4" Sight Tower Nut - Crystal Dragon

Ok, so obviously I'm weak and puny. I'm having trouble removing the top Stainless Steel housing of my 4" (CD) Sight Tower ready to build the column. Before I dig out my hammer, can I confirm that when viewed from the top (StillDragon logo and SS304) it's anti-clockwise to loosen the top nuts? Should I be trying to loosen the "inside" nuts first?

Comments

  • Trusty hammer - Anti-clockwise upper nut, clockwise lower nut. Lower nut first.

  • edited May 2017

    @flidget Not 100% what you are saying but a sight tower has nothing to do with the start point for a Crystal Dragon. For that you need a Crystal Dragon SS starter (same for top and bottom). By sight tower I assume you mean the short bolted glass sight glass as per StillDragon Europe site. I would not be certain but i don't think you can use that for the start and finish of a CD.

  • edited May 2017

    @GD50, that is what @SDeurope supplied as part of their 4" Crystal Dragon™ Pro Model CD4-BP3-PRO bundle. It is listed in the pack contents if you scroll down the page here. I've emailed them asking for assembly instructions using the parts they supplied in the bundle. Do you know the SD part number for a SD SS starter and finisher?

    @punkin was also confused by this one in this thread.

  • edited May 2017

    That's a Crystal Dragon mate not a sight tower.

    This is the sight tower, if you just use the correct terms then you'll be understood easier.

    You should be able to get the plate in the bottom simply enough, you did notice the the CD gaskets have a slot on the inside of them to hold the plates yes?

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @flidget. If you did not notice the slot in the middle of the gasket you are not alone. When I got mine I could not figure how to put it together so I contacted punkin . Felt a bit silly but after that it just fell together. That is the one bit that my reading had not picked up and once you know you know if you know what I mean.

    I see on that page link they called it a sight tower which is probably where the confusion came in but a ST4 to the best of my knowledge is not the same starter for a column. It could be - I just don't know.

  • edited May 2017

    LOL.

    @GD50 Thanks. I did see the slot and I'm using it. But that gasket, with the plate in the slot, doesn't fit in the SS end of a sight tower. So something has gone awry.

    Let's remember I ordered a bundle. The Bundle didn't have a separate CD top and bottom end cap. But it did have a fully assembled sight tower, that was bloody difficult to separate. The component list on the EU site for this bundle clearly does not mention any separate SS top and SS bottom assembly for the CD, but it does say that you are going to get a sight glass, so my terminology is correct? As far as I would know a disassembled sight glass is a top, bottom and one glass section of a CD. How would I know any differently? It's not like I went and suddenly decided to order a sight glass as a CD tower SS top and SS bottom. :))

    The only thing looking like a CD top and bottom in this EU bundle is this sight glass. That appears to give you a top, a bottom, and a glass tube.

    No matter how you try it - insert CD gasket into the top SS or bottom SS section (of the so-called now disassembled sight glass), with or without the plate in place (yes - I am using the slot to hold the plate), it's impossible to get it to fit, because the CD gasket diameter is too large for this SS sight glass end. I'm gonna keep calling it a sight glass 'cos that's what I was sent. Nowhere was there a separate top and bottom SS starter/finisher for a CD in the bundle.

    Have I got the wrong part in the bundle?

    @punkin said: That's a Crystal Dragon mate not a sight tower.

    Yes, but I was trying to refer people to the component list, you need to scroll down to see that. There it lists this offending :-O sight glass as part of the bundle.

    @punkin said: This is the sight tower, if you just use the correct terms then you'll be understood easier.

    Yes. That's what I was sent. I don't know why I was sent this, but it looked like you needed to take it apart for it to be any use. It was a tussle, but I got it apart in the end. I think I am using the correct terms, maybe it's just so off the wall to get a sight glass to disassemble it's easily mis-understood?

    @punkin said: You should be able to get the plate in the bottom simply enough, you did notice the the CD gaskets have a slot on the inside of them to hold the plates yes?

    Yes the plate will fit in the bottom, and rattle around nicely. But unfortunately not when it is in the slot of a CD gasket. This is because the CD Gasket is too big to fit in the SS end of a sight glass, it appears.

    Do you have a separate component for a CD tower SS bottom and SS top in AU/USA, or are you taking apart a sight glass and using those 3 components when disassembled?

  • We got a separate top and bottom in Oz. Fuck knows what you got. Only SD in Europe can solve your problem - and punkin cause he know everything :D

  • Sorry flidget i didn't realize they were doing that. I'll leave it to EU to sort with you.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • @flidget apologies as if I looked harder I would have seen the "Pack contents" bit and understood.

  • edited May 2017

    @flidget When you dismantle the sight tower there are gaskets already in there. Your glass section can just sit on that. Then you put your special gasket with plate on top and build upwards from there.

    If it's not coming together could you maybe post a photo of the part that you are having trouble with?

  • @mark85 said: flidget When you dismantle the sight tower there are gaskets already in there. Your glass section can just sit on that. Then you put your special gasket with plate on top and build upwards from there.

    Hi @mark85. Yes I worked that out pretty quickly for myself, it's the only way this bodge will take a plate. But it's not as advertised on the Europe site. This is my issue now I understand whats going on. I guess everybody else has been happy to see one thing on the Europe website and have something that looks completely different when you get the components.

    If you don't mind me asking, is this how you use it? Does gravity keep the plate in place ok? Does that thin sight glass gasket maintain a good seal?

    Not sure how to add an image, does it need to be on a website before you can add it, I cannot see any upload button?

  • edited May 2017

    Found how to add images! This is what is displayed on the EU website, and it's not a sight glass!

    image

    image.jpg
    600 x 600 - 64K
  • @flidget Once built you secure your column with your threaded rods. You don't want to overtighten them but you want to tighten them enough so you don't get any wobble between the sections. This light pressure is more than enough to seal it up. The only time Iv had any vapourescape while distilling is when I hadn't put a special gasket on properly (my fault entirely)

  • @mark85 Many thanks, sounds reassuring. Still I'd prefer it looked like the image on the website.

  • My sight tower only has holes for 4 rods. Never noticed the picture has 6. Hasn't affected me so far tho...

  • edited May 2017

    I suspect the image isn't using a sight tower. It's possibly using custom CD tower ends. Maybe it was mocked up just for the website image. I didn't notice the differences when I ordered. But as assembly started it became increasing dodgy. Firstly, the difficulty in breaking apart the sight glass led me to believe it wasn't designed to come apart. Then there were only space for 4 rods, not six. The nail in the coffin was that the CD gasket wasn't ever going to fit. Plus, all the forum confusion from outside the EU supply area.

    However, nobody from SDanywhere has yet confirmed this sight glass isn't the SD designed ends of a 4" CD tower. Nobody seems to want to answer the question: Do SD make custom CD end pieces for a 4” CD that takes 6 Rods and the CD plate gasket? Like in the image.

  • @flidget I have made the picture myself and I have built the CD you see on it. It was a regular sight tower - which had 6 rods and the inner circle did have room for the CD gasket - well it did fit but it was not pretty, since it was not completely in. We have changed the design.

    We have now 4" sight towers that can hold the glass without a CD gasket and still have space for the plate. That is why we (EU) sticked to this design, it sells well and we do not only sell to distillers.

    There are also end pieces that can be purchased from SD in US and AUS which have 6 rods and a rill for the CD gasket. We don't stock them, and we have never had them and they are not part of the offer you have seen on our website.

    The sight towers are closed very tight, since they come a long way to us and are to be shipped mostly by postal parcel and I am not a fan of broken glass after the journey.

    As mentioned before, the use of a CD is the same - it does not depend how many rods or what gasket is on the first plate. If you want to build a higher CD a pipe hanger from the ceiling might be the better solution in the first place than more rods.

    StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area

  • @Sunshine Message received. Would advise a new image, just for the benefit of the hobbyist, that has not been on the journey since 2014.

  • yeah, there are some pics that have to be made new.

    StillDragon Europe - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Europe & the surrounding area

  • edited May 2017

    @flidget said: However, nobody from SDanywhere has yet confirmed this sight glass isn't the SD designed ends of a 4" CD tower. Nobody seems to want to answer the question: Do SD make custom CD end pieces for a 4” CD that takes 6 Rods and the CD plate gasket? Like in the image.

    I've not confirmed what you have as i didn't send it to you. I will answer your question in that yes StillDragon Australia uses custom machined ends for the Crystal Dragon in all sizes. Yes it is designed to house a Crystal Dragon gasket on the bottom, but no it does not have 6 rods in the 4" size it has 4 rods. 5" Crystal Dragon has 6 rods and 8" Crystal Dragon has 8 rods.

    The plates will be held very well in the Crystal Dragon gaskets mate.

    We do not have all the same stock across the world, we have differing markets, regulations and customer demand. Some products vary.

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • edited May 2017

    I'm working my way though all the threads and amazingly I've found a related post from 2015 here

    I wasn't the first, but hopefully I'm the last, once the images and description on the SDeurope site are updated.

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