Brackets to hold inlet tubes

Currently undertaking some refinements to the solar water distiller. I recently posted that the water inlet was modified to be two silicone tubes:

https://bkhome.org/news/201910/first-test-of-water-distiller-prototype-3.html

Each end of the inlet assembly has a brass rod sticking out, which goes into 4mm holes drilled in the wood on both sides of the distiller. On the right side (looking from the front), there are two 6mm holes for the silicone inlet tubes:

As I want to mess around with the distiller, modifying things, I want to be able to pull out the inlet-assembly very easily. However, to do so requires the wood frame to be pulled slightly apart, so as to remove the brass rods.

Awkward, have an alternative design, metal brackets on each end. Here is the bracket for the left side:

...the washers are so that it stands out from the wood. A small off-cut of brass rod was inserted to aid placement of the drill holes. 2mm holes in the wood, and here is a sketch of the dimensions:

Zinc and aluminium don't go together very well in hot humid conditions, so will probably smear the mating surfaces with silicone sealant in the final assembly.

The right side has the two holes for the silicone tubes, and one of them is in the wrong place. I cut out a notch in the bracket for it to be moved to:

So of course the brass rods will be cut shorter, so as not to stick into the wood. Now, it should be very easy to click the inlet assembly out and remove, hence easy removal of the cloth also. More changes coming, stay tuned!  

Tags: nomad