Making an IC- Tips?

[Skins_Brew]

Ok, so a while ago i went to home depot and bought some really cheap copper tubing. It was only about 15 feet of it and it was really flimsy. I attempted to wrap it around a large pot and it came out looking really crappy. Here it is.



Well, I went to my parents house today and asked my dad (a plumber) if he had any extra scrap copper tubing. He said "oh yea" and we go out to the truck and he presents me with this...



its 3/8" OD. I told him I couldn't accept it because its a huge piece of thick quality copper tubing that's probably pretty pricey. He said they dont really use the stuff that often and its been in his truck for years. My question is this, is there any tricks to forming this into a nice and neat coil?

 

[ChshreCat]

Looks like a nice neat coil to me. Job well done. Go have a beer.

 

[Rick500]

Use a Corny keg or something similar in diameter as a form.

 

[bandit77]

Is that 3/8 copper tube 25 feet long? If so... you just need a few copper fitting and a 25' 5/8 rubber hose to make a cfc. Look at Bobby thread.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/counterflow-chiller-tutorial-51793/

Later

 

[ben_j8mmin]

ya. set your corney in the middle. then grab yhat you figgure to be the center and work tward the end.
Clear as mud?
Ben

 

[Bobby_M]

It actually looks to me like 1/2" OD and about 40 feet of it but I could be way wrong. In any case, I also have a video showing a decent way to construct a neat IC. Have your dad solder the elbows on if you want.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EolKTDZUQ]YouTube - Immersion Chiller (IC) Build[/ame]

 

[Skins_Brew]

thanks for the tips. I wrapped it around a pot. It aint pretty but its going to blow my old crappy one out of the water.

 

[davebl]

use your old one as a pre-chiller. put it in a cooler full of ice water and run your water through it before the CFC in your hot wort.

 

[DubbelDach]

If you don't solder elbows on like Bobby, you'll need springs to bend the tubing close to 90* without kinking it. Your dad probably has them if he works with the stuff.

Used the springs on all these bends... (50' of 3/8" tubing, wrapped around a corny)

 

[MrShake]

I was able to bend the ends without a spring on mine.. just went REALLY SLOWLY!! Elbows rock though!