New member, new 'shiner

[hillbilly Jim]

Gentlemen,
I've been doing quite a bit of studying on the subject of this forum, but have lots of questions. I do hope I can find some straight forward answers. I'm not in a big rush to get started, but I don't want to get "the run around" looking for information.

Have I come to the right place?

[rad14701]

Welcome to the forums, hillbilly Jim...

We have plenty of information here and are willing to help answer questions along the way when you can't find the answers you are looking for or need clarifications... There is quite a learning curve and it won't all make sense overnight... It's easier to ask questions before making mistakes than afterwards, however, and we'd rather answer them beforehand as well...

Good luck...

[hillbilly Jim]

Thanks, Rad. To start with, where can I find a glossary of terms? I read a lot, but some of the abreviations are trade specific and I get stuck on these terms.

[LWTCS]

The HD wiki (upper right hand corner on your screen) may be a good place to start.

Every once in a while I gotta get one of the gents to help me out with goose eye's lingo.

And if you plan on learning this craft, this is in fact the place to be.

Welcome hillbilly Jim

LT

[blind drunk]

LT wrote
And if you plan on learning this craft, this is in fact the place to be.

Yep.

Welcome hillbilly Jim. bd.

[kiwistiller]

The wiki is a little bit shabby at the moment IMO... I'd say the best thing to do is read through the entire parent site once, then read most of the stickies (topics pinned to the top) of each section, then read the parent site again. It's a crazy amount of information, no way of getting around it but through. let it all sink in

for a glossary, as LT points out, the wiki has an awful lot of the terms explained. http://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/Category:Glossary" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[hillbilly Jim]

You have no clue how much reading through this site I've already done. My problem is there are terms and abreviations used that are not defined. There needs to be established a glossary of terms for beginners that will define and explain their meanings.

[kiwistiller]

You have no clue how much reading through this site I've already done. My problem is there are terms and abreviations used that are not defined. There needs to be established a glossary of terms for beginners that will define and explain their meanings.

Yup, you're right, I have no clue as you have not told us, so please don't be offended if we try to speak to the lowest common possible level of knowledge. I'm glad you've done lots of reading, good stuff

I concur, about the glossary for beginners as well. the problem is where do you draw a line that separates the EXPLANATION from the definition. As you can see by the post count in this forum, we talk about explanations all day long... If you've exhausted the reading material on HD, and your reply suggests that you have, the book 'The Compleat Distiller', may be a resource you'd enjoy. All the explanation you need IS here, but the nature of a bulletin board system means that sometimes things are hard to find. If you want a consolidated package to get you started, you might want to think about buying a book on it.

By the way I don't sell the book or anything like that, but just think as per your reply it could be what you're looking for.
Kiwi

EDIT to add, I'd love to hear an assessment of what, specifically, you aren't finding, it could help us improve things if you could constructively tell us about specific areas.

[Daantje]

I think it is due to that nice information is not always placed in topics with clear titles.

I think every moderator, mentor and administrator of this forum has very valuable information to share and has shared, but not always in an easy to find location. A nice exception is your post on cuts Kiwi, very nice reading and sticky.

For instance I think it was Hack or Usge who posted a bit of "notes" collected during the whole time he was stilling which is very nice information, as well as the blending part written by pintoshine. It is all out there (may be i'm wrong they are not sticky).

The last Hook rum topic I also found very informative, showing the whole process in great detail, I love reading those as someone who is just beginning to understand a lot of new ins in this nice hobby.

Daantje

[CletusDwight]

A ton of theory ain't worth an ounce of practice.

'Specially when a lot of the 'theory' is just chatter. It ain't even very scientific (despite many of the folks being obviously eddicated). Jest a bunch of folks chewin' the fat.

I don't think the forum pretends to be an 'expert system' where you go to read up on the definitive way to 'still.
Otherwise, we'd all be running the same still and making the exact same wash every time.
And I'm sure the moderators have better things to do with their time than pickin' over the forum and rearranging it accordin' to the Dewey decimal system.

It's a hobby and a bit of an art. Read all the books you like, the only way you get to paint a good picture is by pickin' up a brush.

[HookLine]

I'd love to hear an assessment of what, specifically, you aren't finding, it could help us improve things if you could constructively tell us about specific areas.

+1. Constructive feedback is very helpful. One thing novices can certainly contribute is to let us now where the problems are for them in getting info, what is missing and unclear.

Also should point out that it is a lot of work to write these things up properly.

[LWTCS]

The mods put alot of work in. And as many of you know, have recently completed some "house keeping" to further organize,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,all for free,,,,,,,,,to help us.

This site can and does knock years off of the learming curve.

Please remember that we should all help our selves too.

[rad14701]

I think it would be worthwhile to note here that ANY member can help in organizing the forums... If you run across a topic that doesn't seem to have an adequate topic name or description you can flag it (Report) (the little red ! in the lower right corner of each post) and state your concern as to a better topic name or whether the entire topic might be better suited in another forum... The moderation team will then determine the best course of action to take... This would help with the never ending reorganization process... It would be especially true if you stumble across a gem of a topic that was buried deep within search results that you feel should be easier to find... And being as novices are doing what might be deemed as more searches, using perhaps more vague terms than members who might be more adept at using more concise terminology, input from novices would be welcomed... Just don't go overboard...

[Cornbread]

Constructive feedback is very helpful. One thing novices can certainly contribute is to let us now where the problems are for them in getting info, what is missing and unclear.

YEAH! like telling dumb ass Cornbread to put water in his airlock (a new discovery I made) LOL

[rad14701]

YEAH! like telling dumb ass Cornbread to put water in his airlock (a new discovery I made) LOL

You didn't just type that out loud, did you...???

[Cornbread]

YEAH! like telling dumb ass Cornbread to put water in his airlock (a new discovery I made) LOL

You didn't just type that out loud, did you...???

Yes.....but I think I will delete it.....I am ignorant enuf as it is...really ..I never read it, No one told me at the homebrew store, and my eyes are bad....so,embarrassingly Yes. I did type it out loud and was 50 per cent sober.

p.s. (I was excited 'cause I get to use the teeth tonite!!!!!!)¤¤¤

[HookLine]

Another glossary here.

http://www.distilling.com/newsletters/a ... ler72.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow