Building a still at last

[aliced]

Ok, so it is about that time, I always promised I would, this place always keeps me keen (even when I am working I think I must be logged in sometimes) and I have some gear. Not lots but enough to make something serviceable I think.

Firstly if this is in the wrong place, forum wise, sorry. I started this thread under various headings then deleted it.

So, with the steel I have available on hand I thought about making this contraption. It seems to me to be a pot still with some packing in it. But after searching about I couldn't find anything that resembles it, just parts of it.

So there is a gas fired 50L stainless keg for the burner, 100mm RJT (Came like that) that I will reduce down to 50mm. The first vertical riser is around 1200mm long and has a piece of copper tubing inside it (700/32mm, no other reason than I have heard it is good to include some copper and it was lying about) which I would pack with copper scrubbers. Then there is a 90 Deg bend about 150mm from the top (no particular reason, I just thought it looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye) which then drops into a tube in shell condenser of about 700mm long (inner 32mm outta 50mm) which then goes down to product.

I thought it a good design for the material I have available (well hopefully, two pieces of tube are still being manifested by the universe, I am sure) and was wondering if anyone cared to throw their esteemed two cents in for me?

Cheers!

PS: The blackberry wine turned out really well.

PPS: All made from Stainless apart from the copper I mentioned

[Bushman]

I haven't converted your mm to inches to check on sizes but it looks good just have a couple suggestions.

1. Your H2O in I would have face the same direction as your H2O out. This will prevent you water lines coming in contact with the hot surface of the column.

2. You don't have a valve showing nor a condenser coil and your packing does not go high enough toward your take-off so are you running it as a pot still with some reflux? If so you don't need a tee at the top just a 90 degree joint.

[aliced]

Hey Bushman, thanks for the suggestions.

I am not really to sure what it is that I am building, I figure I could with very little modification turn this into a reflux, by running the water lines through the main column at the top of the packing.

Then I can always run further modifications later when I can afford bits and pieces.

Here I will redraw the diagram

32mm = 1.25 inch
38 = 1.5
50 = 2
700 = 27.5
1200 = 47.25

[aliced]

So now the water lines would pass through the column, in stainless 1/2 inch or something. I guess that is looking far more like a reflux but is still a pot still until I can afford further modification.

I do my own stainless welding so that is not an issue, it is more an issue of materials

Whatcha think?

[dakotasnake]

it looks better than my 1st still, and like i did an yer doing leaving room for future mods.just one suggetion tho, put your collection end as far as practicle from the flame, i went 4 ft. and feel comferble with that. and living in a cold climate in the winter i swap out a leibrig condenser for a worm in a bucket cuzz its easyer than dealing with frozen hoses.

[aliced]

4 ft = 1219.2mm

Thanks Dakotasnake, Indeed some advice I am heeding!

I might have another half keg to weld to weld to my other one yet, giving me about an 80L rather than 50L. This would make the overall still quite high, High enough to run my collection end onto the bench I have (photos later) which would be ideal I suppose it wouldn't be hard to throw a RJT onto the top of the shell and tube (leibrig) but I am saving the ones I have for when I can do this all proper like

Once again, thanks for the input

[bentstick]

Do not belive the condenser tubes running through the column will do any good, if you want to use it as reflux still extent column up at T about a foot and add coil cooler with a vent to atmophere and valve,if pot still just cap top off T and run it with no packing, and no tubes through the column!
Hope this helps!

[rad14701]

aliced, it appears that you are doing your best to reinvent the wheel here... There are already Cooling Management stills like the one you are attempting to reinvent... And even those have been modified for better performance... How...??? By using a "Y" valve to provide separate water flow to the reflux tubes and product condenser...

Now I'm sure you as well as some other novices don't like it when we say it but with ample research you would already have stumbled across topics regarding this design and would know the pros and cons... And, by your own admission, you really don't know what you're designing, which further bolsters our stance...

Both Mile-Hi and Brewhaus sell stainless steel versions of this very design and the membership here has collectively come up with suggested modifications for improved performance...

The doodling has already been done, the designs built, tested, modified, and being successfully run by many - including members of HD... Don't reinvent the wheel...

[aliced]

Thanks Bentstick for the advise. Appreciated.

rad14701, thank you for what you have written, perhaps I ought to trawl through more information, as you say reinventing the wheel is pointless. I shall indeed search with more intent and nimbleness through what is already here. I appreciate your stance and am more than willing to take the advise of those who have been here done that and are still doing it

Haha, "still" doing it........

Not that I did not think you wouldn't get the joke, I just like to giggle at myself sometimes.

[aliced]

So I have some more stainless now.

From the boiler I have this 4 inch (100mm) RJT, so I can go about making two, or three, or four heads as things develop.

To start with I think a nice pot still head would get me started.

I care, because these things matter, what things you may ask, well, whatever it is you are currently caring about

[aliced]

Ok, so I built this thing now, and it is kinda cool, in a, I like it kind of way. I will try to get some pictures for you sooner, rather than my usual later So I had this kiwi wine (Gold variety) an thought hell yeah!!!! So after doing the vinegar and sacrificial run with some "Cat vomit brew" I prepared earlier, then, tonight I threw this wine at my still right!

Came out good as far as I could tell.

I was just wondering how people can tell what the tails are doing after all the testing of the heads an hearts.............

Anyways, I don't have an alcohometererer thingamajiggy, but it all burned blue.........

Tastes, errr, burnt kiwifruity.

I can probably tell you all more after I let it air out for a bit.

One cool thing (because I have thermometers and stuff) is that it ran for quite some time with stable vapour temps, which I assumed was good.

Everyone else that tasted it choked. Just sayin.

[aduckyfour]

aliced, it appears that you are doing your best to reinvent the wheel here... There are already Cooling Management stills like the one you are attempting to reinvent... And even those have been modified for better performance... How...??? By using a "Y" valve to provide separate water flow to the reflux tubes and product condenser...

Now I'm sure you as well as some other novices don't like it when we say it but with ample research you would already have stumbled across topics regarding this design and would know the pros and cons... And, by your own admission, you really don't know what you're designing, which further bolsters our stance...

Both Mile-Hi and Brewhaus sell stainless steel versions of this very design and the membership here has collectively come up with suggested modifications for improved performance...

The doodling has already been done, the designs built, tested, modified, and being successfully run by many - including members of HD... Don't reinvent the wheel...

Anything further happen since you told me not to 'reinvent the wheel?' so if it were not for people who inquired, and just listened to you, home distilling would have stagnated and died by now, oh, and your latest advise would not be valid because it would not have happened.

I think you ought to reassess your position Rad-icaly.

[still_stirrin]

...The doodling has already been done, the designs built, tested, modified, and being successfully run by many - including members of HD...

Anything further happen since you told me not to 'reinvent the wheel?'...I think you ought to reassess your position Rad-icaly.

Aduckyfour,

This thread is 4 years old. No need to stir up dust like this. It does no good...only aggravates.

If you have a question about the apparatus or process, then ask it. To pick a fight is best left off of the forum. As Tater would say, "Play nice, or play elsewhere".
ss

[aduckyfour]

Yeah, I gave him that chance as well.

[aduckyfour]

...The doodling has already been done, the designs built, tested, modified, and being successfully run by many - including members of HD...

Anything further happen since you told me not to 'reinvent the wheel?'...I think you ought to reassess your position Rad-icaly.

Aduckyfour,

This thread is 4 years old. No need to stir up dust like this. It does no good...only aggravates.

If you have a question about the apparatus or process, then ask it. To pick a fight is best left off of the forum. As Tater would say, "Play nice, or play elsewhere".
ss

By the way, I am Aliced, and a number of people since then....... usually known as Inglis although.

[aduckyfour]

...The doodling has already been done, the designs built, tested, modified, and being successfully run by many - including members of HD...

Anything further happen since you told me not to 'reinvent the wheel?'...I think you ought to reassess your position Rad-icaly.

Aduckyfour,

This thread is 4 years old. No need to stir up dust like this. It does no good...only aggravates.

If you have a question about the apparatus or process, then ask it. To pick a fight is best left off of the forum. As Tater would say, "Play nice, or play elsewhere".
ss

I have been aggravated for more than four years man, I tried to do it nice, but they don't want to go there, so I will become an eternal troll..... Might make some of you fuckers think twice although

Inglis.

[Hound Dog]

What are you so agrivated about that you would become a troll? In the past four years have you not figured out how to make decent drinkable liquor? Not busting your chops, just wanting to understand the need to agrivated others.

[Kegg_jam]

Long time to hold a grudge. Justified or not.

[Tater]

Kids will be kids .What can I say.Maybe some day he will settle down with his favorite sheep and leave us alone.