Hello all, first I'd like to thank everyone for all of the info already supplied throughout the boards. I've been toying with the idea of building a still for a long whole now and finally got around to doing it. I joined a few days ago to look over designs and compare to the one I had found years ago for a reflux column. I have also been looking at every recipe on Tennessee whiskey I could find. I started brewing beer years ago so I have a solid understanding of fermentation, mash and the overall process.
So over the years I have been collecting the pieces that my design called for and now that I am ready to build still didn't have all I needed. But thanks to y'all I have learned that I don't need a reflux for what I want to drink. So taking what I've learned I have built what I think is a decent pot column.
I am having an issue connecting the column to the boiler. The original design called for cutting a big hole in the top of the keg and bolting a SS mixing boil over it with the column bolted to the bowl. I'm not sure what I'm missing but I'm having a hell of a time making this work. If any one has a way to connect all of this I'd be in your debt. I've seen the most common way on here is to just punch the ball out of the keg and leave the stem intact and use a triclamp. If that is just the way it ought to be done I suppose I can find another keg.
It can fuse stainless to copper and all the reviews tell me it works great. I haven't used this product, but figured I would give you a link to check it out yourself.
Cheers,
ERL
To Shine or not to Shine......that is the question!
Ooooooops....you'd be home free if you hadn't cut that hole in your keg. Removing the spear only takes a couple of minutes. Then attaching your column to the keg is as easy as getting a 2" Triclover clamp and teflon gasket.
But you made things much more complicated by cutting the hole. Now you'll need to deveolpe a hold-down clamp system dor your SS bowl. And the gasket seal may be more complicated as well. Some here have been successful using flour paste for that type of seal. But you'll need a good method to structurally attach the bowl.
Attaching the column to the bowl is another matter as well. Perhaps you can braze a stub piece of pipe (with the mating easy flange) to the top of your SS bowl. Then, with a 2" Triclover clamp you can attach the column to the bowl/pipe.
This all would've been so much easier if you wouldn't have destroyed the Sanke keg tap. But, alas, "hindsight is 20/20".
After all this, I'd suggest you do more reading on the site before getting too far into the rest of your build, and especially the operation of the equipment. We all want you to be safe.
if you decide to solder...any high% silver solder will work for ss, the flux is key. that stuff ^^ looks like the shit to be using though, all in one nice package. key to ss soldering is get the metal cherry red....unlike copper that you heat just enough to flow the solder.
Get another keg ..If you're going to cut a hole in a keg, make it for your heating element (3-4" center from bottom)...What length/size is your liebig?
What is pictured on the out end of your 2" elbow? A cap with integrated liebig? just making sure I understand everything ..Looks pretty good tho.
*Spend it all, Use it up, Wear it out*
Beware of sheet-sniffers and dime-droppers!
I got the keg years ago before I knew this site existed. The Liebig is 15in x 1/4in with a 10in x 1/2in jacket. It's connected to a T joint (it's what I had laying around) with a cap. I know it's not perfect but I figure it'll get the job done. Guess I'll be searching for another keg. I have plenty of fermentation equipment from my beer days, a whole slew of buckets and carboys.
That fancy solder is WAY out of my price range, the wife would kill me. She is tolerating this hobby better than expected as it is, don't want to push it.
Thanks for the input and I'll update when I get it.
You are WAY under gunned with that condenser . Check the Parent Site Calcs for condenser sizing and PLEASE don't try to run that keg on the condenser you have built .
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 .
Cooter Brown121 wrote:
That fancy solder is WAY out of my price range, the wife would kill me. She is tolerating this hobby better than expected as it is, don't want to push it.
Yeah....69 bucks for two 18" rods is expensive, but they can bond well over 400 inches of metal seams. I cannot blame you for not wanting to upset the wife.
To Shine or not to Shine......that is the question!
Truckinbutch wrote:You are WAY under gunned with that condenser . Check the Parent Site Calcs for condenser sizing and PLEASE don't try to run that keg on the condenser you have built .
+1
Even without knowing how you'll heat the boiler (propane or electric), I think your condenser is undersized for the column's capacity as a potstill. Remember, you want a potstill able to strip a wash fast, ie - moderately high heat input. A 1/4" ID takeoff is small for that.
Again, you need to do some more reading on the site to understand the designs.
Truckinbutch wrote:You are WAY under gunned with that condenser . Check the Parent Site Calcs for condenser sizing and PLEASE don't try to run that keg on the condenser you have built .
+1
Even without knowing how you'll heat the boiler (propane or electric), I think your condenser is undersized for the column's capacity as a potstill. Remember, you want a potstill able to strip a wash fast, ie - moderately high heat input. A 1/4" ID takeoff is small for that.
Again, you need to do some more reading on the site to understand the designs.
ss
Sorry, when I posted those numbers I was half asleep feeding my newborn and was not right at all. I thought they sounded small so I double checked everything this morning...
1/2in x 24in with a 1in x 20in jacket
And checking the calc site that should be good, plus it says you can adjust the flow rate of the cooling water to compensate.
Glad to hear that it was a mistake in posting rather than fabrication .
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 .
You and me both, I have read all the required threads, all the parent site, and a lot of random threads that look as though they might pertain to my plans. I feel like my brain is mush. I feel like I've got a good grasp of concept and theory, I'm a quick study and have decent handy work skills so I was a bit worried when you had said it was way off. But I am now in the process of purchasing a new keg from a local brewery to start over.
I went and talked to my local brew shop about finding a keg, turns out they just helped a group of guys open a microbrewery down the street. I stopped in and talked to the guys and they end up being guys I know from the community. Long story short I got a new keg for $20.
I also ordered my "tri-clover" clamp, I looked all over the boards here and everyone has a different place they can get them. I looked at most of them and they either need a bulk order or are around $20 after shipping. Well Brewer's Hardware has them for $12.85 after shipping. https://www.brewershardware.com/2-Tri-Clover-Clamp.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow hopefully this will help some folks out.
Glad you got your condenser figured out ..Know your equipment inside out ..
There's much cheaper tri-clamps out there (Brewhaus, HS, and SD, all cheaper).
*Spend it all, Use it up, Wear it out*
Beware of sheet-sniffers and dime-droppers!
Good score with the keg, can't get better than the for that price!!! . I get my ferrules etc from a local metal merchant, I've found 3 that sell them and are within a half hour radius of my place, just do some ringing and you'll find some!. For future builds . Good luck with the keg, you won't be sorry!.
Here's to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all life's problems.
"Homer J Simpson"
I haven't hardly been in my garage other than to put the keg in there, but I'm off Wednesday so I'll be in there finishing the last bit of the build and cleaning runs. So I'll post some new pics then.
Hello again everyone, sorry for the delays. Had some family things to deal with but the still is finally built, hand washed and 8 gallons of water run through. I don't have time tonight to do the vinegar or sac run but I will get to them this weekend. I do have 5 gallons of birdwatchers ready to go for the sac run. I also have 15 gallons of whiskey mash cooling in my cut keg and 2 5 gallon batches of the same mash in carboys.
I used the 80/12/8 whiskey recipe and using my brewing app I have from my brewing days came up with the 25 gallons of ferment to use all 50lbs of corn in one shot giving me 10%abv. I'll post a few pics when I get to my computer and I'll update this weekend after my cleaning runs.
I know it's been awhile and most of you probably thought I was just another one joining the forum just to ask a few questions only to disappear and never be heard from again. Well I am still around, life has been an interesting ride the last few months to say the least. But on a positive note I finally got my cleaning runs done, the vinegar interesting and then my sac run was a blast. The still was rather easy to manage and I got a nice steady runoff and was really able to put all the things I have learned here into practice. After both cleaning runs I rinsed the boiler and the column. I had 15 gallons fermenting in my old cut up keg and decided to run it first. In my excitement to run it I forgot to take a FG so I don't know where my ABV was. From smelling it and then from running it, I really don't think it was very high. I think I am just going to toss the old keg and do my fermenting my my normal buckets/carboys. Anyway I'm still in the middle of running it and I've collected about 7 pints total in numbered jars. All of them have brown particulate and a film on top so after reading around I'm guessing I was running it to hot and got some foam up in the column. Since its not very high ABV and it looks like dirty water I'm just going to save it and add it to my next batch and run it low and slow as I should have.
I would really like to thank everyone for all the help and info, I hope to eventually be an actual contributing member but I obviously have lots to learn.
Don't rerun it that sounds like flux floating on top it will kill your guts and possibly you if you drink it.
In the future put a couple of real copper scrubbers or stainless steel scrubbers in your column and they will hold back the puke and keep it out if your distillate. Be safe good luck.
Everything's better home made, everything!!
15.5 keg 7.75keg 2"pot still, Gold CM
Never look down on a man unless it's to help him up.
Oh yeah those, I sealed the hoses with guerrilla glue which didn't hold so I used PTFE tape and masking tape to seal them until I can get something better.
I think I throttled back too late, that's why I was figuring it was the wash and not flux. I guess better safe than sorry so I'll just toss it and run another sacrifice and see how that comes out before I do another real one. Thanks again for the help.
Cooter Brown121 wrote:Oh yeah those, I sealed the hoses with guerrilla glue which didn't hold so I used PTFE tape and masking tape to seal them until I can get something better.
I think I throttled back too late, that's why I was figuring it was the wash and not flux. I guess better safe than sorry so I'll just toss it and run another sacrifice and see how that comes out before I do another real one. Thanks again for the help.
I'm using the fancy high heat food grade tubing for dishwashers and whatnot, no melting going to happen here. I also sit with my still the whole time which is easy since I have a TV in the garage. I also check the temp of the run off water to make sure it's not too hot, the bottom and top of the condenser to make sure they are not too hot/cold regularly through the run. I know I am new but I don't take safety lightly. When I taped up the run off hoses I checked to make sure they could hold up to more pressure than would be needed to cool the vapors. But I will be getting some good sealant before I do my next run.
get some reliable equipment.