From reading to liquor. From Russia with love (pix)

[C2-H5-Oh]

Hello Everyone. This is my first post to My First. I'm a total noob, and bought an airstill, carbons and turbos in late January. Seduced by the Dark Side. Then I found the Forum and read and read, past time for bed. "You are mistaken my young apprentice, about a great, many, things." I returned the unused airstill etc. for refund, but kept the fermenters and useful bits. I searched the Net and got a Russian still that's a perfect match for my apartment and consumption. It's properly leak checked and cleaned with vinegar-water steam, prayers and sacrifices. First washes and runs were planned using the Tried and True section, the "pot still calc v2" and rad's calcs on the parent site. Reading and study are absolutely key, but sooner or later, it's time to solo.

FIRST RUNS: From reading, to liquor

I made twin 20 L washes of rad's Gerber (multigrain): one for still cleaning and one to keep. If you are a newbie like me, I -strongly recommend- you start with this excellent, simple, easy, cheap receipe. I've never fermented anything, but got it on the first try! You can too: just read the Forum, sanitize your gear and wash hands often. I worried about the smell, but apart from a slight kitchen odor after pitching baker's yeast, it was quite OK and gone by dawn. Yield: 40 L @ 11.8%: just 5 days to dry and two at rest. Both batches were bang on the numbers from the calcs! Racked the wash right to the boiler with an autosiphon: it was pretty clear, as advertised. The first 20 L went in 3 cleaning runs, which were also tutorial-rehearsals for the second 20. This taught me how to make and rack a clean wash, control heat, smell-feel the vapor, 4s, hedz and tailz and how to collect joy juice in jars during recorded runs.Tossed it all out, good or not: that's 3 solid first lessons and a very clean new SS still for only 10 bux. It didn't stink up the place, either!
On Sunday May 7 2017, the second 20 L ran as my first wash for keeps & gotta confess to both hope 'n' fear. Result: 4.25 L @ 50, diluted to 38 and it's suh-mooooth! Huzzah, it works! Lookee what me do! Thank you, Forum!
Danke, Gerber undt Fleischmann! Lookin' for to makin' more 'n' gettin' better at it. Wannadu Odin's cornflake, oaking and berry liqueurs but will master basics first, then take another step. But first, I'll take another sip!
Here's a toast to Homer Simpson, who said: "Alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of mankind's problems."

FIRST STILL: From Russia, with love.

This is my stainless steel sweetheart, the Magarich Export from Russia, made in 12 and 20 L models. Though I chose the smaller, this still has it where it counts. For me, it fits under the range hood on the stove. For visitors, it fits under the kitchen counter in a SS sugar pot beside the twin fermenters (it's only 60 cm or 2' tall). My entire operation is odorless and invisible. Use any heat source on the Export's heavy base. The cylindrical condenser is huge: 384 sq. cm. / 58 sq. inches in area. The column I.D. is 38 mm or 1.5" with a removeable thermometer in the vapor path. The still is "performance" rated at 3 L/hr (strip), and nominal at 2 L/hr (spirit) and my stove keeps it at at about that. This means flooding/surging is unlikely with a pot 70% full of Gerber. This means I can comfortably run a 20 L wash to the bottles in a few hours. The hot distillate flows through an insulated water cooled collar below the condenser; no ice is nice! Yes, the collar can be removed. There is nothing wider than the boiler like thumpers or flake jars to set up and complicate storage. Nalgene quick disconnects were added to make water tube attaching, draining and coil-up a breeze.
Get it out, fill it up, hook it up, heat it up, run it right, cool it down, wash it out and put it back: apeesacake.

Magarich Export cutaway

Maggie makin' moonshine

Under cabinet stealth

The Export is beautifully made and came with 3 stylish leather insulator bands, some tubing and a good digital thermo. In my mitts after a month's wait for just $235. That tiny airstill was only $40 less! The Export's only minus is the plastic distillate tubing from condenser to cooler and cooler to exit. Although probably OK, I could not verify it, so put in high temp HDPE tubing rated for 100% propanol (McMaster-Carr). Magarich also makes accessory reflux tubes with SS scrubbies for this model that I hope to buy, or maybe make from food grade SS pipe. The extensions screw together below the cooling collar and thread to the boiler. This means I can grow with this still in the future when ready to try refluxing. The take-off port is across from the thermometer. Its tube is clamped but I open it, learning to smell the vapor directly and not rely on the thermometer. Price, quality, performance, size, convenience, stealth, expansion: what's not to like? I really love my "litttle Maggie"!

Thang Q V V Muchly, everybody! The next washes are started (barley Gerber) and I've had a -truly superb- introduction to our hobby and craft. Cheers from C2-H5-Oh!

[Maritimer]

A Metric American. That's unusual.

[bilgriss]

We Americans tend to be somewhat pragmatic with regards to your use of measurements....

Most pools are 25M long,
I used to work for a printer which measured paper length in meters, and width in inches.

Those of us who grew up in the 70's remember the big push to do a national conversion to measurement standards that everyone else in the world used and that could be used in conjunction with basic mathematics. Then some politician who couldn't do math and knew we had manifest destiny came along and the whole thing got scrapped.

OP - nice still. Good job on the safety modifiations. Have fun!

[Danespirit]

Damned, your Maggie is a sexy girl..

The only thing I have to say is about the synthetic tubing you also mentioned..it has to go.
A good alternative for you would be some compression fittings and copper tubing, in the product line.
That would solve the problem and even make her more attractive..right..
Besides that, some copper in the product path will never hurt.
if you haven't got the option for tools to pull a collar on that tubing, you could use a trick I do too.
I've bought myself a few stainless compression fittings from E-bay (like the one on the picture below).
As the stainless collet won't "bite" in the soft copper, I simply use a couple of wraps PTFE tape. That seals everything up when tightened and is just semi-permanent.
I use a 1/4" by 5 mm, for my temperature probe in my CCVM still and never had any issues with it despite it sticks directly into the hot vapors.
Edited to add:
I made a little experiment out of curiosity. I loaded a tube with water and plugged a compressor onto it. 5 Bar of pressure and not a drop came out (for safety reasons I wouldn't push it higher).
As you won't have any pressure in your still, it's easy to see the idea is proven to be good.

They come in different size and with a bunch of different threadings.

[C2-H5-Oh]

All good points Danespirit, and thanks for the info! I've just received my still and have only done a few runs with it, but already am sourcing SS or Cu tube for distilate as you suggest.
Am also considering a short piece of copper pipe to line inside of the SS column, but will leave that for later. Right now I am still learning my still: first things first, then grow.

[Artur]

Hello Everyone. This is my first post to My First. I'm a total noob, and bought an airstill, carbons and turbos in late January. Seduced by the Dark Side. Then I found the Forum and read and read, past time for bed. "You are mistaken my young apprentice, about a great, many, things." I returned the unused airstill etc. for refund, but kept the fermenters and useful bits. I searched the Net and got a Russian still that's a perfect match for my apartment and consumption. It's properly leak checked and cleaned with vinegar-water steam, prayers and sacrifices. First washes and runs were planned using the Tried and True section, the "pot still calc v2" and rad's calcs on the parent site. Reading and study are absolutely key, but sooner or later, it's time to solo.

.........................

Thang Q V V Muchly, everybody! The next washes are started (barley Gerber) and I've had a -truly superb- introduction to our hobby and craft. Cheers from C2-H5-Oh!

Good stuff. Where did You get it?
If You search Youtube "Магарыч экспорт ректификация" (yep in Russian) You'll find the way, how reflux can be made. Guy on the video makes 96% spirit. For the model better to make side bar by Yourself, as long as this model can have troubles with thread on the still and sidebar, so if they weren't tested to fit each other, they can be not fitting. And, by the way, it is supposed to be used without leather casing. It can be damaged by temperature. It is decorative and protecting while not working with it. And the hose on the top is supposed to have longer flexible pipe, to be bent, it works like safety valve. And, if You knew Russian and could read Russian moonshiners forum about it - fellas have invented countless ways of usage the still. No one ever have an idea about the best one. The creator also has no idea which is really correct way, so feel free to experiment, but be careful, of course.

[Danespirit]

And, by the way, it is supposed to be used without leather casing. It can be damaged by temperature. It is decorative and protecting while not working with it. And the hose on the top is supposed to have longer flexible pipe, to be bent, it works like safety valve.

Having the leather jacket installed and using an open flame is definitely a bad idea.
I don't think it will be damaged when using a hot plate, due to it is installed way up on the boiler and the temperature won't be that hot even with the still at full blast.
That beeing said, of course, the leather will dry out over time when it's not taken care of ( some kind of good leather conditioner).
Without a doubt, there are better ways to insulate one's boiler than leather...even an old towel can be useful. It's not that decorative, but it will work.
There is no need to install any hose on top of it.
My Ethylisator, that I build some time ago, works by the same principle and has no hose or the like installed (see link in my signature).
I strongly recommend NOT to have any kind of synthetic materials installed in the product path (except PTFE), hence my reply above.
Safety is paramount and that relates to the materials used too. Please have a look at the section in "New to distillation".
This community encourages every member NOT to take shortcuts and only use materials that are proven to be safe for our purpose.

[C2-H5-Oh]

Where did I get my "little Maggie"? Here in The West, it's a bit hard to come by as Magarich only sells in Russia. Located in Kazakstan, they are a national brand making scores of really gorgeous still models IMHO, including copper-steel and wild tower bubblers. Will post pix to proper Forum if asked. Try "Magarych" on eBay if curious, but prices and selection vary. PM me if wanting other procurement links found during my search. There are also many YouTube vids. We may not speak Russian but do speak Distilling, so these vids are understandable. Please note that I am only a satisfied customer, and do not promote or sell anything of any kind.

I've followed the English instructions provided with the still by the seller. They do not mention the leather bands. The vent tubing length is not specified, but I wanted a short piece there so I can smell vapor, and contain spurts.
The leather bands provided with Maggie are felt lined and double stitched, and work fine on electric, but agreed: do not use on flame heat, and agreed, they may dry out over time, and agreed there are better insulators, just not as cool. So far, I have not noticed a difference using/not using them other than condensation on cooled exterior surfaces when Maggie runs naked. I prefer bare metal as it is easy to clean. I took the pic above with them on as Maggie looks lovely all dressed up. Here it is in two other leathers they make, for fun.