Dusting Off the Cobwebs Building a Still

[Fiddleford]

I am making a new still, not a new ideal just a new still.

I have been doing some looking at some bigger boilers then I have for quite some time now and I finally decided I would like something bigger then what I have and more "skillfully" assembled. After some looking around in town I realized there no damn way I'm spending $462 on a 3'x8' 16 oz sheet of copper, so I decided to go with this don't worry the thermometer is more for looks and I will probably just add another valve when stilling for faster emptying because.. why not? I have yet to draw up plans but I am thinking of drilling a 1" hole in the lid and using a 1 1/2" x 1" reducer, I may even try to braze it on if I can. I still need to think about the condenser.

If there is anything I may have missed regarding safety please let me know, but I think I have covered all I should be worried about.

[n_plains_drifter]

That looks like a good solution. Just remember, you will have some angular force applied to the lid from your condenser hanging over the side, so you'll need to think about how you secure it. I'm running a 42" liebig with a 32" jacket, 3/4 over 1/2, and it can pretty much knock down whatever I can throw at it with a 2"riser.

You may want to look at my build in this forum. I added a copper strap wrapped around my condenser with a grommet punched thru and soldered. That way I can hang the condenser from the ceiling with some rope to support the weight of the water & copper.

I found drilling stainless wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Go slow and use lots of pressure and some cutting oil. Good luck!

[Yummyrum]

Good to see you back again Fiddle
Any reason why you want to take the lid off ? Like can you not get a keg cheaper ?

Then don’t need to stuff around with gaskets clamps and the likes to keep the lid on and can support the weight of a condenser easily .

[Fiddleford]

I like to make things hard for myself .

I plan to use the pot for brewing so I will prefer to keep that lid take off-able I do plan on getting a keg some day soon and if this doesn't meet my standards I'll send it back and look a little harder. I would have a elbow straight out of the lid going to a condenser or other fun additions to reduce weight on the lid so the joint doesn't have to be all that good just enough to run a thumper possibly.

The big thing I am stuck on is condensation I am thinking about a recirculating condenser with the water going through a car rad which is coming out of the old van so no lose in dollar there, hell I also need to think of the kind of condenser to use I am considering a liebag with a 5 gallon reservoir, or I can buy a billion elbows and make a really square worm condenser, shotgun? cannot say what I will go with be I will give myself a month to think about it so I can get into the new place and have the garage.