Building my first copper still

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

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Re: Building my first copper still

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Mr. Parlanchin, the worlds creepiest ventriloquist puppet. He keeps the kids outta my basement. My niece actually has nightmares about him.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Pikey wrote:
DBCFlash wrote:I'm going to try to learn how to drive this thing as a pot still before I attempt to generate any kind of reflux. Gotta learn to crawl before I try to run...
D'ya know - that's what I did and I was so pleased I never did open the reflux valve ! :oops:

Happy inaugaraition :thumbup:
Oh, make no mistake, I'll open that valve! Might not be for a while, but I'm going to do the reflux dance someday. I actually have a plan to modify the top of my column to make the reflux coil more efficient. I think I'll be adding some cooling lines right through the column just above the coils so the center of the column gets cooled as well as the outside. But that's a project for another day. Right now I have to learn the nuances of running this thing as a simple pot still.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Hahaha nice.

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Re: Building my first copper still

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DBCFlash wrote:
Pikey wrote:
DBCFlash wrote:I'm going to try to learn how to drive this thing as a pot still before I attempt to generate any kind of reflux. Gotta learn to crawl before I try to run...
D'ya know - that's what I did and I was so pleased I never did open the reflux valve ! :oops:

Happy inaugaraition :thumbup:
Oh, make no mistake, I'll open that valve! Might not be for a while, but I'm going to do the reflux dance someday. I actually have a plan to modify the top of my column to make the reflux coil more efficient. I think I'll be adding some cooling lines right through the column just above the coils so the center of the column gets cooled as well as the outside. But that's a project for another day. Right now I have to learn the nuances of running this thing as a simple pot still.
I like your approach . Eat the apple one bite at a time . :clap:
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Watch out for that guy peeking around the pot. He looks like trouble.

Nice looking rig.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Ran a pot full of vinegar water through it tonight. Still getting some drips from a couple of spots on my pit lid gasket. I need to glue the seam (outside the pot, no contact with my distillate) and adjust the pressure on the clamps.
Tried out my condenser for the first time. It was knocking down the water vapor at full powah with no problem at all. I was recirculating cooling water from a five gallon bucket and it warmed up way fast. I'll have to change my cooling plan from recirculating water to simply tap water. One of the lines popped loose right in the middle of the run and water went everywhere. I'll need to add threaded hose connections and that issue will go away.
My wash is still bubbling a little and by my calculations it's over 13.6% alcohol. I'm sad that this will just be a cleaning run and all that will be going down the drain. I'll start another tomorrow, this time for drinking.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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So I'm moving my wifes laundry from the basement to our attached garage. Installing the plumbing, and the electric and she won't have to climb the stairs anymore. The REAL reason is once the damned washer and dryer are outta the way I can use the old hookups for stillin'. It's perfect. There's water, a drain, 240 volt outlet and the platform I built for the washer/dryer is a perfect height to keep my still on.
Anyway, I'm working on this project so the still has to wait a bit.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Nice work.
You really are a good husband thinking of your wife not having to climb stairs anymore.

and my what a coincidence the vacated spot is perfect for stillin'.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Still Life wrote:Nice work.
You really are a good husband thinking of your wife not having to climb stairs anymore.

and my what a coincidence the vacated spot is perfect for stillin'.
Do you realize just how painful snorting raw white dog from your mouth out through your nostrils can be ? Use some restraint on what you post .
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Truckinbutch wrote:
Still Life wrote:Nice work.
You really are a good husband thinking of your wife not having to climb stairs anymore.

and my what a coincidence the vacated spot is perfect for stillin'.
Do you realize just how painful snorting raw white dog from your mouth out through your nostrils can be ? Use some restraint on what you post .
As a woman it is really nice to see a gentleman think so much of his wifes daily labor to make things easier for her. You are a true gentleman! :sarcasm:
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Re: Building my first copper still

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This move has been in the planning stages for a few years, but since I started running the still, the laundry area in the basement has gotten too crowded. I'll be running a 20 amp 110 outlet as well as the 30 amp 240 since we are always looking for a place to plug in stuff in the garage. The 20 amp would be perfect for my MIG welder.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Everything's done except dragging the damned heavy ass washer up the stairs. I'll clean up the basement laundry area and get my still in place. I've got one more cleaning run with my Birdwatchers, and I'm starting Uncle Jesse's sour-mash today. I'm excited to get going!
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Started my UJSSSM tonight. My SG was 1.055. I got a few more fittings so I can connect my Liebig to the washer supply line. I still need to get some extra wide Teflon tape to make an airtight seal between the pot and lid. The old platform I built for the wifes washer and dryer is perfect for my still. Low enough that I can see the gauge at the top, but high enough that I'm not stooping to swap my jars and read my hygrometer. If I get that teflon tape soon, I might finish my cleaning run before the weekend and actually make my first drop this Sunday.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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I was all ready to do my cleaning run. Filled the pot, clamped the lid, plugged in the controller and POW! The SSR blew it's lid and all the magic smoke came out. Looks like there was a short somewhere in the line from the controller to the still. I took it all apart and I just can't find the short. I measured it with my Volt/Ohm meter when it was all assembled, but now that I've taken it apart I can't find the bad connection anywhere. I even stripped the insulation off the cord to see if it was internal, but everything looks right. I haven't a clue where the short was, and the damned thing worked perfectly until now.
I've got another controller on order now, I'll buy a new cord and go over all the connections one more time. Very disappointed...
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Re: Building my first copper still

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DBCFlash wrote:. I measured it with my Volt/Ohm meter when it was all assembled,
Good thinking! Hey, you know what? I think it would be more fun If you shared that meter reading with us./

EDIT: A drawing of your controller wiring would be a real kick in the pants, too. The photos are too dark to make it out with my old, wore out eyes. And your white ground keeps screwing me up. Lol.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Well, the meter reading was dead short over all three leads. Even with the cord unplugged. Once I took it all apart all three read open. My schematic would simply be the same as the one on Crankys Super Simple Controller thread.
When I flipped the switch the voltage read 245 volts but there was a reading of 11.7 amps, and that was with the dial turned to zero. That tells me one leg was going straight to ground. I turned the dial "just in case" I'd forgotten to start it at zero and nothing changed. All this happened in about four seconds. Before I could flip the switch off, the big KAPOW happened and all the magic smoke puffed out of my vent holes. The connections to my hot tub element don't have any shielding around them so I think the stiff wires pushed against something they oughtn't.
I intended to replace my stiff wire with something more flexible for just that very reason. My bad.
I'll do a better job insulating the connections this time. I like the hot tub element but I don't know what the "correct" way would be to make those electrical connections. They are just two little threaded studs sticking out with little nuts on them. I simply put some ring connectors on the wire, but there's too much exposure for this to be right. I could use some better ideas if you guys have any.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Oh, and it was working perfectly on three earlier test runs.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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What was your ohms on the element? Not continuity. 9 to12. Possibly up to 25ish

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Re: Building my first copper still

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I actually just had this happen to me. Have to replace my ssr and possibly the pot too ( dial) . Pain in the ass. Still don't know what arc'd on mine.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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I'll check the element tonight, but I'm convinced it was just the wiring.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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I DID IT!!!!! I ran my Birdwatchers that I made through the still that I made and I made moonshine!!! I know, I know, it's just a cleaning run and I can't drink it, but everything worked exactly the way it was supposed to. I had to bypass my blown up controller and simply ran it at full power. My liebig kept up just fine and I had a stream pouring from my parrot. I never really thought it would work so well, but there you go.
I want to go ahead and run my UJSSSM but I can only use full power until my replacement controller comes in. I suppose it really would be just fine as long as my condenser can keep up, and it does.
Now I'm going to cry as I pour a gallon and a quarter of my own home-made booze down the drain. These rules just hurt sometimes...
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Re: Building my first copper still

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DBCFlash wrote:I DID IT!!!!! I ran my Birdwatchers that I made through the still that I made and I made moonshine!!! I know, I know, it's just a cleaning run and I can't drink it, but everything worked exactly the way it was supposed to. I had to bypass my blown up controller and simply ran it at full power. My liebig kept up just fine and I had a stream pouring from my parrot. I never really thought it would work so well, but there you go.
I want to go ahead and run my UJSSSM but I can only use full power until my replacement controller comes in. I suppose it really would be just fine as long as my condenser can keep up, and it does.
Now I'm going to cry as I pour a gallon and a quarter of my own home-made booze down the drain. These rules just hurt sometimes...
Laughin my ass off . It's almost like reaching puberty and whittlin that bean produces something . You will never be the same and the adventure never ends .
I got no basis for saying this because I use propane ; but , I think you would be good to go doing stripping runs at full power while you are waiting for a new controller .
I would want total control for a spirit run .
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Reminds me of a teenager that just got back from la zona rosa... I'll head over to the bench to tell y'all bout that!
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Re: Building my first copper still

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I'm gonna sneak outta work early today so I can run my whiskey. It really does feel like I'm a teenager skipping school to do something illicit. Life is pretty cool that this old man can still get that "first "time" feeling again.
On the technical side, my short fat Liebig did an awesome job knocking down the distillate from my 5500 Watt element. The reshaping of the inner tube along with the twisted coil in the cooling water path must have made the difference as it never huffed unless I turned the water flow way down. The reflux coil on the top of the column did draw away some heat but I have no idea if it contributed any real reflux. I didn't have the column packed so I guess that's an experiment for another day.
My PTFE tubing seal worked fine once it had a couple of wraps of extra wide teflon tape to help it seal. Never did use that glue I was talking about. The only leak I found was the threads on the big nut holding the column to the pot lid. It was tiny, but I'll re-wrap it with teflon tape and seal it next run.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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I now have three and a half quarts of my own home-made whiskey. First quart was running 70-80%, second was 65-55% and the third lingered around 40%. The last half quart was lingering off around 20% when I called it done. First one is harsh and just a little off tasting to me, second seems like something really nice with a hint of the corn, third tastes very corny and not like booze at all and the last one just tastes like the water you'd drain from a can of corn. I put 1 1/4 gallons of backset with 7 lbs of sugar and about a pound of cracked corn back into my fermenter and it's bubbling away already.
I know I'm s'pose to keep all this run to run a second time once I have enough, but I really think I want to put that second quart on wood and make my first aged whiskey. I think I'll just save the heads and tails for a spirit run. It's going to take me four or five generations of this mash to have enough for a spirit run, and I can't run slow til I get mt Chinese controller anyway.
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Re: Building my first copper still

Post by Pikey »

To me that's the point - That middle quart is what I use - the rest goes back in the pot for the next run. But I do single runs, which many do not and in some ways perhaps I do 1.5 runs ?

So now you're the "Guilty teenager" and have made "proper moonshine" How does it feel ? :)

PS - It's good to have a dish of "flour pastry" at hand. You can use it to stop those "Little leaks" dead in their tracks while you make a nto to sort them out after :thumbup:
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Feels really really good, and I ain't gettin' this one pregnant.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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DBCFlash wrote:Feels really really good, and I ain't gettin' this one pregnant.
OH yes you are :wink:

This baby will change your life for ever ! :lol:
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Started another Birdwatchers this morning. I hope my new controller comes in so I can try a neutral that I don't have to pour down the drain. Put one quart of my ULSSSM in a small oak barrel and the rest will wait for a spirit run.
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Re: Building my first copper still

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Toasting some white oak boards to place in my jars. 2 hours at 400 degrees is where I'm starting. Once they're out of the oven I'll give them a char and then into glass they go.
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