Home Distiller

absinthe - Keep up the good work. I am really enjoying this topic. Many others have discussed an inline flange and continuous stripping system but so far this is the only one that has pics of a functioning unit. Based on your experience with your current setup, do you think that a liebeig heat excha...

I've no idea if anyone is working on this anymore... but thought I'd throw in my 2c. Another option for creating an input value from a basic hydrometer would be to put it into a parrot's beak - and then affix a target to the top of it. A laser rangefinder or similar device could then measure the hei...

I also have used the white flour and water- comes off of stainless really nice. I use a plastic blade though to break the seal - a putty knife works well. I didn't want to scratch up my pot (or damage the good silverware )

Thanks for the input everyone. It looks like for now- I'll stick with baker's yeast for my sugar washes. I guess I'll just run another batch or two to make up for the lower ABV vs. the EC1118 or distiller's yeast. It helps that the baker's comes in 2 pound bricks of the active dry stuff for about $2...

punkin, what were you using the Permier cuvee for? What ABV.. did it ferment fast..? If i can't get direct comparisons... I'll try to infer as much as I can. :) Hehe... good point about the prices. However... good luck explaining to a wife how you need yeast for 3000 gallons of wash just for compari...

I do realize there is tons of info all around on various yeast types, but I have not found a comparison between the following. I've read the fermenting and yeast selection section on the mother site, but mostly found people who have just used 1 type and were happy with it. I have narrowed down my ch...

Hookline- You're right about the reading. I read fairly extensively on the homedistiller site as well as a few others... I just didn't get my hands on the compleat distiller until it was too late :) I may have to borrow the liebig idea from you.. use the same part on both a pot and a VM - that is a ...

I think that the stripping was the point that I was missing. I was not looking forward to running xxx liters of wash with a column that takes some sweet time to output. I don't mind waiting for quality - but in that case it wasn't going to be worth it. I used my bok mini to strip a couple of gallons...

Just made some of this wash subbing in brown sugar and Epsom salts - it's only been a few hours and already everything is bubbling away more quickly than any other recipe I've tried so far. Thanks Pinto!

I appreciate the clarification Hookline. I had assumed that the output rates quoted from the mini instructions meant those rates were achievable at a high purity - perhaps I shouldn't have. Guess I'll just chug along at a few drops a second and keep a high purity output. I think in the future I'll u...

Thanks for the replies - I will try to reduce power and see where that gets me. It just seems somewhat counterintuitive that you'd have to lower power to increase output... :) I was able to use a gas stove today - and solves my problem. I the heat is much more even - and my column temp is much more ...

So would the surging explain the temperamental nature of the column? It is collapsing the layers in it every time it cycles... which is why when I increase take off it totally freaks out? I've read thru Pinto's temp sticky - and there is one thing that still isn't clear to me. If I build the control...

I found a stainless steel one from a restaurant supply store... they had several sizes available in the bar/mixer area. I think (not 100% sure tho) that K-mart might carry one in their home section.

I made the Bokakob mini still and am having some problems getting the temp to stay even as I try to get close to the recommended take off rate. I am taking off with a column temp of 174F - and if the rate goes too high (>3 drops/sec) the temp will go up to 175F. If it goes up to 175 - even if I imme...

I'll look into the heat control - just was hoping to find some $3 solution that only requires setting something under the pot... If i made the controller wouldn't I have to bypass the internal switch for the hotplate?

Thanks for the comments all. Well.. to a point there is no way to know but to try. I heated up 2 quarts of water through the tile - it was slow going. The stone holds a TON of heat - water would still sizzle off of it even after it was off the hotplate for 20min. I need something that will conduct h...

junkyard - I would go to propane - but it is not an option for me where I am now. I must keep indoors - and am leery of using a large propane burner in my particular living situation. :) Bronz - thanks for the tip. I will check that out - I was hoping to find a thicker material, but maybe a few laye...

I think the subject says it all. I've got a hot plate that cycles on and off - not good for a column reflux. I've read that using a head spreader like plate steel or a cast iron pan helps even things out. I've got some marble tiles 12"x12"x1/4" laying around - and I was wondering if a...

As always - constructions looks great on your latest. Did you get the surging problem solved? I'd assume that you are probably too busy stripping (washes) quickly to post up. Did the scrubber do the trick, or did you have to tweak the input power also?

pinto - Those videos look great - nice recipe. Do you think that the recipe would work if brown sugar was substituted for molasses? I can get light brown sugar for $2 more per 50lb sack than white sugar - but molasses here is more expensive than the GFS stuff you're able to get. I'm sure there is no...

I thought that there was supposed to be a very slight diffusion of gas through the oak planks (over the long term of years - not a quick pressure test) - not necessarily at the joints, but through the material itself - hence what you mentioned pinto - the small losses or "angel's share." E...

If you have microsoft excel (or equivalent) there are a couple formulas to throw in to calculate out volume. volume of a cylinder is pi * radius^2 * height and a conversion factor pulled from onlineconversion - 1 cubic inch = 0.0043290138 US gallons. Ran some quick numbers - the following combinatio...

One more point to consider is the fact that ideas which are impractical/useless for commercial sized operations may be perfectly workable for home-sized use. Perhaps no commercial distilleries or wineries are using square barrels, but I bet many aren't using their stoves or hotplates to run things e...

Looks like the square barrel has been made - I found a couple links which may be helpful. This one is for an inventor who made one - you have to click on the upper left pic to get into the site - not a great website - but a few pics to give you some ideas. Cybox site This one is a patent for a squar...

Thanks for the advice husker- I ended up trying the stove and made sure that I didn't get it hot enough from to burn the flux. I was able to hold the pipe with welding gloves on for 15 sec or so before even feeling the heat. I used the burner and heated about 4" away from where I was planning o...

I was soldering some 1.5" pipe for the bokakob mini, and had a tough time getting everything up to temp with my propane torch. It took a looong time, during which the entire 2ft section of 1.5" pipe heated up quite a bit. After ~25min of heating around the joint, it finally got hot enough ...

I am also in the process of assembling materials for the bokakob mini. I know there is at least one user here who started with the 1.5" and has since upgraded to a 2". Not sure what exactly you're looking for - or the price difference of pipe in your area. But you could start out small...a...

Yes, yet another question from me about this same still... :) The cooling loop and take off tube are listed as 1/4". I was at the hardware store yesterday, and 1/4" ID (inner diameter) tube seemed fairly large - it has a 3/8" OD (outer diameter) - a coil of this would leave only 3/4&q...

Thanks all - just wanted to double check that I wasn't trying to put a square peg into a round hole, if I wasn't supposed to. Otherwise I'll just start grinding and hammering... hopefully I'll end up with a workable device.

I am trying to build the bokakob mini still - and am having trouble with the stainless sink drain fitting. I have searched around on the forums, but didn't find info specific enough to help me out. The problem I'm having is attaching the 1.5" pipe to the drain. I have a copper fitting that take...