Home Distiller

I put a batch of UJSSM togther; cracked maize from farmlands was cheap but I had to buy a lot so I left that. As I felt that all I would want to do to start was the 8 or less brews that the recipe says you can get off one load of corn before I tried something completely different I bought mine from ...

And 'at least a fortnight' to refill the gas.

Ho hum.

The workshop needs a clear and it's about time I put that Triumph together...

Progress report, just to keep this alive. I'm having huge trouble with the boiler, partly because my tourist job has just gone '7 days a week' and I'm having trouble finding time when I can get filthy without consequences and I don't like to hammer things out of hours for the neighbours' sake. Anywa...

I used one all the time in my beer brewing days and would have no hesitation getting another if the price was right and i have trouble with ferments here. Get one with a built in thermostat. Mine was permanently wired through a hole in the drum and when sterilising I did drum and heater in one. I ne...

Try soft lead-free solder, Dirge. These old pieces were mostly soft soldered together. The one problem, whatever you use, is that you are joining parts that are not flat and perfectly mated. If you are like me you will have a good few cock-ups, which is a good reason to use soft solder, as it can b...

I wondered about the black, Dan. I hope I'll get a modest reflux effect off that swan neck bit on mine too

Ho hum. Right, off to buy some silver solder and make my life a bit easier, then I might have a day in the workshop tapping away at copper sheet and get back into it properly....

Dan I have to say that at this stage (sitting here thinking I must get at it again and aware of how much more work there is before I'll be able to actually use it) I think you went the more sensible route, working with what you had more. I'm already thinking about how I'll do it 'next time', which s...

if you built a flake coil into a sealed drum with 2 outlets, top and bottom, and had your cooler unit or a s/h car radiator mounted above it so that the hot water rose to the rad and the cooled water from the bottom of the rad dropped back to the bottom of the flake drum you'd have a thermosiphon ar...

Looking good, Dirge... :thumbup: Keep us posted on your progress... :ewink: Thanks Rad. Christmas is really getting in the way at the moment... I got the collar sorted and fixed; I'll do a few pics and some notes on that soon; I'd like to finish the boiler and do a one hit stage report. But there's...

I remembered reading about using alternatives to oak elsewhere. Have a read here: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=33487&p=7029670&hilit=maple#p7029670 and there's an onward link on the second page that adds more too. What someone suggests is that oak is used mainly bec...

Prairiepiss wrote: Doing it like this will also aid in getting over the greed factor. Knowing you will get mote from it later.

Good point, at least as far as I'm concerned!

OK I'm sorted for tube. The trick was to contact a commercial deep freezer maintenance co. who had lots of offcuts of 5/8" OD. Once again a little cash and the deal was done.

So I know where I'm going on this one now.

Thanks again for your advice gents..

This condensor business has suddenly become complex. The cost of tube for a coil is extortionate. I don't like the idea of running a tap full on for hours; we're not really short of water here but it goes against all my upbringing somehow. A liebig won't work without that rate of feed, right? The 't...

Nessie! Little tip on making the outside shine like a new copper penny. Take a lemon, cut it in half, and dip it in a plate of salt. Wipe your still with it (outside only). It's like magic. Give a bit of squeeze and more salt dip as needed. Rinse with water when done. I see what you mean! That's Pi...

Pushed it on a bit. The cap is now more or less done and you can see the shape I've gone for. The 32mm bend at the top will be soft soldered on so it's easy to change later and the lyne arm will be detachable. The main boiler still needs assembling; both 'hoops are done and need sticking together bu...

by their nature a parrot does "smear" abit. I minimize this effect on my runs by running the initial heads portion directly into my first jar or two then substitute the parrot when I think the heads are starting to wane. The parrot lets me monitor the abv rate of change and after a few ru...

Well that's it really; you have a little collecting jar with fluid running up round all sides of the hygrometer. Even with careful design details doesn't the product flow through lop-sidedly to bad effect? (Talking pot still here) I was thinking I should build one and got to working it out in my hea...

Thanks again; I hadn't seen that one before I don't think; gleaned more ideas (and his progress matched mine in so many ways) and as always that led to other info too. When I have more time I'll have a look at Dunderhead and Goose eye's posts in search of more insights. You're right he has a way wit...

Oh that's quite big. Have to organise my bending!

Thank you.

Sorry about this I don't believe it's not there somewhere but I can find lots of nice pictures of flake stands but is there a minimum diameter tube you would recommend? This is to go on a home made all copper 6 gall pot still with a lift off head which i expect to seal with paste so I've no serious ...

Had a good afternoon on the beast today as you will see. I've been agonising over the design. It seems to me that having the lyne arm sticking out one side makes a huge dead area on the other side of the top and if I'm out for a clean running still I should at least take a swan neck out of the middl...

I would just go straight into the side near the top. Push the lynearm in, and mark it where it enters the head on the inside..all the way around. That should leave a slanted/angled mark on your lynearm. Trim it, leaving inch or so extra for a"flap" or flange to hammer out (or cut into tab...

Prairie; you have to see it from my point of view. I knew what i wanted and the cylinder was the cheap way there (and I think is turning out to be more interesting than if I'd paid for the sheet too). I don't want huge amounts of hooch; this should produce more than enough booze to be a severe tempt...

OK time to learn how to add pictures here. Here's the dismembered cylinder; you can see the scale doesn't LOOk frightening but caused grief, so watch this when buying. IMG_0006-1.JPG Then playing with the patterns to see how to fit it. Note the tubes and fittings I had to avoid IMG_0007-2.JPG So I w...

Usge wrote:Welcome Dirge. Just make sure that old copper heater doesn't contain any hazardous materials (like lead solder).

Oh dear! Sorry if I came across as that stupid!

I decided I wanted to try distilling. I decided i was interested in making something with its own flavour rather than making neutral spirit and flavouring it. (judging from the local home-brew shop's attitude and even the goods they stock, this makes me a novelty where I live.) It seemed that a pot ...

I priced copper and was nearly put off. So far $84 (Kiwi) for the tank and some time which seems good, and I will be able to get it out of the one I think. But I needed to use curved/shaped parts to do so and that has got me thinking about the design generally. It's not going to be a straight Pintos...

I'm actually an English migrant, been here 6 years now and I was amazed when I first saw a pot still on open display in a home-brew shop window. After years of brewing beer and wine in England the chance to try distilling completely openly is irresistable. The only one who hasn't given permission is...

Thanks Matey, Nice of you!

Morning; I'm in Nz and just about to start knocking up a pot still; so far I've managed it by myself but I can feel a few questions coming up... I used to home brew so hopefully understand the first half of the process. I fancy making some economical drinkable spirit, no more than that for now, but ...