4L still ?

[Easyrider1986]

I know you guys say small stills are almost not useable but is the because of the small amount of mash ? Or boiler room ?

I
If I made 10g of mash and ran a 1g still would I get a ok product

I'm not trying to be hard but I'm really trying to keep the desktop modal thing going

I want everything to fit on a 2'x2' stand

[Mud Mechanik]

The problem with small stills is that it is very difficult to make proper cuts. Look at it like this....if you have a 4 liter still you would probably only charge the boiler with 3 liters of wash, if that 3 liters was at 10% abv, that means only 10% of it is gonna be seperated from the wash. Once you throw away the foreshots, heads, and tails...your only left with a cup of drinkable product......see what Im gettin at?

[Easyrider1986]

The problem with small stills is that it is very difficult to make proper cuts. Look at it like this....if you have a 4 liter still you would probably only charge the boiler with 3 liters of wash, if that 3 liters was at 10% abv, that means only 10% of it is gonna be seperated from the wash. Once you throw away the foreshots, heads, and tails...your only left with a cup of drinkable product......see what Im gettin at?

Maybe I should have also told you guys of my goals first
My goal is that 1run will make 300-400ml of high proof and I want to cut it to 500ml at 100+ proof

Are my goals reasonable ?

I spend a lot of time on my pc but if I could distill at the same time
It would give me something to do and save money

[Mud Mechanik]

I can tell by your previous posts that your gonna do it anyway so....Give it a try and you will see that the 300ml that is your drinkable product is not gonna be that good, especially when you add up the time and effort you spent to get it.

[Prairiepiss]

I can tell by your previous posts that your gonna do it anyway so....Give it a try and you will see that the 300ml that is your drinkable product is not gonna be that good, especially when you add up the time and effort you spent to get it.

+1

[rad14701]

Easyrider1986, you don't have to listen to reason and experience... History has proven that many think they are smarter than those rendering advice and are destined to learn the hard way... You go right ahead and piss away time and effort on a toy still if you like and try convince yourself that what you make is good clean potable spirits... Or you can take the advice given and save yourself the aggravation and failure... It's your choice but don't come back here asking why you're having problems when you can't get truly good results... Don't say you weren't warned...

[lokibrew]

I can't argue with the masters..

However, my FIRST still was an all glass jobbie that only holds 4 oz of wine, run by an alcohol burner, through a ice water chilled glass graham condenser and drips into two 1/2 shot glasses. I still pull that one out cause it's fun. However, I don't make cuts on it.. I was going to drink the wine or beer that I started with anyway, so I'm not worried about the amount of nasties in 1/2 shot of who-knows-what-proof brandy that comes out. But I only do it for the entertainment. It was my gateway still.. I"ve loaned it out to friends when they become interested in the idea..

I've stepped up because I really like the process and am working towards better brandies and whiskeys.. I"m working on an LM head for kicks and interest, an Amazing still just cause I'm curious, and will probably build an air cooled still just for kicks. You should look into that model of reflux air still, as you won't have to deal with cooling water, just a heat source and a fan.

Even if you run several stripping runs and come up with a 40% 4L wash, you are still only dealing with 1.6 L of ethanol in the batch to do cuts on. If you run is slow and low you could come up with something drinkable.. Your results will be better with more volume however.

I have started making small batches of beer so I can test hops and grains and different processes - 2 gallons of beer takes about 2/3 the time to brew, and if I don't like the outcome, I pour it down the drain. A small still could likely be used the same way.

Let us know how it goes, but like rad says, you've been warned.

[KSAguy]

I am making rum, a flavored vodka, and corn squizzens! 4L at a time in a pressure cooker.

My corn is very drinkable after only a week on chips!

Rum great out of the still! Perhaps it is because WE can not get anything else here???

My method is this:

I have no temp guage so I just use time, taste, smell. Pretty much run for 10 minutes - CUT - 10 minutes - CUT - 6 to 9 minutes done!

Out of 2 runs (8 L total of corn wash) I get 800 mL of 50%!!

Hope this helps.... I am very limited here in KSA....

[astronomical]

I know you guys say small stills are almost not useable but is the because of the small amount of mash ? Or boiler room ?

I
If I made 10g of mash and ran a 1g still would I get a ok product

I'm not trying to be hard but I'm really trying to keep the desktop modal thing going

I want everything to fit on a 2'x2' stand

i could fit a keg on a 2x2 stand.. the only thing protruding id the collectin arm and the power cord..

problem solved