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http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor5.html
Materials
5-gallon (20-litre) oil drum, with a clamp-on steel "cinch ring" rim to secure the top (in the US, they're available from army surplus) immersion heater electric drill (this one was discarded junk, it works perfectly) drill stand -- welded together from scrap 1-1/4" (3cm) angle iron (or similar) -- or a proper drill stand, if you're lucky enough to have one temperature gauge (this one also came from a junk yard) paint stirrer to fit the drill female threaded fitting for the immersion heater Teflon plumbing tape (to seal the immersion heater fitting) 3/4" hardwood -- just a small piece, for the stirrer bush two 1-gallon (4-litre) oil cans 2- or 3-gallon container made of tough HDPE with two lids, for the methoxide aquarium air pump (this one was also junk -- Japanese junk is wonderful/appalling!) length of braided 1/2" vinyl hose length of 1/4 plastic tubing for the aquarium pump short length of 1/8" (4mm) copper piping tough epoxy resin silicon
Cost -- little or nothing, depending on what you can salvage, scavenge or scrounge, but even if you buy
everything you'll soon get your money back in saved fuel costs.
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http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor5.html
Above and above right: Plastic drill grip adapted to the drill stand -- it's bolted to a length of steel piping (a plug spanner) that's welded to a short length of angle iron bolted to the stand's upright.
A clamp-on steel "cinch ring" rim secures the top. Replace the silicon seal inside the rim of the lid with fresh silicon if needed. Apply the silicon and leave overnight until it's dry but still soft. Place the lid in position on top of the processor and clamp the cinch ring in place: under pressure the silicon will take the right shape and form a perfect seal. Leave for a day.
Stirrer bush
The clip-on cap in the top of the processor is fitted with a wooden bush cut from hardwood with a 6mm hole drilled through it to take the stirrer shaft. Make it a tightfitting hole, then heat a piece of the same steel rod as the stirrer and push it carefully through the hole -- not too hot, just enough to scorch the surface of the wood inside the hole, not char it. Add a few drops of biodiesel for lubrication.
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http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor5.html
These clip-on oil can caps fit well, they're strong and air-tight. Cut a square hole in the cap the same size as the wooden bush. Saw two shallow grooves on all four side of the bush, immediately above and below where it will fit the cap. Plug the bush into the square hole. Secure on both sides with strong epoxy resin. Push the resin firmly into the grooves. When dry cover the resin with silicon. Cut a hole in the inside plastic seal so that it fits snugly around the bush. In action, the bush is immediately lubricated by splash oil, and the fit is tight enough to prevent fumes escaping from the processor. The bush should last quite a long time, when it starts to get worn it is easily replaced.
Extra lids
The 5-gallon oil can top comes with a single lid. We added two more. Cut the lids from the two 1-gallon (4-litre) oil cans, leaving about half an inch of metal all around the lid. Cut two holes in the 5-gallon oil can top, slightly bigger than the lids. Fasten the new lids in place in the top with pop rivets or self-threading screws: fit the new lids from the underside; sandwich a thin layer of epoxy resin between the upper surface of the metal around the lid and the under surface of the top around the hole; seal both sides with silicon.
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http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor5.html
The other end fits through a hole in a clip-on oilcan cap, also sealed both sides with epoxy resin. This fits the third lid in the processor top. The smaller cap on the HDPE container has a 1-1/2" (4cm) length of 1/8" (4mm) copper piping set into it to fit the other end of 1/4 plastic tubing from the aquarium pump. When the pump is switched on (with the processor running) air fills the HDPE container, forcing the methoxide up the 1/2" hose and down into the processor. Once it starts flowing a syphon action takes over and the pump doesn't have to do much. It takes about two minutes.
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