My first still

[Youngstiller]

First post on this forum so il say hey and introduce myself.

My names Andrew. I'm 18 and living at the top of the South Island in New Zealand. I've been brewing since 2009. In 2010 I started getting into distilling, bought a 5 L pot still and made some fairly awful tasting liquor but learnt a lot and ended up making some whiskeys and rum that my friends and family couldn't differentiate from shop bought


I'm currently building a 30 L in-line Boka style reflux distiller which I'm hoping will be a step up from the 5 L pot still I used to have. I'm posting this in hope that if I'm going about building this distiller wrong, someone will put me right. The design goes like this.

I'm using a 30L stainless steel pot that will have a 1 meter of 2"copper pipe attached to the lid and sealed using JB Weld.
The first 70 cm will be packed using 'pure' stainless pot scrubbers after this they'll be the thermometer port and ill use a sensitive digital cooking thermometer for this.
Then the plates and the take off pipe fitted with a stainless needle valve and then a 7cm dual coil made from 1/4" copper tube and the top will be left open. Does this sound right?

To seal the lid ill use flour paste at first but i want to eventually use a gasket made from cardboard and 4 pull down style clips to make a tight seal would this work?

The heat will come from a gas BBQ

I'll put pictures up tomorrow of what I've got so far as I have started building the column. I've got the plates in and the take off tube fitted and the column attached to the pot lid. Still waiting on the needle valve to come in the mail along with the thermometer and I would've had the condenser in but when I wound it yesterday the tube just got squashed flat so I ended up with a perfect looking coil that I couldn't blow through. I think it was probably just too soft copper because it was very easy to wind it. Anybody had an problems with being unable to wind a condenser due to too soft copper?

Any help or tips would be much appreciated

[Samohon]

Mod Edit: Moved to Welcome Center...

Hi Andrew. Welcome to HD...

Been brewing since you were 14YO and distilling since you were 15YO, hope it was under the supervision of a person legal to do so. Not flaming you in any way, just saying... Important Info:

Here are the Rules... They are very clear and fair...

---

Here in the UK you have to be 18YO to be able to drink alcohol, I think its wrong. it should be 21, as the body has not stopped developing, but thats for another discussion. If I were a bar/store-person, I would probably ask you for ID.
So, due to our laws here in the UK I will answer one of your questions...

To seal the lid ill use flour paste at first but i want to eventually use a gasket made from cardboard and 4 pull down style clips to make a tight seal would this work?
Have a Look at This... They last a very long time...

Then the plates and the take off pipe fitted with a stainless needle valve and then a 7cm dual coil made from 1/4" copper tube and the top will be left open. Does this sound right?
You need a 6"(15cm) coil length using 1/4" tube...

Also, I would not use JB Weld on any component that hot corrosive vapour would be exposed to. Not Good...
See you around...

[Samohon]

Did I say we like piccies Youngstiller..?

Cant wait to see what your building...

[toast860]

beside jb weld ou sound like your doing good, I just runn a pot still. I am starting on my boka sometime this week but it makes me a little nervous I don't like the whole open cap thing and all that..

[Youngstiller]

Mod Edit: Moved to Welcome Center...

Hi Andrew. Welcome to HD...

Been brewing since you were 14YO and distilling since you were 15YO, hope it was under the supervision of a person legal to do so. Not flaming you in any way, just saying...

To be honest a lot of it was done underneath the moonlight while my parents were sleeping.. made me feel like a real 'moonshiner' but that's all in the past now and I'm 18 which is the legal age to purchase and make alcohol here in NZ

Thanks for the link to that thread think I will go with one of them cardboard/PTFE gaskets for the lid to boiler seal looks like its probably my best option.

I've already sealed the lid to the column using the JB weld so if its not safe that will be a bit of a problem. On there website it says the stuff is non toxic and food safe although I do realise food safe isn't always alcohol vapour safe.. The only reason i used it was because i remember reading a thread on this site talking about using it and saying that it is safe. Any other input would be great on the matter

Oh and the coil I said 7cm I was actually meaning 7 Inch so that should be good

[Youngstiller]

beside jb weld ou sound like your doing good, I just runn a pot still. I am starting on my boka sometime this week but it makes me a little nervous I don't like the whole open cap thing and all that..

Yeah i know what you mean when I first read it it didn't seem right to me, like I could be wasting precious vapour to the atmosphere but after reading into it wiki had me convinced that you don't actually loose anything. I read something on the Boka Wiki page that said a dual coil 6 inch condenser has enough cooling power to condense 100% of the steam from a 2.5Kw heating element in a 2 inch column. So by making a condenser 7" you really don't have anything to worry about. Nothings going to make it past.

[toast860]

husker has a nice topic on the boka. explains it very well. I know if the condser is working the right way then nothing will escape. and I keep wondering how to cut the pipe at a 30 degree angle . but I am going to give it a try. ill try to get it in here for you if u want.

[Youngstiller]

I used a hand held grinding wheel to cut mine in after marking them out. Dont know what i wouldve done if i just had a hacksaw. Yes please do

[toast860]

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 60&t=36050 how did u get the angle right? doesn't it have to be perfect? I got a grinder and a nice dremel. the site must have lagged or something I just caught up on ur post . but I am pretty sure u need to get rid of the jb weld . u can solder use liquid flux.

[rad14701]

I would strongly suggest that you find a way to get the JB Weld off, whether by grinding or cutting away... I would never trust any epoxy, which is what JB Weld is, in contact with high temperature high proof alcohol vapor or liquid... Don't get into bad safety habits at your young age or you may not survive to the old age that some of us have made it to - and some are even a whole lot older than me...

[Youngstiller]

Guess this is what I get for not doing enough research before using the stuff. When I was applying the JB some of it ran down the column I thought it was completely safe stuff so didn't really worry about it. So my whole column's ruined.
Time to start over

[corene1]

Guess this is what I get for not doing enough research before using the stuff. When I was applying the JB some of it ran down the column I thought it was completely safe stuff so didn't really worry about it. So my whole column's ruined.
Time to start over

If you warm up the jb weld with a torch of some type it will soften up then peel off quite easily then sand the area and you will be good to go. It certainly won't penetrate the metal as it is just a glue.

[Youngstiller]

If you warm up the jb weld with a torch of some type it will soften up then peel off quite easily then sand the area and you will be good to go. It certainly won't penetrate the metal as it is just a glue.

All right so I should be able to salvage the lid of the pot then. But seen as the column had some of the Jb weld run down it, its probably going to need throwing out ):

[Youngstiller]

All right so I should be able to salvage the lid of the pot but since there's jb weld in the column I don't think I'l be able to get to it to take it off ): Here's a few pics of it anyway

[toast860]

looks nice I don't know much about bokas but don't you need a value kinda close to the column on the take out tube? and if u can get the jb off the pot then why couldn't u get it off the column? what did u use to solder the plates in? a good way to clean the inside of a pipe is to take a dowel and cut a slice in it and put ember cloth in the slice the use a drill to spin the thing inside the pipe... either way let me know I kinda want to learn with u

[googe]

There's tons of ways to attach the column mate, have a look around in the packed column section, I'm sure you'll find something.

[Youngstiller]

looks nice I don't know much about bokas but don't you need a value kinda close to the column on the take out tube? and if u can get the jb off the pot then why couldn't u get it off the column? what did u use to solder the plates in? a good way to clean the inside of a pipe is to take a dowel and cut a slice in it and put ember cloth in the slice the use a drill to spin the thing inside the pipe... either way let me know I kinda want to learn with u

Because I can get to it to peel it off on the pot lid but inside the column I cant get to it and I used silfos for soldering the plates.

[Youngstiller]

There's tons of ways to attach the column mate, have a look around in the packed column section, I'm sure you'll find something.

Yeah think i'll just use a flange and a ptfe/cardboard gasket with a few rivets to hold it on next time. Just a shame ive wrecked the column with jb weld. All a learning experience eh

[multipazz]

I doubt it is all the way down

why not cut into sections
and join with easy flange and tri-clamps

[toast860]

yea use a flashlight and see where all of it is . I would stick a butter knife to a rod or something and heat the outside up. worst come to worst get some coupling and cut it in two 3 piece and solder it all back together. triclamps would cost a lot to join it all together

[Youngstiller]

Ill have another crack at it this weekend when i go and see my parents as they have all the gear. Report back then (: the thing is its not too much of a big deal as i can get a meter of 2" for $30 NZ

[Youngstiller]

Gave the column an acid/salt wash today (followed by a baking soda wash to neutralize the acid)
-For any cheap people, like me. I found using 90 grams (3oz) of citric acid and 30grams (1oz) of table salt in 3L of water to be a great corrosion destroyer alternative to vinegar and salt. Haven't used the vinegar and salt method so cant really compare but this mix completely destroyed all the black corrosion from brazing and made the copper really, really, shiny and was a heap cheaper then buying 3L of vinegar.

Anyway... After cleaning up the column I could see that the only bit of JB weld inside the column was a tiny drop on the underneath of the collecting shelf. Is this tiny bit of JB going to kill me? or will I get away with it? (After grinding off the JB from the lid and exterior of the column and reattaching it with a flange and gasket )

Here's a picture of the inside of the column the little drop you can see on the shelf is the JB weld

[Youngstiller]

Got the JB weld off the lid and outside of the column today! Came off alot easier then was expected.
Touched it for a few seconds with a gas torch and the whole lot set on fire and once it was done burning it just scraped off with a screw driver. Tomorrow I am planning to rejoin the column to to the lid with a PTFE/Cardboard gasket. PTFE is safe right?

[aj2456]

i think you know the answer.... and yeah we like PTFE, hence the everlasting gasket

[toast860]

I would give getting that little drop off a try. maybe even get a coupleing for it and cut it a little ahead. or do crazy cleaning runs and see if it comes off at all. I don't it would kill may taste it a little when you first get it running

[Youngstiller]

What would you reccomend for a strong cleaning run?
Just got my 'needle valve' in the mail today.. and its a little larger then i was expecting.. Im planning on getting everything finished this weekend! Still have to wind the coil though.....

[Youngstiller]

I might have to use some solder to solder the needle valve directly onto the column at the run off hole... I'm not sure what safe and not safe to use though. I realize that the solder shouldnt have lead in it but is there any other things that might be in solder... do i have to buy a specific type?

[googe]

Hey mate, you have Bunnings over there now don't you?, they have solder called aquasafe 100, and bakers fluid flux, thats what I use and its great. Should either be in the PVC/ plumbing section or in the section that sells power tools. Good luck.

[pounsfos]

Welcome aboard from Dunedin

You're going to run your still on the bbq?

Mate buy yourself an element, drill a hole and weld it in, makes life alot easier, and will make a mutch more controlled environment then over a bbq (saves alot on gas refills as well)

If you want piping go to a place that sell or uses it (i use steel and tube) and ask for offcuts,

Got my 1.8m pipe for $6

my still is in my signature if tyou want to have a look at it, give you some ideas, I went the keg way (rent a keg, drink all the beer, keep the keg and loose the deposit), so I got a 50L.

Once you get the "still building bug" you never go back

Ps, stay away from turbos if you aren't already

[rad14701]

(rent a keg, drink all the beer, keep the keg and loose the deposit), so I got a 50L.

This is not wise advice to be given these forums... We only condone the use of legally sourced beer kegs, not stolen ones... There is at least one forum topic that discusses this, and most likely more... The ONLY law we should be scoffing is distillation of spirits and it is our hope that if we can convey the fact that we are otherwise law abiding citizens that someday that act will be decriminalized... If we make ourselves out to be completely lawless thugs that will not have any chance of ever happening... Let's not give bad advice to newcomers...