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It appears most build a 4 plated bubbler. Does it matter how many plates you use for making rum or whisky for optimum flavour? Is there an upper limit, say 5 or 6 plates or a lower limit say 3 that works? Is it that 4 is the ideal number. He's got an answer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p...

It appears most build a 4 plated bubbler.
Does it matter how many plates you use for making rum or whisky for optimum flavour?
Is there an upper limit, say 5 or 6 plates or a lower limit say 3 that works?
Is it that 4 is the ideal number.

I run my 3 inch flute as described above. I have run it about a half a dozen times (spirit runs). I do 3 stripping runs (thru a pot still) and end up with 4L of 40% for each run. Combine all 3 runs in the boiler with another 4L of water. After heat up, 30mins reflux i take out 150ml fores and then c...

I've sourced a whole box (30cm x 20cm x 40cm) of new american oak off cuts from 'roll out the barrel' at Clontarf in Qld for $20 12 months ago. They may mail some too you if you ask nicely. http://www.rolloutthebarrel.com.au/contactus.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;&quo...

Hey Free, Stimson's report isn't all that far off the mark ... a good charge in the boiler can usually produce a couple liters/hour. (and he may have refluxed for an hour)... I'm not surprised to learn he was reaching 95% with a 40% charge in the boiler (it's usually easier to collect high proof wh...

i managed to do all of mine with soft solder using a mapp torch.

ok, thanks. I thought by using 1/2 inch as my downcomers this would not happen. I was originally going to use 3/4 inch downcomers, but when i drew it on the plates with 1 inch cups it looked HUGE and it would reduce my plate hole numbers (although i guess i could have squeezed the holes together mor...

Flooding for me was when the top two plates were over half way up the sight glasses with the full 2000w on in full reflex. I could turn down my wattage and all 4 plates would fill and bubble nicely, but when i tried to switch it back to full power the top two plates would fill (flood), and the two b...

NChooch I recently completed my 3 incher similar to your build. I also used 1/16 holes (approx 73 each plate) and had flooding issues on each of the 4 plates. I am using 2000w element and had to drop my power to to half to get the fluid level reasonable in each plate. I was achieving around 1litre/h...

OK great. I have a 2000watt element (with a controller) in a 30L boiler. Sounds like this should work OK then.

how much wattage are you using to run this column?

how much electricty ie. watts do you need to run a 4inch, 3 or 4 level bubble cap or plated column?
Is there a suggested minimum amount or is gas the better option?

I contacted the local animal produce stores for Molasses. When asked the question whether thier molasses was preservative free, unsulfered etc, they were not sure.
Is there anyway of easily telling what you have? Look, taste, smell, consistancy? Does it produce funny smells during a ferment?

Great thanks.

So i guess for the spirit run the wattage would have to be tuned for my setup so achieve a slow run? Can't give me a rough idea on what wattage would be required for the spirit run? 700watts?

Has anyone in OZ used the switches shown in the Complete Distiller book page 86, fig 7-16?

I am currently using a 25L brew shop boiler for my Bok column and now want to use the boiler for a pot still with a 2" short column and leibig or worm condensor. I have a 1380w element in the boiler. Will this wattage be enough to run it as a pot still for a stripping and spirit run? Do i need ...

i have made a bokakob with the top condessor section removeable from the column section. Have been using it successfully for 12 months now. Can we use this style of still for stripping runs? Can I leave the column attached with packing in place and just open the valve wide open? or do i just attach ...

i've have a short piece of 12mm SS pipe welded into my column. I then dremeled down a piece of timber in the shape of a cone and drill a hole in the cone to suit probe thermometer. Just frimly push the timber into the pipe. I get a leak proof seal. Works every time.

go check out the scrap metal yards at virginia, they are even open saturdees

with a bit more practise you should be getting 95% everytime. I get that with my 40 inch Bok column.

In Brisbane try SIMPLY STAINLESS at 29-31 Timms Rd, Everton Hills 0412 159 232. Harry will help you out with your welding needs. He does a very good job. I had him help me out.

i'll help him build one if he wants, although, i think he will settle for what he has.

great. thanks

LWTCS wrote:

Stimson wrote:My dad has a brew shop style still and looks on with envious eyes.

That was a good chuckle.

Will you surrender your current to build a better one?

No. Not at the moment. Happy with the results. How can you improve on this build?

so....the the extra phosphous is just for ease of bending and won't affect your distilled alchohol

Recently finished my stainless steel bokakob style still with a 50mm dia 900mm long copper packed column and using a simple sugar wash pulled out 800ml/hr at 96%. Very impressed. Allowed the column to stabilize for 15 mins and extracted around 300mls heads. The column temp stayed at 78.6 deg C for m...

yep, got that bit sorted. The advice my mate was told was the pipe has chemicals impregnated within the copper and should not be used as a condensor as the chemicals would leach out?? Sounded weird to me. Just checking as i have used copper tube purchased from a gas/refridgeration store to make my c...

A mate of mine, who is building a still, mentioned that only certain classes of copper tube should be used for the condensor. He said that copper tubing comes in different classifications (colour coded) dependant on the pipe use ie. water, gas, hazardous, and some of these (ie. refridgeration) have ...