan.
I ordered a meter of platinum cured medical grade silicone hose to connect the Crystal Parrot to the Baby Dragon. Also ordered a 3/4" end cap with hose barb. There, should have all, or most of, the bits... 4 or 5 more days before the parts arrive before being able to play with it.

Been eyeballing the funnel that fills the hip flask that Larry gifted to me. Bet that would stick into the silicone hose and be able to rig up something that would make Punkin happy - a stand alone, not directly connected parrot.

Myles

If you want inspiration for a free standing glass parrot just have a look at Molino-glass. I know it is a different application, but it is not hard to look at one of their products and see how with a few changes to configuration it could be something else.

@punkin I think you are right about how popular a small collection cup style parrot would be. :D

Lloyd

Bongs @Myles? =))

You're right though, some clever craftsmanship.
I'm so out of touch with the more modern reality, last time I saw a bong it cost $20.
I think Nixon was president.

brewsmith

I was actually thinking the same thing as @Myles. Many of those ahem water pipes and lab glass as well use ground glass joints to make connections rather than threads

TheMechWarrior

@Myles said: Oh all right :-w

I feel though that perhaps on this scale you really don't need a parrot. To be honest this baby dragon is probably best suited to a 30 litre or less boiler.

With a low wines charge your cuts are going to be low volume. Even if you do use a parrot, both it and the hydrometer should be scaled down in size.

Do you really need one? It is personal choice but I suspect I would not bother.

I'm with Myles,

Go for the keep it simple approach, it will help keep this entry level product at an attractive price point.

I'm keen for to get my hands on the baby dragon for a series of small scale trials using a 5L boiler. I know I don't have a need for parrot in this configuration.

CothermanDistilling

@grim - amazon has those safety cans for $200 free shipping, whereas Grainger has them for $600... holy cow... I think a 2" HP clamp with that type valve incorporated onto it would allow a sankey keg to be used....

punkin

@Lloyd said:

Been eyeballing the funnel that fills the hip flask that Larry gifted to me.

Bugger Larry gifted you a Flask set? I just sent you two, one for you and one for Tan. Oh well.

Lloyd

Excellent! She does not need one but I can put it to good use.
It came with, I think, 5 little SS shot cups. They are bothering me to no end because I keep trying to find a way to use them on my still :))

Lloyd

A parrot is not a "must have" item but if you don't have one - you want one.
On this probably every distiller will agree.
I will pursue trying to devise a simple, low cost parrot for the Baby Dragon because I just can't help myself... I think it deserves one.

Then today we learn that the silicone hose we purchased yesterday was sold out and so our 1 meter sample will be delayed by a week. Ah, nothing every goes 100% to plan.

And woe to anyone that tries to pry a Crystal Parrot from Mama's fingers =))

Myles

Shame I am not a home. I have platinum cured silicon hose in various sizes and could have sent you some. ;)

Lloyd

Please have the wife or girlfriend send some silicone hose. If she's gorgeous then personal delivery is OK too :D

But I grudgingly can wait a week. I just see all the parts finally coming together and I really want to run the Ace of Hearts with Crystal Parrot and make you guys slobber over the next video. It is shaping up to be quite special as the very first miniature professional still will soon be fully fledged.

You know I like my 5" Crystal Dragon. It puts out more booze than any one human can possibly consume. It boarders on a still that is made for commercial use.
But I'm much more excited about the Baby Dragon because I can set it up in my kitchen, make a very generous drop of booze and then put it way, all without suffering the wrath of my other half - and that means a lot!!

The next week or two will be very much The Baby Dragon for me as it heads into general release and your distributors are finally able to begin ordering them.

Everyone here has been part of it from the beginning. You've seen idea become debate and then product. Mama would be proud of this one and I'd bet more than one or two of them find their way under the Christmas tree.

With tears in her eyes, Mama says "Santa brought me a Baby Dragon".
Please excuse me, I'm all choked up... I need a minute...

Boo Hoo. Boo Hoo.... sniffle, sniffle and wipe my eyes, blow my nose...

OK, all better now :))

Myles

@ Lloyd I think the wife is gorgeous. As for the girlfriend - best not let SHMBO even consider that possibility. ;)

(Seriously love that was just a joke, put the knives away.) :bz

Lloyd

=))

Lloyd

Getting two different prototypes of the crystal parrots made. We'll need to select only one to be produced.

Obviously the second one cost more but no surge breaker or silicone tubing is needed.

Lloyd

Manofconstantsorrow

So are these still waiting for the inner tube inside the cylinder? My vote is the second one as it's a thing of beauty.

But damn it here we go again I just bought the SS parrot when I could have had a V8, I mean crystal parrot. Pretty soon my shed is going to look like @captainshooch's They do look spectacular! A++

Lloyd

Thanks MOCS, but no inner tube is needed as you can read the alco straight through the glass (or crystal, it is quartz).
The picture was taken today by the factory not long after pulling them from the kiln so they were too hot to ship to me today. Hope to get them in about two or three days.
Waiting to get these before running the Ace of Hearts - Baby Dragon again.

The baby sized alco will fit this but the regular size alco won't.

So far only two votes, you and Punkin, and both are for the one with the little funnel spout.

Crystal Parrot, as coined by Punkin, is a keeper name.

vooharmy

I think that the stem & funnel is the right choice too.

Lloyd

Dang, I see at least two flaws in my design but I'll fix those with another prototype.
But hey, that's what prototypes are all about, right?

Better to work the bugs out on a few protos than screw up an entire production run.

Lloyd

I see the Crystal Parrot as the last piece of the Baby Dragon puzzle.
Ya know, cheaper but somehow even cooler.

I know that SD users will find innovative ways to use the Baby with a few strategic add-ons like a packed column section for neutral. What I don't ever know is that damn crazy idea that catches on. The killer app. I'm always amazed at how you guys take SD parts and contort them into great and new ideas.

I'm really hoping and wishing that Baby Dragon becomes the still of the masses. It has the potential. Small, light-weight, low cost and built with the same bones as a cutting edge professional still.

jasse

I like the second one. Ordered a torpedo this week and had a though, what if Lloyd made a crystal bubble, a single pro plate in a glass tube.

Smaug

Pretty sure we have that jasse. Its just a site tower with a single glass chimny no?

Myles

@Lloyd said: I'm really hoping and wishing that Baby Dragon becomes the still of the masses. It has the potential. Small, light-weight, low cost and built with the same bones as a cutting edge professional still.

I think there is a good chance of that Lloyd :))

Manofconstantsorrow

@Lloyd said: Thanks MOCS, but no inner tube is needed as you can read the alco straight through the glass (or crystal, it is quartz).

The baby sized alco will fit this but the regular size alco won't.

Crystal Parrot, as coined by Punkin, is a keeper name.

I see said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and saw. B-)