Building a still is like Nuclear Fusion

[tiramisu]

You are always 20 order and 30 years from done.

Currently have 19 orders awaiting delivery from Chinesia and no matter how many orders turn up in the mail the number of open orders never quite seems to go down. It must be nice to just order a pallet and see it all delivered in a big wooden box.
I now understand why guys just go to the plumbing store and buy a bunch of copper pipe and solder.

Shiny 304 stainless is stacking up on the shelves, a bit more every month...
The stack of lego is getting bigger but at the my rate it will be summer before I finally get to boil some beer.


Just felt like venting.

[Deplorable]

It still doesn't seem to end. Regardless of of the path you take, it seems there is always another something to buy or build.
But yeah, it's faster to just go get everything local and start building.
In an age of instant gratification, waiting weeks or months for shit to show up on your door step is hard to accept nowadays.

[dunluce]

For myself, I built my first still with the intention of building a second one. Bokakob, then a pot still. Yes, lots of trips to the hardware store, but also I stocked up on some copper tubing first.....a 12' piece of 2" tubing that will last for a few builds, and lots of 1", 3/4", 1/2" tubing. Lots of trips to the store as said, but I found myself changing and deciding lots of different things over the few months of initial building....I always seemed to have something to tinker with.

That being said....I started researching this a year ago, and didn't start building until over Christmas. I took that time to read and research everything, which helped a lot.

[zed255]

I actually prefer to pay a premium and buy from local (on a global scale, anywhere in Canada for me) and get it quickly and easily. Costs more, but I have it now-ish and don't deal with the CBSA.

[dunluce]

For me, I also wanted to build it so I would understand every aspect of it. Personal preference, maybe.

[Saltbush Bill]

I also wanted to build it so I would understand every aspect of it.

I always have advised people to build rather than buy.....it does help your understanding of what is happening inside of your still and there is nothing like watching those first drops of alcohol drip from your first build.
I get a bit sick of watching people say ..." i cant , i have no skills or tools."
99% of us started out that way.
Some copper pipe....a hack saw....a drill and a few other bits and bobs is really all you need if you are prepared to use your head a bit and improvise a litte.
Until relatively recent times you learned to build or you found another hobby.
10 years ago tri clamps and flanges where almost unheard of.....you made do with what you had or what you could make.

[Bushman]

I agree real learning curve when you build your own. Not saying you won’t get there by buying but when you build you are understanding the why.

[Saltbush Bill]

Correct Bushy.....to many now seem to buy and then completely fail to understand how that particular still style functions.
When you build you do the research to understand how that still works as you build......or so it seems to me.

[dunluce]

I always have advised people to build rather than buy.....it does help your understanding of what is happening inside of your still....

It also helped me understand what mistakes I made, and how to improve future building techniques.

[tiramisu]

I started reading about 3 years ago. The ability to buy sanitary fittings like lego is remarkable.
Ordering a 12' section of 4" Type L has got to raise a few eyebrows at the local hardware store.

I would like to try grain-in... after neutral spirits, gin and white whiskey.
I think this first configuration will take me half the way there.
Steam injection seems like a cheaper build than a BainMarie.
... lmfao... If I get this one operating smoothly this year that would be just fine.

Vodka for Christmas.

[NZChris]

I did months of research, months of scavenging materials, then a day putting a still together, then a day adding a preheater. When I got around to doing modifications, I'd already put a couple of decades worth of product through them. The few improvements have been to do with control and automation. Even my main fermenter is still the same one, but I've learned a lot more about temperature control.

After much pestering by a fellow distiller, I did build a Bokakob, (he did the important stuff, like welding), but it seldom gets used, maybe once a year.

My most used stills lately are mini gin stills made from saucepans and steamers from charity shops and copper from scrapyards and cost me bugger all. My most expensive still is a small copper alembic that I recently picked up at an auction for a fraction of the new price.

The only thing I'm waiting for from China is an ammeter for a backup voltage controller.

[tiramisu]

[Deplorable]

That'll keep your welder busy for a little bit. You're really going to like that nice wide opening on the top for cleaning, and if you planned your column sections right, you'll be able to store all of your kit inside the boiler.

[greggn]

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Sure, it's a nice keg but it was the lightstand that caught my eye ... what do you shoot ?

[tiramisu]

Short videos on my old A6300. Mostly talking head stuff. Training videos, demos.

[NormandieStill]

and if you planned your column sections right, you'll be able to store all of your kit inside the boiler.

Now that's an idea. My 30l keg would require way too many short sections, but I like the idea of a still that collapses down into one keg which can then be stored compactly. That would be the biggest argument for me in favour of replacing the leibig with a dimroth or shotgun.

[Zeotropic]

and if you planned your column sections right, you'll be able to store all of your kit inside the boiler.

Now that's an idea. My 30l keg would require way too many short sections, but I like the idea of a still that collapses down into one keg which can then be stored compactly. That would be the biggest argument for me in favour of replacing the leibig with a dimroth or shotgun.

That is a cool idea.

[NZChris]

You can build Liebig that turns back on itself to nearly halve it's length. I built my first like that and it still gets occasional use over thirty years later. It was too long to hide in the pot, but if I'd thought it through, I could have put two 180 bends in it so that it would have fitted.

[tiramisu]

My longest column segments are 18" they will fit
24" - 5 pipe 2" product condenser is a bit too long.
everything else is 18" or shorter.

Like a couple of other guys this should break down into a 42 Gallon Brute bin.

[NZChris]

I built my first so that it could be broken down and spread around the property when it wasn't in use. I only had to assemble it once or twice a year. The rest of the time it would have been difficult to prove I had an alcohol still. Now, distilling is legal here and it's set up permanently.