Thanks for the warning!Alchemist75 wrote:So stupid shit done distilling alcohol.....
How bout blowing up stills?
Done it twice, things happen, like, ima idiot kinda things.
... story ....
What ensued was a lesson in rocketry and confirmed that my design was very efficient. The ice cooled condenser was actually generating negative pressure so the lighter flame was drawn up the arm and into the gas trap....
*PHUNK!* the top chamber of the gas trap shot off like a bolt, ricocheted off the ceiling and landed somewhere behind me. Immediately the entire work space was dancing with blue flames including myself. I managed to get the fire put out quickly but I learned a valuable lesson. Good solvent recovery rig, real damn good.
... other story ...
Yeah, things blow up sometimes when you're being a dummy.
I was planning to test if a boiler could explode. Put a bit of low wines in a small plastic bottle with a small pipe au bain marie and when the vapour was coming out I would light a rope drenched in alcohol from a safe distance.
I reasoned that all the air would be driven out the boiler by the vapour and without oxygen a fire would be impossible. But even if that would be safe, it would say nothing about a still with a real condenser.
When I made the plan, I only had used a air cooled condenser. But now I have heard a Liebig huff and felt the air being sucked in. So my assumption that there is no air in the kettle, might very well be false.
Which makes the test unnecessary.
Your accident must have been a very beautiful sight, though.