What still to built or buy?

[rednose]

Haha, I just posted a pic of one of those stills in work, when I saw it some time ago I thought that the Coronel had to do with it.

[LWTCS]

Think we are looking at $1,00.00 (US) in materials?
Course it is tough to figger without knowing gage/weight I recon.

[rednose]

I think the Coronel mentioned once that he works with 3mm copper sheet on boilers, that cost about 800$ here in EC when available.

The sheet is smaller (2m x 1m) than the SS sheet (2.44m x 1.22m)

It's nice looking but I would use another type of flange for the column fit.

[JethroBodine]

Allen,

If that was your first alcohol run, your product picked up the last of the nasties left in your still. I wouldn't drink this batch. Your next run should be cleaner. Use this run as part of the learning process of how your still performs. Well done with collection and cuts.

[gretschem]

Hi,

Thoughts on this model please ???

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Copper-Alcohol-M ... 588wt_1137" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[olddog]

Bad design, no column cooling for reflux mode, it's just a potstill with packing. Build your own it will be better and cheaper.


OD

[madmonk]

Hello. There are so many good ideas, and I am learning even more than I thot I would. Thank you everyone for your questions, answers, and thots. I tried opening the pictures of stills in this thread, but all I got was computer code. Must be a glitch in my system. I haven't got around to getting set up for posting photos, either. I will try to describe my latest idea for a pot still and invite criticism. Description is from boiler to outlet of condenser.
--Boiler, SS stock pot, 4 gal. (Yes, I have read everywhere that it's too small, but it's what I have to work with right now). Flat lid soldered on with 4% silver solder (lead/cadmium free)
--SS locknut (pipe thread) silvered onto underside of lid, 1&1/2" opening drilled in lid.
--1&1/2" male fitting, copper (all parts are copper from here on).
--12" 1&1/2" pipe (column)
--1&1/2" to 3/4" reducer (top of column)
--1/2 X 1/2 X 3/4" T. One branch of T is blocked with cap or cork, may use for thermometer while learning.
--In the other horizontal outlet of T, 1/2" elbow, 90*. This way I can adjust the angle of the liebig before I solder it up (probably around 45*, adjusted for height of the product outlet)
--12" of 1/2" pipe (beginning of condenser)
--1/2" to 3/8" reducer
--12" 3/8" pipe (end of condenser)
--Water jacket, 20" of 1" or 1&1/2" PVC (which does not contact the vapor in any manner); fittings for water flow, small submersible pump for recirc.
All joints silver soldered; column can be unthreaded from the lid.I would use Cu for the water jacket, if 3/4" would work. I want to get a reasonable result from a reasonable cost my first time out. I am sure that I will be building another in the future.
--Is it just as well to use 1/2" all the way thru the condenser? I think the reduction is a nice touch, but then I am a greenhorn.
Any suggestions for improvement will be considered. Thanx. Back to more research

[madmonk]

Almost forgot. Heat from a 1000W electric burner, adding a drop-in immersion type 1000W element for the pre-heat.
--10/07/10: Did even more research here, and now there are so many good ideas that I don't know if I'll ever be able to choose the best of them and actually settle on a design. For something as simple as a pot still, there sure can be a lot of different options.

[madmonk]

(Sigh) OK, I got it figured out with more reading,Thank you all for putting so much information out here! Am gonna start with a simple 5-gal. pot still. Lid secured by clips & flour paste (seems to work for everyone else), 6" riser 1" diameter, reduced to a 1/2" liebig condenser 2' long. Jacketed with copper. No dang pvc. I just want to start with a simple,small pot still for whiskey, rum, and brandy. If I get the hang of it I will build a boka, probably a larger potstill too. One step at a time. I will try to post pictures of my still when I get it put together.

[adanac58]

smileys home distilling is a great website , they treat their customers good also . one thing tho if you dont live in the US shipping services are a beooch lol

[likkrluvr]

I do have to add, you should also take a look at milehidistilling.com they are quick and put out a quality product that they stand behind.

[adanac58]

smileys home distilling is a great website , they treat their customers good also . one thing tho if you dont live in the US shipping services are a beooch lol

shipping fees are a beoch not services , my kettle made it to canada in only a couple of days

[daven]

Surprised to hear so few comments about the mile hi milk can stills..

whats the consensus?

[LWTCS]

Chatter I hear is that they are well made.

Comments are minimal as most round here are building their own outfits I assume.

[mash rookie]

I read the parent site through and through before moving over here to the forum. It recommended the (How to build a world class still) link.
Its the one you have an X though.

I Built it!! I am enjoying success with it.. I insulated the column and stuffed it full of copper wire. With a thermometer on the boiler and one at the top, I am able to get 80 - 90 % abv by regulating my heat. Why is it a bad design?

Can I assume that you recommend the Bokakob because of the control you get with a needle valve?

Hey administrators ! Can the parent site be edited so others don't take the same recommendation and build what you consider an inferior still?

I have the skills to build any design. I chose that one because of the recomendation and its simplicity.

[toadskin]

I read the parent site through and through before moving over here to the forum. It recommended the (How to build a world class still) link.
Its the one you have an X though.

I Built it!! I am enjoying success with it.. I insulated the column and stuffed it full of copper wire. With a thermometer on the boiler and one at the top, I am able to get 80 - 90 % abv by regulating my heat. Why is it a bad design?

Can I assume that you recommend the Bokakob because of the control you get with a needle valve?

Hey administrators ! Can the parent site be edited so others don't take the same recommendation and build what you consider an inferior still?

I have the skills to build any design. I chose that one because of the recomendation and its simplicity.

I guess I built the wrong one too. I haven't used mine yet as I'm still organising the boiler. Am I wasting my time? I have a brand new reflux still like the one with the cross through it

[rubber duck]

Well you could have done a lot better. That's ok you need to learn on somthing, might as well be the one you have now. Latter on if you chose to you can salvage it for part but for now just run it.

[mash rookie]

Toadskin.
It is a good design. Your still will work great. I find mine simple to run. It took me a little while to dial in the flame heat on the boiler but once done, you just sit back and watch her work. I connect a garden hose and run at a trickle for cooling.

I will take rubber Ducks statement in a positive light. There is still a lot to learn. Once you have got your temperature set and she is producing booze you can concentrate on making the heads, hart and tails decisions.

I assume the negative opinion about this still is the lack of control that a Bokakob has.

It is an opinion. None of the mentors would ever run Turbo yeast either.

I recommend trying turbo for your first couple of runs. It ferments easy, is easy to run through your still and give lots of booze. It tastes pretty good after run it through a carbon filter a few times. Good place to start !

Been there done that. I am now working on a corn mash and just knocked up some molasses and sugar for a rum

[fuzzwell]

I've got a mile hi 8 gal milk can refulx.

Ran it twice this weekend.

First I used it as a pot still and did a run of birdwatcher's mash. Then changed it to a reflux by cooling the column jacket and got 184 (or so) proof neutral spirit and it was actually pretty decent. I definitely threw away the first 4 oz, and then as SOON as the dripping slowed at the end of the run, I had to turn up the heat a bit, and collected the remainder as tails. Got about 8 oz of tails and the taste worsened as time passed. I threw them away too.

The center of the run produced good neutrals at a high proof that honestly made me cough when I tried to taste it. Wow. Had to use distilled water to cut it down, and then it was fine.

Then I took a quart of leftover horrible tasting clear spirits from an old junky still that I built and tried to run. I had used rubber tubing between the boiler and the condenser, and there were all sorts of nasty tasting flavors including remnants of the blackberry wine that I'd used as my mash (friend of mine gave me 7 bottles that he had screwed up and he was going to toss).

I cut this with distilled water and started with 20% abv in the boiler. I refluxed this and the first 2 or 3 oz I tossed, then I was getting 184 proof and when the dripping slowed I stopped collecting and chucked the rest of the mash in the yard. WOW did that thing stink in there, but the spirit I collected had no discernible odor.

So, I'm convinced that this CM still CAN be useful and produce good product. It takes a few modifications of course:

1. I replaced that junky hot-plate with a propane fired burner for outdoor cooking. That sucker will get HOT in a HURRY and then is pretty adjustable.

2. Replaced the top rubber plug with a wooden one made from walnut wood.

3. Rinsed and rinsed the copper packing and the little ceramic beads before using them. This helped eliminate bad metallic tastes.

4. I found a nearly invisible dark gray residue on the inside of the pot and tower. I only found this by wiping with a damp paper towel. This was giving me a nasty metallic flavor when i tried to distill water for a test run. Even though I had soaped the thing up and washed with vigor, I hadn't gotten this oxidation layer off. So, I used a scouring pad.... rough plastic not the sanding kind.... to scrub and scrub and scrub the inside of the pot, and then put the scouring pad on a drill-motor with a 30" long metal rod in it, and scrubbed the inside of the tower. After doing this, the metallic taste disappeared and all is well.

I'm just getting started in this hobby and I find it interesting. I got this still from a mile hi because I can use it to make my own better still after I learn the basic concepts of how things work, recipes, fermenting, and all of those subjects. There is so much to learn and so many variables. I think it's likely that I'll choose a recipe or two that I like, and then stick with perfecting them and not go hog-wild with a bunch of different recipes. It usually takes many repetitions before I figure out how to get good results.

[daven]

Fuzzwell,

To run it as a pot still, do you just remove the copper packing and rashing rings?

[Made-In-TX]

Fuzzwell,
To run it as a pot still, do you just remove the copper packing and rashing rings?

To the best that I can gather from watching their youtube video, all you have to do is leave the packing out and not hook up to the cooling jacket on the reflux side.

[Bayou-Ruler]

Fuzzwell,
To run it as a pot still, do you just remove the copper packing and rashing rings?

To the best that I can gather from watching their youtube video, all you have to do is leave the packing out and not hook up to the cooling jacket on the reflux side.

pretty much

[Eastern Block]

The Bokakob still:

This still built is the most easy, lowest cost and effective way to start your hobby distillers carrier.

It needs only three solder joints (beside the boiler fitting) and can be made in very short time depending on your tools and skills but I needed only 2 hours to get it done.
The most popular design is the double slanted plate column, here a drawing:

bokakob%20column%20w%20text.jpg

And here how it works, thanks to decoy for this great illustration (click on it to enlarge):

reflux_col_Bok_anim.gif

Most folks use 2” tube to built their Bok and it’s a good size for boiler of no more than 50 Ltr capacity, bigger boilers will produce more vapor stream that the 2"can handle, this can cause a small desaster.

Here my Apollo rig in Bok mode:

Apollo Bok.jpg

Take in account that the product will come out of the still pretty hot and many like to add a small product condenser. I use my “egg condenser", a two 2” cap built with ¼ “ tube windings inside and in and outlet of cooling water. It’s just like a small worm condenser.

The Bok usually is filled till the plates with copper or SS scrubbers which gives her the reflux function.

Take care that you use REAL copper scrubbers, if they are only plated you will have a real mess in your boiler and product.

Last but not least I add a template for 1 ½ and 2 “ columns for cutting the plates (I don’t take credit on that)

And here a good topic with pics how to built a bok: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 46&t=13598" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I am almost complete with an inferior still that is pictured else where in this forum and I have a question about the BOK above. By the looks of this it seems sealed. I am concerned it would build too much pressure. Is the needle valve wide open?

[rad14701]

I am almost complete with an inferior still that is pictured else where in this forum and I have a question about the BOK above. By the looks of this it seems sealed. I am concerned it would build too much pressure. Is the needle valve wide open?

I can assure you that it is not sealed... Those who don't leave the top of the column totally open drill a 3/8" - 1/2" hole in the slip-fit cap that the condenser is suspended from...

[Eastern Block]

VM Column (50 mm).jpg

Wow that's very close to what I was thinking of doing. I didn't think of the valve. How much should that 19mm valve be open/closed? Are there any slant plates in the column? I am using a 50mm x 900mm column and tee is 38mm reduced to a 19mmI.D. x 558mm Liebig. Is the cold finger the way to go for the coil? I am new to this and in the process of building the still.
Thanks

[Eastern Block]

I read the parent site through and through before moving over here to the forum. It recommended the (How to build a world class still) link.
Its the one you have an X though.

I Built it!! I am enjoying success with it.. I insulated the column and stuffed it full of copper wire. With a thermometer on the boiler and one at the top, I am able to get 80 - 90 % abv by regulating my heat. Why is it a bad design?

Can I assume that you recommend the Bokakob because of the control you get with a needle valve?

Hey administrators ! Can the parent site be edited so others don't take the same recommendation and build what you consider an inferior still?

I have the skills to build any design. I chose that one because of the recomendation and its simplicity.

I guess I built the wrong one too. I haven't used mine yet as I'm still organising the boiler. Am I wasting my time? I have a brand new reflux still like the one with the cross through it

Hell, I did it too! I guess that's why we are rookies! I agree about the parent site. They are giving us detailed plans and make it easy to build. I am in the same boat as, I can also bulid any design..... Just wished it was a good one. I look at this as an art and I want my still to reflect it. A true craftsman keeps his tools looking good. Take care of your tools and they take care of you.

[spaleur]

Hi All,

I am a novice and I do not know which still to buy. I have built a very simple construction myself (that works), but I am looking for something pretty and space conserving (I am living in an appartment).

I have had my eyes set on the standard pot still from http://www.copper-alembic.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow, but I am also intrigued by the "Alquitar" design (with water on top, which vaporizes and removes the necessary energy from the shine/vapor). I destill small (probably 5L wash) and I do not mind it being slow (it is really more of a neardy hobby than a production environment).

With regards to the quality of the output, is there anything to be said against the Alquitar? (I intend to brew stuff with taste, so rum/whiskey rather than vodka)

Does any one know that this is a bad place to shop, or know of a better (european) place?

cheers,
F

[Brookspn]

I've recently purchased Ian Smiley's text and see that he recommends the use of a reflux still over the use of a pot still. Moreover, he bases his construction on a 12gal water heater (which is godawful ugly, IMO) and apparently in the US, that is not a good idea. My questions, therefore, are: can I not simply use a common boiler and swap out the columns to go between a reflux still and a pot still? Also, will I get as inferior results as Smiley claims using a pot still to make bourbon, scotch-style, and corn whiskeys? Finally, for simplicity's sake, I was thinking of just buying the pot-distilling rig from Brewhaus, thoughts?

[Stilly]

I've recently purchased Ian Smiley's text and see that he recommends the use of a reflux still over the use of a pot still. Moreover, he bases his construction on a 12gal water heater (which is godawful ugly, IMO) and apparently in the US, that is not a good idea. My questions, therefore, are: can I not simply use a common boiler and swap out the columns to go between a reflux still and a pot still? Also, will I get as inferior results as Smiley claims using a pot still to make bourbon, scotch-style, and corn whiskeys? Finally, for simplicity's sake, I was thinking of just buying the pot-distilling rig from Brewhaus, thoughts?

Brookspn,

Its just my opinion, but I am guessing Smiley apparently has never used a pot still or been to Scotland. Why Amphora continues to sell that piece of misinformation and prejudice is beyond me. Study it for some of the processes and recipes, but building a rig, I think the book is worthless.

I make some pretty fine hooch with a pot still and double or triple running it I can make some tasty, almost neutral, and considering flavorless hooch does nothing for me I am quite happy.

Ya might want to look at Kentucky stillers pot head if you really want to go store bought. Hillbilly Stills is his website.

cheers
stilly

[cajunsurveyor]

Is the Apollo a home built? If not, where can I get one? Love it.