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Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:40 pm
by Nightforce
I was collecting all my various foreshot containers into one jug and was wondering...is there a negative to collecting them all up and distilling them just for higher proof? Some of my foreshots from the reflux column are at 92+% and work well in my bud bottle stove but some of the foreshots from the pot still are only 88-82% and as they burn, 92+% works better. I was wondering if once I collected enough to dilute back to 40% and run through the reflux column for 95%+ not worrying about cuts, but just to collect fuel/cleaner? Seems to me it shouldn't hurt anything, i.e. contaminate the still somehow, and I do love to run the still. :D

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:04 am
by Barney Fife
Go ahead! Many of us do exactly that. I dilute my charge to below 30% ABV, though, and usually well below 25%.

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 5:51 am
by Nightforce
How come you dilute back so far?

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 6:20 am
by Husker
There would be no reason to dillute that much. It is not like you are doing this to drink the finished product, you simply want it HIGH strength, thus the extra water to 'reduce' the flavor does not play in at all.

Dropping it to 35-40% is probably in line. Then reflux on the fast side, just to get the ABV up to 92-94% is probably right. 94% works great in an alcohol stove.

As for contamination of your still, that should be a non issue (or almost non issue), if you are simply rerunning fores. Most of the things that will dirty up a still, are the solids from a wash/mash, and also some of the tails. Fores (and heads), are volatile, and will run right through, and not stick in the packing.

H.

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 6:46 am
by Barney Fife
I dilute that much for safety reasons, not flavor reasons. It only takes a bit longer to bring it to a boil, and not much longer to run it, and I feel it's a lot safer.

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:47 am
by still crazy
We use it for alcohol lamps in the bob shack (ice fishing) and we use em at night as markers to make it easy to find the holes.
We take baby food jars and drill small holes in the caps pull thru a wick made of a short piece of cotton rope pour in the fuel and light.
Then at night when your fishing you can put one at each hole outside and use em as hole finders. They hardly ever blow out.
I want to try and build an alcohol burner so maybe while ice fishing we can heat the bob shack. Hmmm maybe bring a portable still...

Re: Distilling Foreshots for fuel/cleaner

Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:17 pm
by SMOKEU
I run heads in my GTIR all the time. The SR20DET loves it.