Home Distiller

Howdy! I am very new to distilling and I have a cheap teapot still. My recipe is the first batch chapter of the home distillers handbook found on amazon. Im a born and raised Montanan looking to make college more interesting. Any advice for a guy who has already tired and failed once?

Don't laugh to hard.

My advice is to do all the required reading in the new distillers reading lounge, your teapot will barely hold enough alcohol to drink let alone a wash for distilling. and its probably not safe to distill in anyway. Go to the parent site an read it a few times as well.

There are so many thing wrong about what I see in that
picture. Duct tape - Electrical tape - the cut up water bottle
in the drip path - Holy Crap! and I mean CRAP !
Stop now before we hurt you.

Hit the brakes, spend a couple of days reading the parent site
then a 100 hours or so reading these forums.
Then another 50 hours re- reading.

Build yourself a proper still so that you can enjoy your efforts.

College should be fun and can be but not with that thing.

Toss it and start over after a lot of reading

Where in Montana? Partner and I own a place on the
East Fork of the Bitteroot.

Good Luck

Coyote

The steak does look very good

Da Yooper wrote:The steak does look very good

+1 on the steak

AC

The electrical tape was holding on sealed food grade aluminum
to connect the pipes. The duct tape is only used to support the
angle of the lyne arm. The food grade aluminum was also used
as a bridge from the output to a recycled glass salsa container.

You din't even mention the elk flank steak on the counter.
I thought someone would give me shit for that for sure.

I'm from the north mouth of the Gallatin Canyon originally
but now i'm trying to be a mechanical engineer at MSU. My
roommate is a Chemical engineer and can do a fractional
distillation in his sleep so I can ask him too. I will say I got a
cup of pretty potent stuff on the first run. I tossed it all
anyway. I'm trying to do it without him.

I will read the parent site but meanwhile I have half cooked
mash that I would like to tryout. I hope I am not putting my
goal across as wanting to produce the finest alcohol and be
moving large quantities. I am simply trying to make the
cheapest affective still possible.

Thanks for the advice Coyote! I knew There were so many
things wrong but I learn best hands on so I can visualize
what people talk about. Also why I would never drink it.

Cheers, Ritz.

fran151 wrote: I am simply trying to make the
cheapest affective still possible.

Cheers, Ritz.

That still is a disaster waiting to happen. There are many ways to make an effective still, while pinching pennies, but what you have put together there is just plain dangerous.

Another example of someone who asks for help, then argues every point when given advice. Now I see why so many responses tend to sound a bit jaded at times.

Do the research (and you would have learned FOOD GRADE does not mean it is safe for HIGH PROOF ALCOHOL) or don't bother distilling. Find a new hobby that is not as dangerous. Aluminium breaks down, and within no time you will be drinking bits of it as it degrades anything it touches slowly. Not to mention do you even know all the components of what your kettle is built of?? You should have read the parent site before ever asking for advice because you would have answered many of your own questions. Odd this has to be explained to a college student.

The main concern of members on this site above all is safety and you have MANY problems with the safety of your still. I would tear it down and start over if you care at all about what you (or others) are drinking.

NB01 wrote: Another example of someone who asks for help, then argues every point when given advice. Now I see why so many responses tend to sound a bit jaded at times.

This
+1

I used to think some of the responses on the forum were snippy, but I totally understand it now!

Ummmmm , neighbor ? Did you happen to leave your full name and vital statistics with the lady at the lower end of the street that orders tombstones for the community ? You keep going the way you are and she is going to need that info .
What you need to know to do it right is all posted here .

"Food Grade" does not equate to "Alcohol Safe" as it pertains to our purposes... Alcohol vapor is caustic and causes aluminum deterioration, especially cheap aluminum like cheap painted teapots...

Please stop using that rig and do some serious research here in these forums... There is no need to do research elsewhere... We want you to be safe and successful... We're willing to help, but only once you've helped yourself...

Tell your wife and kids you love them. Give your mom her best mothers day gift ever. Throw the tee pot away. Read read read read read read read read read.

Damn son what ever mash or wash you have flush it so you wont be tempted to use that contraption again!Read and research all you can here before you do anymore.

I maybe should have warned you,

That you were about to get a Big Sky size Ass Whoopin'
over that cobbled up POS of a still. . .

However IF you are going to continue to use that aluminum laced
death machine. . . please post a photo of your girlfriend

Someone will need to care for her needs when your gone

Coyote

Coyote wrote: However, IF you are going to continue to use that aluminum laced
death machine. . . please post a photo of your girlfriend
Someone will need to care for her needs when you're gone
Coyote

This is my girlfriend, no joke, and because I am taking your advice I can continue to care for her myself.

Which adapter would you recommend for the new keg reflux still I have been working on?
a) http://www.milehidistilling.com/2-inch- ... o-keg-kit/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
b) http://www.olympicdistillers.com/moonsh ... er-keg-kit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Fran

You come back after 9months to post a picture of your girlfriends ass!?

I like it! Lmfao

Haha came back for more advice and thought it would act as incentive ha

Looks like a selfie to me, Fran....

Great now that "my" body is distracting everyone ill never get my question answered

Oh, you had a question, I didn't catch that...
6 a one, half dozen of the other, either of them options work fine. I figured that was just your excuse to post the pic. You've come a long way from that trollbait teapot to a keg still....

So I have my coil in the cap for the top of my keg reflux still. I read the coil needs to be as level as possible? What do they mean by this? And if there are holes in the top any way do I need to solder it at all? Thanks!
Cheers,
Fran

Here is my advise and it wont answer ur question. But im gona tell u find one knowledgeable person on here and let them lead u one direction. Because two or more knowledgeable people are gona lead u in more then one direction and likely cause confusion. I think somebody above said read read and reread. Thats the best advice of all. Oh more pics would be nice too. Shine bright

I missed the copper in that porn, I mean...oh never mind

Okay I came here and found my first design was a joke. I decided a total overhaul and allot more research was a must. Here is where I ended up and I still have lots of questions for you wonderfull people. Thank you for all your advice. My new design is the full monty and I have only ran water through it thus far. Cheap box wine will be step two after I resolve the following problems.
1. I need to get the top colder. Do I double my Cooper coil or will running my inlet line through a bucket of ice be sufficient to stop the steam from pouring out the top?
2. Does the hole where the thermomoeter is need a moonshiners biscut even if steam isn't coming out?
3. Does the flame look alright? Would just one of them on be best?
4. There is a film on top of the distilled water I am collecting. Is that OK? What could it be from? My guesses: the keg was used but I cleaned it very well and I'm not sure if the cork is the problem. I attached a photo of the label.
5. Any other help questions or comments would be great!

Love Fran.

That's quite a step up from what you had. I did not see that you did a vineger wash to clean. You should do that after your water wash and before your sacrificel (wine) wash. Your flame you adjust as your running to keep a pencil sized stream going. Welcome again!

oh great thanks! I will do the vinegar right now. Also why is the wine going to be sacrificial? Can you please elaborate more about on a pencil sized stream? I was getting a very fast drip not a stream. This could be because of my steam problem. Do you have any advice about that? Thanks a ton!

Ok I misread your post and thought you had a pot still, not a reflux. I'm just a simple pot still guy, someone with a reflux will need to step in.

the wine will be sacrificial for the same reason the water has shit floating on top...the still is not clean, until it is clean. water takes out some shit, vinegar takes out other shit and alcohol takes out other shit....do them all until no more shit comes out, even if you got to do it six times. each.

you gotta learn to drive the boka. balancing the heat in and the coolant so no steam escapes. water will be at a higher temp than booze, so if a bit of water gets away as steam, no big deal...but is alcohol leaks as steam..big badda boom!
balance the heat in to the coolant capability to get the product collection to the speed you want. the boka has (or should have) the ability to reflux all vapour back down so there is no output...then balance the output to discharge fores, and collect at the speed you desire for the product you are making.

testing and getting the feel for it with water instead of alcohol will give you the same experience without the inherent dangers of a flammable liquid, or explosive vapour in the air.
once you got the balance...make booze!

(the last two para's are all about the pencil sized stream vs. drips...if you get what i mean....)

Welcome back fran, Hope you brought your friend along.
Time to jump into the real world and out of the welcome center in my opinion. Post this in a new thread under a new topic. Hint........."My new upgrade. Help!" Ask all your questions there. What say you moderator? If I am outta line here will hold tail between legs.