Making A Still Out of a corny?

Putting older posts here. Going to try to keep the novice forum pruned about 90 days work. The 'good' old stuff is going to be put into appropriate forums.

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homebrewnorcal
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Joined: Tue May 12, 2009 1:38 am

Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by homebrewnorcal »

Ok so I'm looking into distilling. I'm an accomplished brewer and wanted to dabble in distilling. I have more than enough equipment including a 3 tier, 9 glass carboys, and 10X5 gal cornys...I've done some research and am very interested in distilling. So to my question is can I make a still out of a corny. Basically shave the rubber, sweat a 19/36 copper fitting to my copper condenser, screw it on the gas out, then heat the keg in a 8 gallon turkey fryer (bottom of the keg is round)...could this work??? What I want is to make is a distilled mead based absinthe...I have all the herbs growing down in the bay : ) with 25 gallons of mead in secondary here hanging out in my room...Thanks for ya time though I appreciate any help I can get...
trthskr4
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by trthskr4 »

I've never looked at a Corney really close but I think the top is all plastic isn't it? I would think a keg or pony keg would still be the best route to take if you're gonna do a stainless boiler. No plastic or rubber to worry with on it anyway. Of course if it has a plastic top you could remove it and have a welder put on a flat bottom of more stainless sheet and cut a hole in the bottom and put your still head on it. Just run it upside down.
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
homebrewnorcal
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by homebrewnorcal »

I was going to shave the rubber off and if I left the rubber it would never would touch anything I would drink...Ill check a sanke I have a bunch of 1/2 bbls laying around...Just kinda big to keep a still under wraps
trthskr4
Distiller
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by trthskr4 »

If you're just overrun with kegs send some to me. LOL

I would think a sanke keg would be easier to build one out of and you could build or buy a cabinet to stick it in when not in use and keep it locked.
15 gallon pot still, 2"x18" column with liebeg condensor on propane.
Modified Charles 803 w/ 50gal boiler, never ran so far.
Hawke
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by Hawke »

If you are using gas to heat, just take the guts out of the sankey, use a tri-clamp to attatch your stillhead and you are off and running. When not in use, the keg won't stick out in a stack as much as a cornie with the rubber shaved off.
It is the very things that we think we know, that keep us from learning what we should know.
Valved Reflux, 3"x54" Bok 'mini', 2 liebig based pots and the 'Blockhead' 60K btu propane heat
homebrewnorcal
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by homebrewnorcal »

haha I have 3 1/2 bbls and crap tun or cornys only 6 are in use but I fill the 3 up bout once every other week or too...I have more beer than most and more airlocks than a space station....I have black currant porter, porter, belgium wit, apple pie brown ale, and a blackberry/raspberry mead....then fermenting 25 gallons of black currant mead...then this weekend I'm doing 10 gallons of English brown ale with a deep amber color and adding some anise for aroma...but yeah im gonna try the corny and if that doesn't work I'll gut a 1/2 bbl
garageland
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by garageland »

homebrewnorcal wrote:Ok so I'm looking into distilling. I'm an accomplished brewer and wanted to dabble in distilling. I have more than enough equipment including a 3 tier, 9 glass carboys, and 10X5 gal cornys...I've done some research and am very interested in distilling. So to my question is can I make a still out of a corny. Basically shave the rubber, sweat a 19/36 copper fitting to my copper condenser, screw it on the gas out, then heat the keg in a 8 gallon turkey fryer (bottom of the keg is round)...could this work??? What I want is to make is a distilled mead based absinthe...I have all the herbs growing down in the bay : ) with 25 gallons of mead in secondary here hanging out in my room...Thanks for ya time though I appreciate any help I can get...
I made my pot out of a 5 gallon coors corny keg with a sanke fitting. I did what another person recommended and used a tri clamp to connect from there. It works well enough and we fire it on the same propane cooker I use for brewing.
homebrewnorcal
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by homebrewnorcal »

Whats the diameter and someone have a link to see what a tri clap looks like? Whats cleaning like? would it work with 19/32s of an inch with a condenser attached to that? I like the corney because they are super easy to clean...
Adverse Effects
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Re: Making A Still Out of a corny?

Post by Adverse Effects »

homebrewnorcal wrote:Whats the diameter and someone have a link to see what a tri clap looks like? Whats cleaning like? would it work with 19/32s of an inch with a condenser attached to that? I like the corney because they are super easy to clean...
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http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 5#p6783765
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