I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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Mashable
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I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

I finally decided to go with a 15.5 keg as my boiler and start out with a modular build that uses 2” tri clover sanitary fittings soldered to 2” copper, this will include a thumper that can be added or removed with output to a Liebig, but really, who am joking as I’ve changed designs several times since gaining interest, and have read several posts similar to the above. What I think some will find some humour in is what happened to me today.

So I ordered a new keg from a local supplier last week. They did not provide any shipping info, so I was caught off guard when driving home from work today my wife called asking me why there was a keg on the front porch? Uhhh, uhhh, smoker project! I said proudly, as that’s another obsession. Let’s say she did not buy it, leaving wondering how much shit I was about to be in. Once home she quickly guessed what my intent was from previous talks, no secret to her that I’ve been interested in brews and whiskeys. Overall she took it better than I thought. So I suppose the hard part (one of them anyway) is over now, wife is on board as long as she gets cream liquor for Christmas. Now that’s a win for me. Now that he hard work begins. Promise I’ll document and post build. I was going to post the keg, but it’s just an empty keg, plus I haven’t figured out how to resize photos yet either. Anyhow, cheers and thanks to all the past and present contributors that make this such an awesome place to learn. :thumbup: :thumbup:
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Mashable
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

New keg $109.99 with spear removed, stainless 2” ferrules $6 each, 2” copper pipe from a friend in the trades, 2” Elbows from same friend. Still sourcing 2” copper tee and reducing tees for remainder.

Have no idea how deep this rabbit hole, judging by what I’ve seen on here it’s more of a bottomless pit.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by acfixer69 »

Welcome to HD. Like the wife story. Glad that worked out. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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Mashable wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:00 pm ... wife is on board as long as she gets cream liquor for Christmas...
No pressure Mashable, but now it's on you. BTW, some of us like pics of kegs and all the things that you can add to 'em to make 'em more versatile.

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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Thanks Twisted, I owe it to everyone to learn how to resize and post pics! If it wasn’t for everything posted here here, I’d still be thinking about what a great idea this is, and making a note to get around to it. Honestly, it’s this forum that lit the fire under my ass to put it all in motion! Seriously, thank you all!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by wpkluck »

Mashable wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 12:00 pm...who am joking as I’ve changed designs several times since gaining interest, and have read several posts similar to the above.
Welcome, and god help you. If you're doing it right, this hobby will consume you! :sarcasm:
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Run it, X. Thump it, XX. If you get 1.5, well, I think you can do better!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by River Rat »

wpkluck wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 3:37 pm Welcome, and god help you. If you're doing it right, this hobby will consume you!
That it will. But damn it's a lot of fun.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by FLOB »

fellow noob here, if you think getting a keg is exciting, wait until something starts dripping into a collection jar. It makes me laugh every time.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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FLOB wrote: Thu Mar 11, 2021 8:36 am fellow noob here, if you think getting a keg is exciting, wait until something starts dripping into a collection jar. It makes me laugh every time.
+1

And even after a few years, it's legit. Like the first whiff of a bourbon spirit run that comes out the spout during heatup - totally gets the juices flowing.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Deplorable »

And before you know it, your shed starts to fill up with stuff that trys your patience. Enjoy the journey!
20210227_130911.jpg
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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Deplorable wrote: Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:36 am And before you know it, your shed starts to fill up with stuff that trys your patience. Enjoy the journey!

20210227_130911.jpg
Nice likker collection there deplorable
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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Deplorable wrote: Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:36 am And before you know it, your shed starts to fill up with stuff that trys your patience. Enjoy the journey!

20210227_130911.jpg
Very nice!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by The Baker »

The link did not work for me...

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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

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Deplorable wrote:And before you know it, your shed starts to fill up with stuff that trys your patience. Enjoy the journey!
20210227_130911.jpg
Yep, those damn bikes take up valuable space.[IMG]https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202103 ... a802f2.jpg[/IMG]
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Deplorable »

Mine is but a humble beginning. Some day I'll have a line up like that...
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by still_stirrin »

Hey Deplorable,

I noticed you have dominoes inside those gallon jars. I hope the size will pass through the opening when they’re “swollen”.

I’ve had stave chunks swell bigger than the mouth opening to the Mason jar I had them aging in and I couldn’t remove the chunks, even after letting them dry for months (after the spirit was removed, of course). The wood never did shrink back to it’s original “pre-oaking” size. I ended up having to grab them with a pliers and cut them inside the jar with a long sawzall blade. PITA!

If your dominoes swell too much, they may just end up being “permanent additions” to your gallon jug.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Twisted Brick »

still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:46 am Hey Deplorable,

I noticed you have dominoes inside those gallon jars. I hope the size will pass through the opening when they’re “swollen”.
Good catch, ss! I'm thinking the concavity of the glass has enlarged the appearance of the sticks...
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Deplorable »

still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:46 am Hey Deplorable,

I noticed you have dominoes inside those gallon jars. I hope the size will pass through the opening when they’re “swollen”.

I’ve had stave chunks swell bigger than the mouth opening to the Mason jar I had them aging in and I couldn’t remove the chunks, even after letting them dry for months (after the spirit was removed, of course). The wood never did shrink back to it’s original “pre-oaking” size. I ended up having to grab them with a pliers and cut them inside the jar with a long sawzall blade. PITA!

If your dominoes swell too much, they may just end up being “permanent additions” to your gallon jug.
ss
Good eye SS. :wink: Yes, my reading on here gave me the foresight to plan accordingly and make them small enough to account for swelling. All my dominoes are cut to .75" X 1.125" X 6" for weathering, then ripped to .5 X .75 x 6, sanded to remove the filth from the elements, then toasted(some are some arent), slowly charred over a penny stove using my high proof heads, then given a soak in water for a couple of hours prior to dropping them into the jugs.
Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Deplorable wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:02 am
still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:46 am Hey Deplorable,

I noticed you have dominoes inside those gallon jars. I hope the size will pass through the opening when they’re “swollen”.

I’ve had stave chunks swell bigger than the mouth opening to the Mason jar I had them aging in and I couldn’t remove the chunks, even after letting them dry for months (after the spirit was removed, of course). The wood never did shrink back to it’s original “pre-oaking” size. I ended up having to grab them with a pliers and cut them inside the jar with a long sawzall blade. PITA!

If your dominoes swell too much, they may just end up being “permanent additions” to your gallon jug.
ss
Good eye SS. :wink: Yes, my reading on here gave me the foresight to plan accordingly and make them small enough to account for swelling. All my dominoes are cut to .75" X 1.125" X 6" for weathering, then ripped to .5 X .75 x 6, sanded to remove the filth from the elements, then toasted(some are some arent), slowly charred over a penny stove using my high proof heads, then given a soak in water for a couple of hours prior to dropping them into the jugs.
What I really appreciate about this group is how just reading through thread questions arise. I’m now using the rabbit hole search bar (my pet name for the google search), knowing full well my wife will soon be asking me about the different varieties of wood I’m collecting and why the house smells of a campfire!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Deplorable wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 8:02 am
still_stirrin wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 7:46 am Hey Deplorable,

I noticed you have dominoes inside those gallon jars. I hope the size will pass through the opening when they’re “swollen”.

I’ve had stave chunks swell bigger than the mouth opening to the Mason jar I had them aging in and I couldn’t remove the chunks, even after letting them dry for months (after the spirit was removed, of course). The wood never did shrink back to it’s original “pre-oaking” size. I ended up having to grab them with a pliers and cut them inside the jar with a long sawzall blade. PITA!

If your dominoes swell too much, they may just end up being “permanent additions” to your gallon jug.
ss
Good eye SS. :wink: Yes, my reading on here gave me the foresight to plan accordingly and make them small enough to account for swelling. All my dominoes are cut to .75" X 1.125" X 6" for weathering, then ripped to .5 X .75 x 6, sanded to remove the filth from the elements, then toasted(some are some arent), slowly charred over a penny stove using my high proof heads, then given a soak in water for a couple of hours prior to dropping them into the jugs.
What I really appreciate about this group is how just reading through the thread, questions arise. I’m now using the rabbit hole search bar (my pet name for the google search), knowing full well my wife will soon be asking me about the different varieties of wood I’m collecting and why the house always smells of a campfire!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

93300526-5E2B-4209-87A1-9A7831BC3A8D.jpeg
D0B6BF00-8D3A-4116-8A87-6B383A4259E2.jpeg
1B2F57BF-0FE7-41FB-AA2E-C80A526FBAAF.jpeg
Figured out how to resize finally, so simple it hurts my head how I couldn’t figure it out. Anyhow, here is the humble beginning of my build. This has become an obsession, shocked how absorbed I’ve been, every waking hour and second of free time, it’s all I do now, it’s a problem, help.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Deplorable »

Say, rather than 2 90° elbows off the riser and over, I'd suggest a 2X2X2 T. That way when you decide later you want to make a CCVM, all you need is a couple of spools and a reflux condenser.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Deplorable wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 2:45 pm Say, rather than 2 90° elbows off the riser and over, I'd suggest a 2X2X2 T. That way when you decide later you want to make a CCVM, all you need is a couple of spools and a reflux condenser.
100% agree on the tee’s! Everything but the keg was free, so I liked the price, was going to use the ferrules to make everything modular and add a tee so can eventually play with CCVM, main interest is whiskeys and rum, so pot still mode is the set up I will start with, and add components as I go. I love grown up lego.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Deplorable »

It looks like you have most of the parts to build a shotgun condenser based off of what you have in your pictures as well. You are off to a great start for sure. Plan out your holes in the keg so you get it all done at once, and give some consideration to building a shotgun rather than a liebig. It's a little more work, but it's nice to have all that knockdown power in a compact shell.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Good eye, I just cut the 1/2 down to length for a shotgun! Was originally going for a Liebig, but have been won over with the performance of the shotgun, specifically for stripping runs. Learning fast that patience is key. Thanks for the feedback, truly appreciated!
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by The Baker »

Especially if you are using an electric element for heating, you can turn the keg over and use modular fittings to fit a drain.
That means you can cut a larger hole in (what is now the) top, weld on a modular thingy and use a reducer to fit your
column/ riser.

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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Also made the decision to go electric over propane, currently have a 5500 ULDW Camco 2965 coming. Now comes the brain hurt of picking the build for the controller. So many posts! So far I’m leaning to a SCR 10000w 220v 75a dial/dimmer thermostat. It’s made the most sense to me so far. I’ll continue to update as I go along.

My parking lot says I have plans for thumper down the road and I’m now planning another unmolested 15.5 keg, that can also be used with propane and simply attach my pot still head to.

But for now I’m focused on the shotgun build and soldering the ferrules to accept the heating element.

Stay tuned.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Made some late night purchases, first was the SCR for power controller build. What has me in a panic is the copper 2” discs I ordered, closer reading and it’s says 99.5% pure, not sure if .5% other is something to worry over? They are sold as “Pure 99.5% Round Copper Plate Electrode Sacrificial Anode Plating Sheet” I was planning on using these as my end plates for my shotgun. Any feedback on the copper, good or bad? I couldn’t find any info using search.
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Post by Deplorable »

Those are fine.
Fear and ridicule are the tactics of weak-minded cowards and tyrants who have no other leadership talent from which to draw in order to persuade.
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Re: I did it! I have officially started the journey.

Post by Mashable »

Deplorable wrote: Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:41 am Those are fine.
Thanks Deplorable! I usually end up with a little buyers remorse after those late night purchases that are vague in the morning. Thankfully this is not one of those times.
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