Hey folks........... I'm just getting started in this here hobby. I've been around and been part of a few other hobbies where some DIY spirit was very helpful. Here in Brazil most chems are highly watched because of the huge cocaine industry, so naptha is not really available. After much searching I found a source of Benzine from a car painting shop. They sold it to me in a 2 liter soda bottle. LOL.

After doing an evap test on a plate it did in fact leave behind a slight oily residue with a strong solvent smell after 2 hours. No good right? I placed the plate over some boiling water and the smell pretty much disappeared after 10 minutes but the oil did not. So I've decided to distill this Benzine since there are no other options for solvents where I live.

I don't have any distillation equipment or fancy laboratory goodies. SO I improvised and made this condenser. I'm posting it here to show you guys and get your opinions on how it turned out.

I'll be filling the small cooler with ice when the time comes. The evaporation vesel (whiskey bottle) will be corked and placed into a hot water bath, while the receiving bottle will be placed in another cooler also with ice.

Do you guys think that is a long enough of a run for the condenser? I do not wish to lose much solvent and I certainly don't want my yard stinking too much and having the neighbors wonder whats going on.

Here are the pics, They are self explanatory.






































I did the best I could with what was readily available. I'm short on tools and materials at the moment.

Thanks for sharing !! I would love to see pics of the finished work too!

What is the tubing made of?

Looks like copper to me, it kinks and scratches up like it too. This is an interesting project, good contribution, eager to see how it functions.

yup.... that's flexible copper tubing. I didn't realize it would kink so easily. Figured it was a bit more fluid and easy to work with. I did my best to work out the kinks by squeezing with a pair of pliers but I'm only human . I'll keep the camera ready when it's time to distill.

If you have enough copper tubing, I would suggest to wind it around a cylinder. It should be easier than to bend it the way you did. Also your condenser will be more efficient.

I am n00b. What are you going to use this for?

Very Creative.
I should build one too.
Wouldn't some solvents be able to dissolve copper oxide from the tubing?

This is a fantastic idea, I think we should put more effort into DIY solvent-cleaning, so that people with less easy access to good solvents aren't compromising their health.