Leaky Still (My First Pot Still)

[theholymackerel]

Looks like ya got somethin' to condense water vapor. Good. Water takes more coolin' to knock down to liquid than alcohol.

If yer gonna use that still to make alcohol that yer gonna drink I suggest ya get rid of the plastic bottle on the end of yer condenser. Distilled alcohol and plastic are a no-no. Have it drip straight from the copper coil into a glass collection container.

I also suggest ya get rid of the thermometer. The best way to learn to operate a pot still is to drive it yerself. Don't let gauges and instruments replace yer superior tools of taste and smell. Do some readin' here on the boards about "cuts" and "heads, body, and tails". You'll be makin' better booze than ya can buy in no time.

If the size of yer waterbucket for the coil is equal or larger than yer boiler than ya need no ice, runnin' water, or additional coolin' when (distillin' alcohol). If ya get hooked on this hobby yer gonna want to build a better still. It can be done cheaply and easily.


Again I wanna suggest a rum wash for a good beginner wash. One gallon of fancy (or blackstrap) molassas, a 5 lb sack of sugar and two pacs of bakers yeast make a cheap 5 gallon rum wash that will yeild roughly a gallon of 100 proof rum. It's cheap, easy to ferment, and the molassas has ALL the nutrients to help yer yeast ferment quickly and cleanly.






I wish ya luck.

[nokianinja]

suggest ya get rid of the plastic bottle on the end of yer condenser. Distilled alcohol and plastic are a no-no. Have it drip straight from the copper coil into a glass collection container.

I was concerned about excess vapour escaping, so the large bottle is there as a precaution to condense any remaining vapours. Instead of plastic, I can just shove the end of the worm far into a glass whiskey bottle.

I also suggest ya get rid of the thermometer. The best way to learn to operate a pot still is to drive it yerself. Don't let gauges and instruments replace yer superior tools of taste and smell. Do some readin' here on the boards about "cuts" and "heads, body, and tails". You'll be makin' better booze than ya can buy in no time.

I'm all for developing my taste and smell for good vs bad cuts, but I'm hesitant to remove the thermometer this early in the learning process. That and I already drilled a hole and glued it in there with flour paste, I'd like to avoid any further work on the still that isn't necessary.

If the size of yer waterbucket for the coil is equal or larger than yer boiler than ya need no ice, runnin' water, or additional coolin' when (distillin' alcohol).

This is truly news to me. All the stills I've seen have had some form of coolant for the coils. Anyone else care to comment? It would be nice to have one less thing to fill up with water for each distillation run.

Again I wanna suggest a rum wash for a good beginner wash. One gallon of fancy (or blackstrap) molassas,

That was the first thing I did (before I even had the still working properly), was start fermenting brown sugar and sourcing molasses. There's a discount / warehouse supermarket my dad recommended to get the molasses from. I've also got a few hundred mL of it in my cupboard that I'm going to add to my next wash, once I've got this still producing clean booze. I'm very excited about making rum!!

Thanks for the tips, theholymackerel. :>

[triggernum5]

The only thing a thermometer will tell you with a potstill is generally where it is along the heatup process..

[nokianinja]

The only thing a thermometer will tell you with a potstill is generally where it is along the heatup process..

Even my Safeway super-sensitive cooking thermometer? I dunno, it's pretty fancy.

I'll start with discarding the heads, which for my tiny washes is pretty much 1/4 oz of distillate, and go from there for taste. I realize it's an art and takes practice, and I certainly plan on smelling and tasting along the way.

I'm going to clean it tonight with a light vinegar solution (boiled through) and then a water run. Would this be sufficient to clean the charred stainless (from brazing), tuna can lid (was simply drilled), and copper piping (wasn't brazed or soldered)?

[msrorysdad]

the can lid would be better as a flattened piece of copper. If you pay to ship it, I'll cut you two pieces of copper, and flatten them. That way you can just use one as a companion flange, solder your coil to one, you know, the other on the inside, a gasket on the top side, no leaks, no worries. I don't know the cost to ship, can't be much. Keep pluggin

[Samogon]

If the size of yer waterbucket for the coil is equal or larger than yer boiler than ya need no ice, runnin' water, or additional coolin' when (distillin' alcohol).

This is truly news to me. All the stills I've seen have had some form of coolant for the coils. Anyone else care to comment? It would be nice to have one less thing to fill up with water for each distillation run.

No, you still have to fill the bucket with water. He just meant that you don't have to add ice or recirculate it in any way. Maybe I run my heat too high, but I haven't found this rule of thumb (waterbucket > boiler) to be true.

[wineo]

I pump water through a leibeg condencer,and I use a 30 gallon barrel for my water supply.I have 2 frozen 5 gallon buckets in my freezer,that I put in the barrel,when I do my runs.The condencer is almost frosty,and stays cold long enough to do 28Ltrs.I did this to save on the water bill.It worked.
I use a small pond pump{160gph}
wineo

[msrorysdad]

Wineo I'm diggin the 5 gal bucket idea. I use a "swamp cooler" to cool the water comin off my condensor, it stays good when stillin, but when I do strippin runs, she tends to warm up near the end, the buckets would cure my ills. As for your still my friend, read, ask, learn, your well on your way to slurred speach, and a wonderful morning without a hangover

[hornedrhodent]

tuna can lid

It's probably tinplate or aluminium and will corrode away quickly but shouldn't do you as much harm as the ethanol!