Is my moon shine safe ?

This hobby is fun & enjoyable, but it is not tiddlywinks. Be safe!

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dan_buddy
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Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

Is my moon shine safe ?
I have got a 50 keg still with tri clamp and copper worm in a bucket
I have use lead free solder and water soluble flux
I have made ujssm
And done all the nassasary cleaning procedures
Learned how to make cuts pretty good and I always throw away 400-500 ml for shots from 30 liters of mash
But for some reson I'm still worried that my stuff isent safe
Have I done everything right
Is there any thing I missed ? I use Teflon tape to seal it but I'm paranoid to drink my liqueur
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
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shadylane
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by shadylane »

Ill drink some as a ginny pig.
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thatguy1313
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by thatguy1313 »

You should probably just send it to me for testing 8)
No, officer, I wasn't distilling alcohol! It was probably that guy!

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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
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bearriver
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by bearriver »

Your not scared of a home cooked meal are you?

I don't know if you missed anything or not, but you hit the key points just fine. Go have yourself a drink and relax Bud.
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moosemilk
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by moosemilk »

Not if I'm around :lol:
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

You're not the first.

I think deep down, everyone took a breath when they first tried their own.

But for all the flack that this forum gets for being so harsh with safety cautions...that is what built trust in me for them.

I would trust their words before some poster. No one looks out for us better than the folks here at HD.

Arm yourself with knowledge, then trust yourself.
Last edited by ShineonCrazyDiamond on Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
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Bigbob
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Bigbob »

You might want to air it out for a day or two. You didn't taste as it came off the still? Your made of sterner stuff then me! :lolno:
If you wear underwear then it's a dress!
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=62150 How I run a small still
dan_buddy
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

Shineoncrazy I have read more the past 6 months about distilling then I did all threw school 10 times over I probly read about it 2 hours everyday I have read the parent site over and over and I no these forums really well but I'm worrie I'm missing somthing
If you bys pay shipping I'd be more then happy to send some out for testing ,
I was actually looking for somewhere I could send my stuff for a safety fast but there's no such thing
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
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ShineonCrazyDiamond
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

dan_buddy wrote:Shineoncrazy I have read more the past 6 months about distilling then I did all threw school 10 times over I probly read about it 2 hours everyday I have read the parent site over and over and I no these forums really well but I'm worrie I'm missing somthing
If you bys pay shipping I'd be more then happy to send some out for testing ,
I was actually looking for somewhere I could send my stuff for a safety fast but there's no such thing
Drinking it ain't gonna tell me it's safe. Seeing it made will...and knowing I did what I read for the past 6 months.

Eventually, you have to jump, and trust you've checked everything over and over, and know your parachute will open.

Or, you have to give up sky diving. It's one or the other, and the choice is yours.
"Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond."
dan_buddy
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

Bigbob wrote:You might want to air it out for a day or two. You didn't taste as it came off the still? Your made of sterner stuff then me! :lolno:
Yes I tasted off the still I always do I have made a run of stuff
Ujssm , tryed sweet feed ( failed ) I made tasters blueberry , corn flakes , gerber , canned peach sugar head and a few different rums . But still kinda worried to drink it to get drunk .
I'm always sticking my fingers it it to taste but that's it
If done probly 30 ferments so far none stop for six months but still worried
Is there anything I missed ? With the still ?
And yes I aired out a lot
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
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Bigbob
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Bigbob »

Yeah I just went back and checked your opening post. You must have a huge stockpile :sarcasm: . If your really worried try a small glass diluted with water, after an hour try more less diluted. Continue till your dead or drunk :thumbup: I don't think you have anything to worry about.
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firewater69
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by firewater69 »

I wish i had a stockpile like that! Likker just dont last long round here.
Moonshine.... American as apple pie & it's part of our heritage, history & culture.
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Truckinbutch
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

firewater69 wrote:I wish i had a stockpile like that! Likker just dont last long round here.
For you and me both , Bro .
>Op : cook has to consume the mistakes . It's the rules :moresarcasm: I don't think you have a thing to fear . Go for it , you earned it .
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moosemilk
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by moosemilk »

If you are that worried about it, to help ease your mind, take a look at how much methanol is in a bottle of wine, and how much is in a five gallon ferment. It will shock you. As for ethyl acetate and all in the heads, that nail polish remover isn't hard to smell at all. Worse case, too much heads and you'll end up with a mean hangover. I didn't even get that after my first run, and I did get drunk...minus the jar of hearts the SOH stole from me during my run!
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by woodshed »

Asking if your moonshine is safe to drink is like asking if your car is safe to drive. Don't know unless you try.
Kidding. But how can you not try it? If you are judicious in your tasting and you get a hangover, no big thing.
Just a part of the whole learning curve.
InglisHill
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by InglisHill »

No, no it is not.

Throw it away or you will go blind.

Then have a read of how to make safe shine.
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by googe »

I understand where your coming from, I was paranoid when I did my first, just keptedipping my finger in and trying it thinking shit will this shit kill me?!?!. But I finally got the courage to make a rum and had it with coke and never looked back. If it tastes like store brought, your doing something wrong!.
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by rad14701 »

dan_buddy, my question for you is what do you think might make your spirits unsafe to drink...??? If the still was built with proper materials, was cleaned adequately, you wash wasn't unusual and fermented to dry, and you followed proper distillation protocols, there should be no reason to worry...

Drink up, Francis...!!! :lolno:
dan_buddy
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

Rad what do you mean by fermenting unusual or to dry ?
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
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bearriver
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by bearriver »

I can ventre to guess not T&T, and/or an unfinished ferment. Sugar in the boiler charge is bad news and so can be experimental washes.
Last edited by bearriver on Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
dan_buddy
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

bearriver wrote:Not T&T, and/or an unfinished ferment. Sugar in the boiler charge is bad news and so can be experimental washes.
Yeah I learning that with sweet feed .. Lucky I was using a stock pot then .
Now I check for foam before I put the Column on my sweet feed foamed crazy even with 1/4 of the boiler full and a defomer . No sugar in it And I let it clean for a week
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
dan_buddy
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by dan_buddy »

rad14701 wrote:dan_buddy, my question for you is what do you think might make your spirits unsafe to drink...??? If the still was built with proper materials, was cleaned adequately, you wash wasn't unusual and fermented to dry, and you followed proper distillation protocols, there should be no reason to worry...

Drink up, Francis...!!! :lolno:

I'm also not sure ..
Is all copper safe to use ? I bought it all new at kent and the 2 inch peace was a water supply pipe ( not drain pipe )
Could there be anything on the corn or in the molasses that would make it unsafe ?
Everything fermented best kind
Is all Teflon tape ok to use ?
I think the copper corossion thing is what's worrying me even tho everything come out clear .
Forshots is some times a little cloudy but I think that's Cus I rinse my worm before I connect to Column and it's not dry at all
Alcohol cant help your problems , but nether does water.
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thecroweater
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by thecroweater »

your copper is oxidising because its doing what copper is suppose to do remove sulphides, be something amiss if it stayed shiny :thumbup: . Its all good
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. Benjamin Franklin
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Coyote »

Dan Buddy I'll tell you what you can do.

Make a batch, leave a gallon in that old tree stump
over on Route 6 and I'll test it for ya, Then I can tell you
what you need to change and you can leave another gallon
and I'll test that one too.

Down the road a ways, say maybe 2 - 300 gallons I should have
gathered enough testing data to tell you if its safe for you to drink.

Coyote
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Bigbob
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Bigbob »

Dan_buddy,I have an all copper pot still, I only rinse it out with hot water after use and it works fine. If you did everything right( and it sounds like you did) drink it. Or if you have a brother in law you don't like give him some for Christmas and watch!!! :twisted:
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The KYChemist
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by The KYChemist »

I won't lie... I was NERVOUS, with my first keeper batch. Did a shot at 50%, every half hour. No problems, except getting hit by a couple of "moving" walls. Like everyone else said, you seem to have hit all the key safety points. Nothing left but to jump off the cliff.
Whiskey is rays of sunshine, held together with water.
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Brutal
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Brutal »

Holy shit drink up bro!!!
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by rad14701 »

dan_buddy wrote:Rad what do you mean by fermenting unusual or to dry ?
Read my post again and again until it makes sense... Might be one comma missing but it still provides the same information... You haven't done anything wrong so you have no need to be afraid to enjoy the fruits of your labor... Hence, "Drink up, Francis!"... Stop being as apprehensive as a giddy schoolgirl already...!!! There's room for you here at the grownups table... :P
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Re: Is my moon shine safe ?

Post by Jimbo »

This thread made me laugh and think back 20 years to my first rube goldberg pressure cooker 2 gallon still and crooked ass worm. Yes, I too closed my eyes, said a prayer and downed my first drink wondering if I would still see ok when I opened my lids back up. No HD back then, just a wing and a prayer and lots of seat of the pants. A little terrorizing yes.

You did everything right it seems friend. Time to enjoy.
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