everone wants to learn now?

[toast860]

me and my old lady both had a weekend of ice fishing. ok mostly her, im from the south and think thats the dumbest thing i every heard of .. but anyways i sent her off with a quart of ujsm and delivered some to my other kids on the ice. everyone in my circle of friends and family knows i can make it and that i just started. but this whole week has been filled with phone calls from one person at a time asking me to teach them... i should be happy that they arent talking to each other about it cuz i told them to be quite i have kids. besides all that i dont know if i should teach them for the simple facts that i just started and dont know to much. and whats to say that they halfass something and it goes wrong. just wanted to here some ideas on the subject.

[Prairiepiss]

Send them here.

[jholmz]

+1 on what PP said send em to the site and between the site and ur help if needed (and if your willing) theyll have it made

[toast860]

yea. im going to invite them over now on my next run. i did what u said pp and moved the mash. the room is pretty chilly?

[Mr.Brown]

me and my old lady both had a weekend of ice fishing. ok mostly her, im from the south and think thats the dumbest thing i every heard of

yea, im from the north east and that is the dumbest thing i've ever done. Unless you are underage and looking for a place to drink, or looking for a place to get away from your old lady. You must be under age ??

[Richard7]

I would say to have a check list for safety. Here are some basics off the top of my head. If ANYONE has any thing to add to this PLEASE do so. I don't pretend to know it all, Just enough to be dangerous!LOL

1. Make sure all still building material is safe for distilling. Copper, stainless steel of the right grade, they can collect in glass but not to use it in still construction. If they can avoid brass avoid it, but if they use it pickle it.

2. Seals must be high temp alcohol vapor safe. Lead free solder, or silver solder for brazing or tig welding with the right metals. Other than ptfe all synthetics are out! Stick to flour and water paste or samahons everlasting ptfe gasket.

3. Never construct a still that can be closed. All stills need to have an open vent to atmosphere (unless your high tech, doing a vacuum still or something like that, not what we're doing). Valves on vents are a no no.

4. Ventilation, if cooling fails in condensing, alcohol vapors are going to get out. They tend to go down being heavier than air. Gas heating is a good source of ignition for these vapors. I use propane so I try to make sure I have good ventilation.

5. Fermenting, This is a topic I wish I knew about. I do know to only use food safe containers. Plastic is okay but it needs to be food safe. Some buckets and garbage cans use toxic chemicals as release agents to help get them off of the molds that they use to make them. Research any vessel you plan to ferment in.

6. Proofing, after your product is made, the proof needs to be lowered to a level that will be safe. I like 100 to 105 proof. But that is not as safe as 80 proof, taking in to consideration the flammable factor. but if 180 proof gets out, some one could get hurt or worse real easy.

All of this is very basic. Any one getting into this hobby should do plenty of research. I would guide them to this site for their learning. Safest place I have found! I just wish everybody had to read
"The Rules by Which We Live" and take a test to post here!

Again anyone with a safety concern should feel free to add to this.

[jholmz]

the only thing i would add to richards post is make them research as you had to do dont spoonfeed them they will learn answers to questions they dont know they need to ask that way just like we all did.

[toast860]

yea that was another thing i feel like i did all the hard part

[wildman1983]

What does u mean by dont construct a still that is closed.only part I now that's open is liebig or worm.

[Prairiepiss]

What does u mean by dont construct a still that is closed.only part I now that's open is liebig or worm.

We see it a lot more the we would like. Someone new thinking they can reinvent the wheel. By putting a valve on the output of a pot still. And calling it a reflux still. When really what they are making is a pressure bomb.

[bluenose]

What does u mean by dont construct a still that is closed.only part I now that's open is liebig or worm.

We see it a lot more the we would like. Someone new thinking they can reinvent the wheel. By putting a valve on the output of a pot still. And calling it a reflux still. When really what they are making is a pressure bomb.

Excuse the FNG, but is a pot still is considered an open system if there's no valves?

[heartcut]

Since the first Tickle-o-rama started, I bet I've sent 50 folks to this site and helped 5 build rigs. Tried some tasty other people's stuff along the way, too. More is better for me- they mostly all vote.

[Braz]

What does u mean by dont construct a still that is closed.only part I now that's open is liebig or worm.

We see it a lot more the we would like. Someone new thinking they can reinvent the wheel. By putting a valve on the output of a pot still. And calling it a reflux still. When really what they are making is a pressure bomb.

Excuse the FNG, but is a pot still is considered an open system if there's no valves?

Yes. The output end of the worm is open.

[toast860]

sense I decided to move back home, I got a bunch of people that are close friends asking for my knowledge in distilling. everyone kept asking to come watch but it makes me nervous. so this week I got 4 people calling and asking how to do the damn thing. so this sunday at someone else house. I am going to show 2 people that I know wont be stupid with it. but the funny part was how they all thought sense I was from the south, then that how I know this little hobby. they shot everything they read online at me. I keep telling to stop reading anything but what is here at HD. now it has gave me a big chunk of pride to know that people will carry on all my knowledge when I am a thousand miles away .. ill post on sunday how it has gone.

[toast860]

went over on sunday and showed my buddy the other guy couldn't make it yet.. 1st we loaded it open with vinger water mix and got the thing rolling . the lid started to leak and we had to paste it. after shutting it down and putting it back together . the everlast gasket started to leak . so we wrapped it again. then next we ran some turbo wash for like 2 years ago in it. ( it was my very first mash) sense it was turbo yeast I figured I would save it for cleaning. worked great. but I forgot to get mesh for the liebig so I it started to huff. we killed it . I didn't think a huffing still new a propane burner and woodstove was a good idea. the shed had plenty of air flow just didn't want something to happen. so hes going to get some packing and run it on his own tomorrow

[ga flatwoods]

Toast I hope you showed him more than enough to be a danger to himself! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
GA Flatwoods

[toast860]

yea. I pointed him here. and showed the basics. he didn't want to try it till someone showed him. his going to finish the cleaning run on his own and then we are going to make a fruit wash and run it together before I move out of town. hes a very smart man. I have plenty of faith in him. his wife is worried about it tho. I spent half the day trying to prove to her how safe it was.