John Stones Hatstand

[Skippydo72]

First off I want to say thinks to all you for such a great site which is a treasure trove of information. I think I have read just about as much as I can stand so the next step is building. I have been looking at Tony’s site for ideas. I’ve also read Making Gin and Vodka by John Stone, and others.

After looking at the Valved Offset Head I found in “Building a Home Distillation Apparatus”, the “Bokakobs Mini Still” and the two found in John Stones book, I think I would like to build the Hatstand from John’s book.

I want a still that can do it all and is the simplest to use. I want to make as pure a product as possible and when I gain more experience I want to be able to use it as a pot still for whiskeys without building a new still. I’m new at this remember?

Here is the dilemma I am faced with.

1. 2” copper or 2” Stainless Steel?
2. What is the best length for the column?
3. With the materials on hand I can build this today. http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp71 ... tstand.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
I chose this because I didn’t want to reduce the length of my column by cutting it down for the condenser.

I plan on starting off with sugar wash, heating with gas for mobility.


Will it work for what I’m going for?

Sorry so long but I think I have said it all for today.

[decoy]

Hi Skip and welcome to home distiller..

It will be sugested to you to tkae a look around on the parent www site also have a look around the forum.
the information is there for you...
making hooch is not just a matter of slapping a few pipes on top of a pot, there is a lot of little things you need to know first..
take the time to read

as its your first post..i will give you a few tips..

first off you want a 50L pot or bigger..
second take a look in here.. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=17
then read evrything else at least twice.....

cheers..

[rad14701]

Welcome to the forums, Skippydo72...

Yes, the shear volume of reading can be daunting, but worth the effort...

As far as that design is concerned, you can accomplish the same effect a whole lot easier than that... Additional complexity of design doesn't guarantee better performance... It will, however, guarantee a more difficult, and usually more expensive, building process... If you're just beginning, remember the KISS concept...

[minime]

3. With the materials on hand I can build this today. http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp71 ... tstand.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
I chose this because I didn’t want to reduce the length of my column by cutting it down for the condenser.

Welcome Skippydo72, Looking at your drawing I can say from experience you don't need a large condenser chamber on top of your column. I recently built a VM still from 3" copper and reduced the condensing chamber down to 2 inches. I used a double wound 2" coil only 6 inches long and it easily collapsed all the vapor going up the 3" pipe with around 50,000 btu's of heat under the kettle.

Good luck on your build.

[eternalfrost]

1. 2” copper or 2” Stainless Steel?
2. What is the best length for the column?

personally i like copper because its generally cheaper, easier to work with, and easier/cheaper to get fittings. you cant simply buy SS parts at the hardware store or simply solder it together with a $5 blowtorch

also copper just looks nicer and classic IMO copper also will react with some of the nasties and pull them out of the vapor which SS wont.

make it as tall as you can afford. taller = purer

[rad14701]

A general rule of thumb for column length to diameter is a ratio of 12-24:1 for packed columns... Therefore, 48" of packed column would be about the upper practical limit for 2" diameter... Granted, some folks have tried upwards of 60" for 2" but I doubt that increased performance or ABV would be significant... Of course, you could end up with a 60" column once you add on the take-off head and condenser lengths...

[Skippydo72]

I posted the pic. because I have all that material rolling around in the back of my truck not being used. I wanted to keep the 3’-4” length of 2"copper pipe to coincide with the 12 to 24:1 ratio.I’m a draftsman, pipe fitter, and welding instructor so none of this will be complicated to build no matter what material I chose. I will most likely go with the copper and weld it instead of soldering it.

Distillation has been around for ever so is there no one design that is superior to all others? Just a thought… That’s the one I’m after….

Thanks again by the way….

[rad14701]

Recent research and development here in the forums is pointing to Vapor Management as being the best overall design for neutral spirits... Second up would be a Bokakob dual slant plate Liquid Management design... I'm currently running a small scale two reducer Liquid Management design which performs at par with the dual slant plate... Many members have started out with the dual slant plate and proceeded from there or just stuck with it...