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Simple Copper Parrot Construction
Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"This the parrot that I built in about an hour from some scraps of copper I had laying around. I always wanted one but did'nt want to buy one. I don't think you absolutley must have one but if you have what it takes to make one why not......its really simple. Again this is made from scraps so its dosen't look like a 125$ one either. There's prolly only 25$ worth of stuff here and a little Map gas torch is all it takes for copper this small. I haven't polished it yet so she'll shine but I'll get to it. I made the riser kinda high cause I dont know how much pressure it takes to lift the hydrometer but higher is better than shorter if theres a dought. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"I tested it with water and it seemed to work fine, sorry I did'nt get some pics of the parts layed out but you can see theres only 8 pieces to this thing. Heres another angle... Anyway ya'll otta try this before you spend lots of $$$$$ on one I thought it would be a little tougher but no...oh the tube is 1"" and everything else is 3/8"" soft copper. Oh and lead free soldier."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/24/2012(UTC) Posts: 630
Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 13 time(s) in 13 post(s)
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looking good ! looks live you live in Florida too
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Yessir, SE of Orlando, I see your in FL. too and you'll see how much fun it is to still in June,July and August. My garage is usually 105F in those months and man its fun to still in that frikkin heat. Thats another reason I dont keep fermenters in the garage in those months. But right now is the time I like, I have 2 fermenters going now and gonna try to keep em steady until March anyway. Next week I get to try out my new toy."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/24/2012(UTC) Posts: 630
Thanks: 1 times Was thanked: 13 time(s) in 13 post(s)
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i'm 1/2 way between orlando and daytona and you're right, gotta keep those ferments inside during the summer. i usually keep it in the spare bathroom tub
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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Get the emery out and it should look really nice. My only criticisim would be without a catch cup your hydrometer is going to sit low at about the bottom of your beak outlet. That will make it difficult to read accurately. Normally the center tube flows over into the catch up allowing it(center tube) to be the highest point making it very easy to read.
Just a note from anyone wanting to build one, if you are using lead free plumbing solder a propane torch will work just fine.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Well this is my water test and as you can see the hydro is floating very high ( thats cause it water) "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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" Originally Posted by: ohyeahyeah Get the emery out and it should look really nice. My only criticisim would be without a catch cup your hydrometer is going to sit low at about the bottom of your beak outlet. That will make it difficult to read accurately. Normally the center tube flows over into the catch up allowing it(center tube) to be the highest point making it very easy to read.
Just a note from anyone wanting to build one, if you are using lead free plumbing solder a propane torch will work just fine. Lets hope we are all useing --lead free soldier-- True enough about Propane...I mentioned Map gas cause I was soldiering 2"" copper and Propane will NOT get hot enough to soldier that. A good friend (who IS a plumber) said all his service guys use Map gas or Acetalyn gas but never Propane. It will work on small stuff thats true so what ever floats your boat. I was just stating facts about what worked for me!"
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 1/27/2012(UTC) Posts: 526
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Hey Heeler looking good. If you have a dish tub large enough to put that in get a gallon of distilled vinegar, about $2.00, and let it soak all the crud off your copper. Saves a lot of work.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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Thank you sir...I did'nt know that little factiod! As they say we're always learning.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Thankyou for your imput on how to make my parrot easier to read, and you are right closer to the beak seems to do the trick. When I did a water test it seemed easy to read and now that I'm into a likker run and the top has been taken down by another 1/8th of an inch it seems better. I think the surface tension of water may hold it higher in the tube than ethanol but we'll see throughout the run.
And the suggestion of working with 2"" copper, well I AM speaking from experince. I am not a pro at soldiering so maybe that was my reasoning for so many leaks in my joints of 2"" still towers that I built. And again you are right - I was shocked how shitty my joints were with propane. But with the hotter burning gases well it just seemed to work better for me. Now if others can make it work for them ---great."
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Well I'm into the run and my parrot whilst not a thing of beauty seems to be functional. Might still need to work out some bugs but no worries. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Seems easy enough to read with the recent modification. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"After seeing the parrot of OYY's in another thread ( and kinda being imbarrassed about what I just built) I decided to try to make the same style of the one he made. I like the idea of hanging from the tower. OYY you mentioned a flute once and thats how the parrot is connected to those, it hangs from a union joint. If you dont mind will you give me your secret of how you made your coil so uniform and what size the copper is? It looks like 3/8th inch and maybe a 2"" circumference? So far this is what I got going for my build. And this is how I made my coil.:) "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"This is the look I'm going for, of course its not put together yet. I gotta make a Lowes run, not enough scraps left to finish this one. And still not sure how to make a really cool coil without kinks. I did'nt get any in the one shown but its 3/8ths and I'm thinking of going smaller for ease of working with it. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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I had never used a parrot until the other day and I kinda enjoyed it. I always took abv% readings by just standing the beaker under the drip and going at it like that. Then run for while and do it again. But having the parrot inline throughout the run kinda made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. So now I gotta have one that looks better than the first one.
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Rank: Advanced Member Groups: Registered
Joined: 3/1/2012(UTC) Posts: 198
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The new one is looking sweet. I just rolled my tubing around a jar of sundried tomatoes i picked up at sobeys from a sale bin for a buck. Still haven't eaten them yet. I rolled it tight to the jar with each coil touching the last. I did that coil as practice for when i made my gramham condensor probably close to two years ago. I realized it was going to be to small so i threw it in the scraps bucket. When i went to make my parrot i saw it and figured i could use it someway. I just stretched it out like i did when i made my condensor. It seems to go better(for me) if i do them as a tight coil then stretch to length. The tubing is 3/8 i believe. I noticed when i tried to roll the first stuff i had left over from making my first worm style condensor it kinked like crazy. In my experience the dull luster stuff just doesn't roll well. You have to get the really shiny stuff. That kind of sounds dumb i know but it seems true. I think the really shiny stuff that doesn't lose its luster is maybe intended for A/C installs. Possibly tubing as opposed to pipe. Home Depot here sells both types in coiled rolls. The stuff in your picture looks to me like the harder to roll stuff that always wants to kink.
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"Well after failing miserabley trying to make a coil of 3/8th copper for my parrot I decided to take the easy way out and just add the piece you see. Now that was'nt my plan but 2 -5ft rolls later and much curssing I gave up and made what you see. I never had one that hung like that either so its still new territory for me. Anyway heres some pics --- I'll explain..... This is my slant reflux tower with the new parrot hanging. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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" You can see that little tube up top and thats a vent - its a must so the hydro does'nt bounce. The expanding air has to go somewhere and that tube vents the tower. You can also see I added a little valve on the bottom of the riser tube and my thinking was, fill the tube at first and that amount will be foreshots ( i bet) then drain it off and start to collect the heads. I also drained one tube full that I thought was the start of the heads and then I started useing jars. I find out in the morn how much heads I still have to toss. "
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Rank: Senior Member Groups: Registered, Moderator Joined: 4/14/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,666
Was thanked: 15 time(s) in 15 post(s)
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"And this is just another shot of the drain valve on the bottom..... "
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