Thumper?

[Dnderhead]

first you should not need a stripping run if using a thumper.
very little alcohol should be left in the thumper,and not worth redistilling.
if running multiple runs back to back you can reuse thumper contents.
if you use water in the thumper it soon has a slight amount of alcohol in it.
if you use hi alcohol it soon becomes depleted. (either equalizes out in a short time)
what ever you put in can carry over,if flavored then some flavor will.
so just dont use anything "nasty".

[Dave73]

dayhunt,
it looks to me like your input linre to your thumper twists around the outside of your thumper and enters from the bottom. If im correct on that then I would think that the vapor would be cooling too much before it gets inside of the thumper so you would be putiing liguid and not vapor INTO the thumper. My suggestion would be to run your input int the top without all the coils and straight into your low wines or whatever you charge your thump with.

Again thats just what it looks like to me from the pic Ive always been told you want the hot vapor goin in so you can heat your thump and get vapor back out. If im seeing the setup wrong then please send another pic of setup so I can see different.

[GuyFawkes]

dayhunt,
it looks to me like your input linre to your thumper twists around the outside of your thumper and enters from the bottom. If im correct on that then I would think that the vapor would be cooling too much before it gets inside of the thumper so you would be putiing liguid and not vapor INTO the thumper. My suggestion would be to run your input int the top without all the coils and straight into your low wines or whatever you charge your thump with.

Again thats just what it looks like to me from the pic Ive always been told you want the hot vapor goin in so you can heat your thump and get vapor back out. If im seeing the setup wrong then please send another pic of setup so I can see different.

The idea is a self-filling thumper. In the beginning when it is cool the liquid will condense into the thumper, but as it heats up this will cease and then the vapor will come into the warmed up thumper like normal. It is not charged with anything, it fills itself. At least, that's the idea, getting it to work in practice takes some practice.

[Usge]

I would like to speak on something Dnder said. In terms of abv on a run, In my experience...a single thumper run on wash...isn't going to be much different than a single run on a straight up potstill. The only difference is it will start out at slightly higher proof. But, It's not as high as double distilling on a potstill. And it pretty much mimics the run of a potstill in that it falls in proof each jar as the run progresses. The blended end results/cut aren't that much different in terms of abv from a slow single run on a pot (maybe 5 to 10 pct higher abv).

HOWEVER< running low-wines in your pot using a thumper...(ie., double running on the thumper rig) is a whole other world. The abv will fall some..then "stick"...usually somewhere around 75-80% through your hearts. It might drop a few points on the back side of the run up and till you get into tails..where it will just fall dramatically. This "flattening" of the abv curve is not even noticeable on a single run. Although the abv doesn't squirt up to extremely high ranges like other reflux stills...the fact that it maintains it over a good portion of the run raises the blended average of your cut. Instead of mixing jars where each is decreasing in abv as it goes, you are mixing straight jars of 80% with a couple jars of slightly less than that.

As noted...it's also the flavor careover possibilities where the thumper user can be a bit more creative.

[GuyFawkes]

As noted...it's also the flavor careover possibilities where the thumper user can be a bit more creative.

To me, that's the big benefit of a thumper. I have found a thumper tends to create a bit of a cleaner and smoother overall profile, but again like you said, nothing outside the realm of just running er slow, although it does have the benefit of tasting like it was run slow when it was really run very fast...... it's almost like a filter that catches some of the nasties that come over when you run really fast.

But ultimately, that ability to add a new dimension of flavor that really does carry through in a strong manner is something else entirely. Opens a whole new set of doors. Suddenly your rums that may have been kind of flat and overly molasses are suddenly sweet, vanilla, and creamy butterscotch.

[Dnderhead]

" thumper run on wash...isn't going to be much different than a single run on a pot still"
the lower percent you start with the more gain /beneficial the thumper is.
so if you put 5% in you will git 30% out of the pot,,and 70% out of the thumper,this is where the thumper shines.but you that run 15% wash its not going to gain much at all.and thats the way they used to run them.no one ever heard of 12-14% wash.if you did real good you mite git 7%,you made a 5-6% wash, ferment over night,and run again the next day and the next and--------

[thumper123]

I have a little thumper for my 5 gallon pot still which incorporates a Ball mason jar. It works just fine even though it's a little small for the task. I wanted a little higher proof than I normally get with my pot still so that I could barrel a little. I'm getting 120 proof with a 5% all corn mash first run every time as opposed to 105 before the thumper.

I've noticed some concern about possible breakage here, and I thought I would share my thoughts with all. I built a sheet metal tray with shallow sides to go under the thumper. Think containment here in case the glass breaks. Also, if the glass does break, it's not likely to be full of ethanol unless you put it there to begin with. The thumper contains nothing but water or very weak spirits when it's running properly. Empty the thumper after a run and check the contents. I think you'll be surprised. So I think if you're careful, and you're a small distiller, you can take advantage of a very cheap and easy build.

[rad14701]

I have a little thumper for my 5 gallon pot still which incorporates a Ball mason jar. It works just fine even though it's a little small for the task. I wanted a little higher proof than I normally get with my pot still so that I could barrel a little. I'm getting 120 proof with a 5% all corn mash first run every time as opposed to 105 before the thumper.

I've noticed some concern about possible breakage here, and I thought I would share my thoughts with all. I built a sheet metal tray with shallow sides to go under the thumper. Think containment here in case the glass breaks. Also, if the glass does break, it's not likely to be full of ethanol unless you put it there to begin with. The thumper contains nothing but water or very weak spirits when it's running properly. Empty the thumper after a run and check the contents. I think you'll be surprised. So I think if you're careful, and you're a small distiller, you can take advantage of a very cheap and easy build.

I'd strongly urge you to replace that Mason Jar... Containment tray or not, it still poses a safety risk... And not good advice for novices to be reading either... It does no good for us to promote safety day in and day out just to have someone scoff at being safe in the open forums... Plus, what's sealing that Mason Jar...??? Synthetics...!!! Yet another safety concern being scoffed at... Just sayin...

[rad14701]

I see a high spot in your worm...

Also, please upload your images directly to this site rather than relying on an external image hosting site... The reasons have been covered HERE...

[Richard7]

I've noticed some concern about possible breakage here, and I thought I would share my thoughts with all. I built a sheet metal tray with shallow sides to go under the thumper. Think containment here in case the glass breaks. Also, if the glass does break, it's not likely to be full of ethanol unless you put it there to begin with.

One of the things to consider, is the fact that if it cracks or breaks and does not get caught right away, it is pumping explosive alcohol vapor out that is not seeing a condenser. The condensed liquid is only dangerous as a fire hazard (dangerous enough) but the vapor is explosive!

[GuyFawkes]

One of the things to consider, is the fact that if it cracks or breaks and does not get caught right away, it is pumping explosive alcohol vapor out that is not seeing a condenser. The condensed liquid is only dangerous as a fire hazard (dangerous enough) but the vapor is explosive!

Another thing to be considered, imagine for whatever reason your output in the thumper is clogged or jammed. Pressure buildup with a stainless steel vessel is dangerous..... in a glass vessel it's catastrophic. You now have a grenade attached to your still. Explosive detonation with glass shrapnel to boot.

Is it possible to run a still with glass thumper safely? Sure. you could do it a million times and never have failure. That doesn't mean it can't happen though, and why take that risk for something so insignificant as that? Why not just make a stainless or copper thumper?

[thumper123]

Okay, I'm convinced, especially after seeing Rad's GREAT stainless thumper. What method did you use to attach the outlet pipe? Braze or weld? Is the inlet tube attached by a bulkhead union or some other means? How about the lid?

I have some copper, but if I'm going to do this right, I would need to both solder AND rivet the seams (I have some nice copper rivets). An alternative would be to use a silver solder with an 800 degree F melting point. It's nice and strong, but at $90.00 a roll, it's pricey. Braze is not feasible with light copper. Hence, I'm leaning towards one of those nice Walmart stainless stockpots at $11.99.

Thank you for sharing.

[rad14701]

Okay, I'm convinced, especially after seeing Rad's GREAT stainless thumper. What method did you use to attach the outlet pipe? Braze or weld? Is the inlet tube attached by a bulkhead union or some other means? How about the lid?

The picture in the post above is not of my rig, it belongs to dayhunt85... Gotta give credit where credit is due...

[thumper123]

Sorry. So dayhunt85, could you please comment on my questions regarding your world class thumper?

Thank you so much. Thumper

[RumRunR]

Just reading the beginning and tail end of this thread.. Maybe someone has already covered it in the middle n I skipped over. I wanted a thumper and was merely talking it over with my brother when he came home from work with one hellua thumper.. I thought this 4 gallon capacity piece of 8" stainless pipe was just too big. Turns out its perfect for my 10 gallon rig. I pondered what to put in it but at the time I just wanted to make liqueur, so I ran it dry. Surprised I was to find it naturally gathers its own liquid and works quite well doing so. The way I run it almost works like a reflux or so I got it in my head. I get bored and drain it off, it usually has a good 1/2 gallon of 50% ABV. Sometimes I do this and save it up to run by itself after I pour out the ol' wash. But sometimes I valve it rite back in the pot. I'm just an experimenter at everything I do this is no different. My next project will have it plumbed back into my pot, for now I'm ok how it does. I guess the point is what's the point?? To this day I have never put anything in mine and just let natural physics take over.

[Bushman]

Just reading the beginning and tail end of this thread.. Maybe someone has already covered it in the middle n I skipped over. I wanted a thumper and was merely talking it over with my brother when he came home from work with one hellua thumper.. I thought this 4 gallon capacity piece of 8" stainless pipe was just too big. Turns out its perfect for my 10 gallon rig. I pondered what to put in it but at the time I just wanted to make liqueur, so I ran it dry. Surprised I was to find it naturally gathers its own liquid and works quite well doing so. The way I run it almost works like a reflux or so I got it in my head. I get bored and drain it off, it usually has a good 1/2 gallon of 50% ABV. Sometimes I do this and save it up to run by itself after I pour out the ol' wash. But sometimes I valve it rite back in the pot. I'm just an experimenter at everything I do this is no different. My next project will have it plumbed back into my pot, for now I'm ok how it does. I guess the point is what's the point?? To this day I have never put anything in mine and just let natural physics take over.

You can run it either way. Some folks charge it with the flavor they want to bring over into their product such as rum. Some folks speed up the process also by preheating the thumper others allow it to heat up through the vapors coming across from the still.

[TOAD]

If i set up my still with a undersized glass thumper in the middle of a field and shoot the thumper, midd run, from a distance that would settle the "what would happen" debate. Post a vid on utupe. It would be for the safety of others. The still is all metal so it should be fine with time for me to put out any fire. Wait.. Am i considering this?.. No, i dont have a safe place to do it. Im going to mill this over for a while. Until there is solid proof and i mean video proof that mason jar thumper use is safe, please, just dont risk it. And PLEASE, keep a keep a fire extinguisher within arms reach and have a way to shut off your still from a distance.

[GuyFawkes]

Sounds like something to do after a few too many TOAD...... I'm not sure how educational or informative it would be.... I imagine it would be funny though



I do have a question though, wonder if anyone here can answer: for LW's humper thumper, what did he use to cover the pipe? I want to do a similar setup, and it seems expensive to have to find wide diameter copper pipe to go over it (plus a cap). I was actually thinking, would a stainless steel bowl work? I have one that just fits on the inside of a 5 gal stock pot I plan on using as a thumper, was wondering if that would work okay.

[dayhunt85]

Thump123,
The bottom is a street elbow soldered into place. It was a pain but I eventually got it. The lid is drilled and penatrated with a brass sink flange. I will post some pics when I get to my computer. Just ran last night and I pulled some tasty 175 proof from a third gen UJSSM.

[newengland]

I'm making my first run with a thumper as I write. I connected my 5 gal Clawhammer to my 1 gal Clawhammer. Drilled 1/2 inch hole in cap plate of 1 gal., into which is inserted 3/8 inch flexible copper tube reaching into the 1 gal to 1 inch above bottom. Adapter connects 3/8 inch flexible copper to 6 inches of 1/2 inch copper pipe coming off the 5 gal. i can still use my 1 gal independently with a cork in the drill hole in the cap plate. Taking foreshots right now. Seems to work a treat. Thump thump.

[TOAD]

15.5gal boiler 3' of 1" to 7.75gal thumper. Sounds less like "thump thump thump" and more like Tommy Lee with a set of stainless steal drums. Is this normal? It works really well so im not so worried. And it works well as an early warning because product starts to flow when the drum solo is over.

[newengland]

I got more drum solo than "thumps" as well. Also although the thumper worked well, mine is not large enough. I had to stop distilling when the thumper filled up and then start again the next day. A large thumper is definitely the way to go. Yours at 50% of still size is probably adequate, whereas mine, at 20% is definitely not. Gives some great results, though. From about 4 gal wash, I took: 150 ml fore shots--83%; 190 ml--83%; 190 ml--80%; 200 ml--78%; 190 ml--78%; 190 ml 74%; 190 ml--72%l 200 ml --70%; 200 ml 61%; 200 ml tails--45%; 200 ml tails--32%; 150 ml tails--15%.

[zero]

I finally decided to build a thumper after reading this thread a couple of times. My main boiler now is a 7.5 gal, which I intend on converting to a thumper when I decide to take the leap to my keg project. I wanted to do it on a smaller scale first as a proof of concept. I was really enamored with the idea of increasing the efficiency of the still in terms of energy consumed vs. output. I bought a 3 gal SS pot and was pleasantly surprised with the results.
After thinking about it, I realized the way I had things set up would easily make for a modular design, i.e. two or more thumpers. I bought another pot and tried it out... it sounds like a cross between a dishwasher and a washing machine. If I run it low and slow, I barely have to change out the water for my condenser.
The other reason I wanted to try a thumper was for making infused spirits. Actually, this was more of the main reason as to why I wanted to try the thumper... this board makes my mind continuously go, "what if I tried this?" At any rate, I soaked some blackberries in some alcohol for a couple of days to soften them up. After pulverizing in a blender, I dumped the mix in my second thumper. I knew from all the previous posts that it worked, but after tasting it I felt like I discovered something that nobody else had ever tasted before. The flavor comes through nicely at the end, and my girlfriend is already making requests for the next flavor. It's actually a lot of fun matching your stuff against the store-bought stuff. If there's anyone on the fence about making a thumper, just go do it.

[TOAD]

Zero,

Glad to hear your success. I had thought about doing a double thumper for infused spirits and you convenced me.
i wonder. Should my second thumper be 1/2 the size of my first, or the same?

[LWTCS]

Glad to hear your success. I had thought about doing a double thumper for infused spirits and you convenced me.
i wonder. Should my second thumper be 1/2 the size of my first, or the same?

Up to you I suppose. I have seen quite a few pictures of old school retorts in the carribean that are sized the same.

[jarheadshiner]

Thinking of building a thumper. My boiler is 15.5 keg. I have a couple of pots, one is 5 gallons and the other is 11 gallons. Would I be better off with the smaller or larger one?

[newengland]

I'd go with the larger, as the thumper will gradually fill with liquid.

[rad14701]

Thinking of building a thumper. My boiler is 15.5 keg. I have a couple of pots, one is 5 gallons and the other is 11 gallons. Would I be better off with the smaller or larger one?

I'd go with the 5 gallon because that falls within the range of 25% - 33% of the boilers volume... The 11 gallon (~70%) would be too big and would potentially fill up too far with spirits...

[jarheadshiner]

I'd go with the 5 gallon because that falls within the range of 25% - 33% of the boilers volume... The 11 gallon (~70%) would be too big and would potentially fill up too far with spirits...

Thanks Rad. Think I cut up the lid on the 5 gallon pretty bad for something else so I'll have to fab something up. Never liked that lid anyway.

[newengland]

Rad, just so I understand: if the larger thumper would fill up with too much spirit, why wouldn't the smaller thumper fill up with too much spirit sooner?