Help Building A bigger still.

[Adverse Effects]

have you looked in to High Frequency Induction Heating

i would also lay the drum on its side and run 2 2inch or 3 inch columns off it if that is possible

[bunting]

have you looked in to High Frequency Induction Heating

I would also lay the drum on its side and run 2 2inch or 3 inch columns off it if that is possible

Hmmm great idea lying the drum on its side, clever innovation mate. High Frequency induction really interests me having a background in Electrotechnology. Have you implemented a system like this before?

Cheers
Bunting

[Adverse Effects]

have you looked in to High Frequency Induction Heating

I would also lay the drum on its side and run 2 2inch or 3 inch columns off it if that is possible

Hmmm great idea lying the drum on its side, clever innovation mate. High Frequency induction really interests me having a background in Electrotechnology. Have you implemented a system like this before?

Cheers
Bunting

no i havent yet BUT i am thinking of it because you can have the induction coil in side the pot and have a heating bar of what ever length you want running through the middle of it and the beer/wort will keep the induction coil cool so no need for a cooling system and all the coil is is a length of copper tube just like we use ;-D to make stills
the only problem is getting the coil ends out of the pot wile kepping them insulated

[bunting]

My apologies, bunting... If you'd have come across as serious from the start then perhaps I/we wouldn't have been so skeptical... We get a lot of wannabe's and clowns here and we'd rather winnow out the chaff than waste our time... If you're honestly looking to go legit, good for you... It can be a long and tedious process in just about any country these days...

@punkin... I wasn't pulling you into anything, it just sounded like you were every bit as skeptical as I was there for a moment... The recent influx of new members has caused a lot of skepticism for many of us...

Hi Rad, Thanks for accepting me into your community I look forward to returning quality information to this forum in the future. I am hoping to spend alot more time perfecting this as it has become a small (Growing rapidly) addiction of mine that takes up more and more time each week.It is understandable you were skeptical as like mine your time is very precious and not replaceable. Long and tedious is what I am sure it will be as planning permits for my separate " ethanol storage building" will take six months to be approved by my local council at the moment. But in the meantime I can work on fermentation and designing a still to reach my requirements.

Cheers!

Bunting

[rad14701]

Well, bunting, just don't get too far ahead of yourself because it could bite you in the ass and thwart any effort to go legal... There was a catch 22 scenario here in the US years ago... You could apply for a federal permit to to grow marijuana, or so the government said... Unfortunately, there really were no permits, although that detail was never divulged... However, in order to fully apply for a permit you had to submit samples of your marijuana which, unfortunately, implicated you of manufacture without a permit... No federal permits were ever awarded but more than a few people were nabbed trying to get one... But I digress... Nonetheless, be careful out there... They really are out to get you...

[blanikdog]

awwwww rad, you are so cynical. The victorian cops wouldn't be involved in anything like that.
A recent enquiry found that one in twenty eight cops has a prison record, corruption is at the top levels in the force - one was being considered as the next chief commissioner, another is/was the head of the police union. They face the possibility of twenty years in the slammer. That should be fun for them. There are many others shitting them selves. Who knows how much of the force is corrupt? We, (the public) sure don't, and will never find out.

I was taught at primary school that 'Policeman is my friend'

blanik

[Adverse Effects]

awwwww rad, you are so cynical. The victorian cops wouldn't be involved in anything like that.
blanik

i seem to remember 3 years in a row that the cops went

*bang* *bang* *bang* holt police stop or we will shoot

[duds2u]

blanikdog wrote:
awwwww rad, you are so cynical. The victorian cops wouldn't be involved in anything like that.
blanik

Adverse Effects wrote:
i seem to remember 3 years in a row that the cops went

*bang* *bang* *bang* holt police stop or we will shoot

I've shot competetively against them - they are good.

[gravy]

I have a 125 litre still and brew in a 200 litre barrel.

Running larger equipment is more complicated than just scaling up a smaller still - three hours of labour to distill 25 litres of wash would cost me an entire weekend. To have a life, my system has been designed to operate largely unattended. I run 4kW of electric heating because controlling it electronically is useful. Cooling is via a a closed water system and heat exchanger and a hot water pump. One intervention is required during distillation, and the temperature controller stops progression until this is done.

There is the need to minimise costs that most hobby distillers don't appreciate. You need to be able produce spirits for close to nothing if you want a market to exist for them once the exice (~$24 per 40% litre) is added. The major costs of commercial vodka production are exicse and marketing - I'd be surpised if there was any vodka available that cost more to make than the bottle it came in. From a commercial point of view, I can produce clean spirirt for about AUD $0.70 a 40% litre including all input costs but excluding labour and capital recovery. Consumed labour is around 3 minutes per 40% litre including brewing, distilling and watering back. Running the still everyday I could produce 300 40% litres a week. I would need more brewing barrels, but it would be otherwise manageable.

I'd recommend a sugar wash because its not labour intensive, not seasonal and not (too) messy. It also makes using a single distillation viable. You would need hundreds of kilos a week of whatever you were fermenting - anything except sugar would be difficult to manage, and how would you prepare it or dispose of it afterwards?

If you're in Melbourne maybe you'd like to catch up. I'm doing a run next Tuesday if you want to see it in action.

[Dnderhead]

Your cost must be a lot different, than hear in US.lincenc+bond+inserance+ maintaining a separate commercial bulding+feed stock+heat/power
And separate licenses to manufacture, distribute, sell( separate premises also) Taxes + mantainince on each.
Heat (gas) 14$ makes 3 runs? = 4.65 @ 4l of 90prL = 1.62 perL@ 45%
sugar= 1.00$ kg = takes about 3/4 kg @ 45% per l = .75
bottles unless you buy a truck load are 1.00 = 1.00
---------
3.37 + labels and other misalaneus + above mentioned + tax almost forgot the G man
And do not thank your going to start a business to git out of work it does not work that way.If you want it to secede you will spend 24/7

[VicBill]

Hi,

In this part of the world, a liquor license only allows you to sell booze, not make it.

I have a liquor license etc

To distill (legally), the first port of call is the Tax Office for an excise license. The cost of a really good still would only be minor in the overall scheme of other costly things (like compliance, laboratory equipment, safe storage facilities etc.

No-one would bother with a 44 for commercial, nor probably get away with using one legally here.

[violentblue]

I openly admit I'm paranoid.
I wish it were that simple to start a distillery.
Perhaps a fuel ethanol distillery might be that easy, but something seems way off.