My First Still, Big learning curve

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)

Moderator: Site Moderator

Post Reply
GoodCat
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:20 am
Location: Northern Canada

My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by GoodCat »

Hey there HD folks,
First I would like to say that this site is amazin! Man the wealth of knowledge from you cats is overwhelming, but truly appreciated!

So i have been on here reading and going over thread after thread after thread for about 4 weeks now, and as of yesterday i built my first still... well just about done anyway :).

I went fairly small to start with the thought in mind already of making a keg still this summer (when i can acquire one) Went with a 18 liter SS stock pot (biggest one i could order for 24$ and have shipped to the cold north). Any bigger and i was looking at over 100$, i figured for my first time around lets learn some stuff and keep it cheap. My first draw up i did was from a design i got from one of you cats. It incorporated a SS sink strainer and 1.5" riser to a 90 elbow - reduced to 1/2" to a 45 connected a 31" liebig condenser... well the water jacket is 23".

My concern was 2 fold with this design - 1 was the strenght of my lid and all the weight from he 1.5" - 2 was my abilities lol. I am no fabricator and i have never solderd a joint in my life... but hey, There is a first time for everthing. Well i racked my brain for the last week trying to decide what to do, went to my local hardware store to see what was available, even drove a hour to another towns hardware store to see what i could see. I know by reading on here that a bigger diameter is better but i did see alot of smaller builds with 3/4" or even just 1/2" lyne off of the lid or bowl. So i used what i had readily a available and what i felt i might have a little more success in fabricating. 3/4" male copper threaded fitting through a hole i cut with a step bit and lots of cutting fluid. Used 3 copper washers to build a shoulder on the fitting a soldered these together connected to a 3/4" female. From there went 3/4" x 12" to a 3/4" tee. One side reduces down to 1/2" and the other is cork with a thermometer in it. 1/2" 45 to a 1/2" x 28". 3/4" jacket with 3/4" - 1/2" tee x 2. The condenser is connected with 1/2 female to male copper fitting.

Everything is Stainless Steel and Copper. Figure i can seal the threaded fittings with flower past. Still have to try this lol. From what you guys say teflon tape is ok to use, but i figured try the tried and true paste and see how it goes. Did a vinegar and water soak, did a cleaning run and check for leaks, and did a 10 liter birdwatchers as my sacrificial run on Monday... took me about 4 hours to do it but i will get more into that later.

This might be a lot of rambling and useless info but i am just pumped. Learned a whole bunch in the last 4 weeks and sooo much more to learn with this hobby. I mean how awesome is it that i soldered copper pipes and made something today! Lets just hope it works hahaha. But hey if there are issues im just gonna learn from them correct it and keep learning!

Its not big or fancy but its a start. See anything wrong or have any suggestions please let me know the good and bad... im just starting on this journey and the learning curve is grand, input from you who are on the same point of this curve or from you old timers who are on the other side of the learning curve is welcome!

Again great forum and good times!
Attachments
HD (5).jpg
HD (4).jpg
HD (3).jpg
HD (2).jpg
HD (1).jpg
HD.jpg
User avatar
corene1
HD Distilling Goddess
Posts: 3045
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2013 8:05 pm
Location: The western Valley

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by corene1 »

Looks pretty good to me. You can use flour paste but it is messy and the teflon tape route is perfectly fine also. I was looking at where the handle is riveted through the lid . Check those to see if they are stainless rivets or aluminum. use something sharp to scratch them . aluminum will scratch much easier and deeper than stainless. If they are you may want to remove them and seal the holes with solder or a stainless screw as the aluminum will react with the hot alcohol vapors in the pot, potentially leaching chemicals into the wash. Also make sure the cork that holds your thermometer is natural cork not a synthetic cork . Next build you might want to bring your coolant lines for the liebeg in from the bottom , they will be more manageable and out of the way. You should be able to learn a lot running it, congratulations.
User avatar
Truckinbutch
Angel's Share
Angel's Share
Posts: 8107
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:49 pm

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by Truckinbutch »

Good starter setup . Heed what Corene has to say . She has taught many of us how to walk the walk .
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
GoodCat
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:20 am
Location: Northern Canada

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by GoodCat »

corene1 wrote:Looks pretty good to me. You can use flour paste but it is messy and the teflon tape route is perfectly fine also. I was looking at where the handle is riveted through the lid . Check those to see if they are stainless rivets or aluminum. use something sharp to scratch them . aluminum will scratch much easier and deeper than stainless. If they are you may want to remove them and seal the holes with solder or a stainless screw as the aluminum will react with the hot alcohol vapors in the pot, potentially leaching chemicals into the wash. Also make sure the cork that holds your thermometer is natural cork not a synthetic cork . Next build you might want to bring your coolant lines for the liebeg in from the bottom , they will be more manageable and out of the way. You should be able to learn a lot running it, congratulations.
Thanks Corene1,
When doing my sacrifice run I used flower paste to seal the lid and the threaded joints. Man that stuff works awesome, i might have used too much on the lip of the lid. When i took the lid off i found it had swelled on the inside and was sticky from the Vapour. Are there any concerns about the paste falling in the wash?
Good point on the cork aswell! Luckily I caught that before i ran my sacrifice run, i had 2 different bags of cork for my wine bottles. One is cork pieces that look to be pressed together and i am sure glued (thats the one you can see in the pic) the others are one piece natural cork. I cut 2 apart to see the insides, i could see some of the grain that cork can have is visible and they look like solid cork.
When i ran this set up I actually had the coolent lines pointing towards the back not straight up, but this means i dont have 45 degree angle. It still seemed to work well and the hose didn't put downward pressue on the thin pot lid. Great point on this and Next one i build will for sure be pointed down, and chances are i will also solder the liedeg to the column instead of having the threaded copper fittings.
I didn't even see or think about the rivets, i will definitely check them tonight when i get home! That picture sure does look like aluminum. Can't believe I didn't notice that!

Thanks for the pointers. I will post some picks of my first run later today.
Pikey
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2444
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:29 pm
Location: At the edge of the Wild Wood

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by Pikey »

Looks great ! :thumbup:

Cork can also be a bit porous to gas, I have a similar thermo port and I seal the cork with a full coating of flour paste down the sides and onto the copper.

I've never noticed any prob with a little of that gooey paste getting into the boiler, although obviously the less the better.

Look forward to hearing about your first tasting ! 8)
User avatar
Mikey-moo
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 1498
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:54 am

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by Mikey-moo »

If more people started with a similar set up I think they'd all have a much better experience. Good job :-)
Best place to start for newbies - click here - Courtesy of Cranky :-)

If you have used this site to save money by making your own top quality booze at home then please consider donating a couple of dollars to help keep this site running. Cheers!
GoodCat
Novice
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2017 9:20 am
Location: Northern Canada

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by GoodCat »

It works great! 4 runs in so far, all from my wine recipes. Man this hoby is awesome. I have lots of pics and details form my first run. I will put together a post of it an the little i have learned sofar!

I see now why all you experienced guys say that a thermometer is not necessarily required...
User avatar
T-Pee
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 4355
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:20 pm
Location: The wilds of rural California

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by T-Pee »

The still is strong in this one.

tp
The Baker
Master of Distillation
Posts: 4659
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am
Location: Northern Victoria, Australia

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by The Baker »

Pikey said, "I've never noticed any prob with a little of that gooey paste getting into the boiler".

As a baker for many years I do not use a gooey paste of flour and water.

I use less water, knead it as a soft dough for a while, then form it into a rope and put that where the seal is needed. I find that a lot , maybe not easier but more natural...Certainly less messy.
Some could still get into the still but that would not matter.
Geoff
The Baker
Shine0n
Distiller
Posts: 2488
Joined: Thu Feb 25, 2016 6:00 am
Location: Eastern Virginia

Re: My First Still, Big learning curve

Post by Shine0n »

Nice starter setup! I like it, as a matter of fact I'm going to make a small one in the near future for small batches of brandy and experimental batches.
The paste is a great way to seal and I still use it on some of my joints and for the lid on my thumper. I do use a piece of copper sheet (16oz) wrapped in Teflon tape for my seal to my keg.

I may copy your design, it looks very simple and effective.
Great job, enjoy the rabbit hole.

Shine0n
Post Reply