Hound Dog wrote:If you are stepping it down over a short distance, why are you going to use all those fittings and clamps? You could just solder a few pieces together for a fraction of the price, not have to worry about gaskets and seals or anything. Just be done with it. Use one triclamp fitting on the end to hook it up.
Just my two cent.
Thanks for the input.
A decent suggestion. But I would say there should be 2 'fittings'. One to attach to the keg, the other to attach to your worm (sounds like you are making a worm, which I also prefer). So a simple lyne arm, with a tri clamp fitting on one end to mount to the keg, and a 1/2" triclamp or screw fitting on the other end, that matches up to the fitting on the input of the worm, and you have a decent pot still. A still like that was what my second still was that I built, and it is still used today. Works great. I do have about a 12" rise of 2" coming off the keg, where you are looking at coming off in the 1/2" to start with. They would probably work about the same. I did mine to 'help' avoid puking on a boil over, but usually that can be avoided by not
overfilling the keg.
Good luck in your setup and running, H.
+1 This is just wat I was thinking. A triclamp to hook to the keg, your appropriate stepped down fittings soldered up, then maybe a copper union fitting on the other end. I use a union fitting from my still head and one on my worm with a 6 foot section of 1/2" tubing with the mating ends between the two to connect them (my still head is about 16" tall stepping from 2" to 1/2") this helps avoiding puking and gets the fall I need to the worm setup. The length of the connecting tube is just to conform to my work space.
pfshine wrote:He has a very valid point how many threads have been subjected to this. Info would be so much easier to find without all the bs. That is for everybody including you blackout.
I agree 100%. I was forced to subject myself to reply to the hijacked posts to defend my thread and to mentor others how to respect the thread which was posted. I myself dont like to post crap other than the suject at hand. I will be the first and probably the only one to apoligize about the hijacked thread here on this thread. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, which I was looking for. Everyone has a different way of looking at things.
Hound Dog wrote:If you are stepping it down over a short distance, why are you going to use all those fittings and clamps? You could just solder a few pieces together for a fraction of the price, not have to worry about gaskets and seals or anything. Just be done with it. Use one triclamp fitting on the end to hook it up.
Just my two cent.
Thanks for the input.
A decent suggestion. But I would say there should be 2 'fittings'. One to attach to the keg, the other to attach to your worm (sounds like you are making a worm, which I also prefer). So a simple lyne arm, with a tri clamp fitting on one end to mount to the keg, and a 1/2" triclamp or screw fitting on the other end, that matches up to the fitting on the input of the worm, and you have a decent pot still. A still like that was what my second still was that I built, and it is still used today. Works great. I do have about a 12" rise of 2" coming off the keg, where you are looking at coming off in the 1/2" to start with. They would probably work about the same. I did mine to 'help' avoid puking on a boil over, but usually that can be avoided by not
overfilling the keg.
Good luck in your setup and running, H.
+1 This is just wat I was thinking. A triclamp to hook to the keg, your appropriate stepped down fittings soldered up, then maybe a copper union fitting on the other end. I use a union fitting from my still head and one on my worm with a 6 foot section of 1/2" tubing with the mating ends between the two to connect them (my still head is about 16" tall stepping from 2" to 1/2") this helps avoiding puking and gets the fall I need to the worm setup. The length of the connecting tube is just to conform to my work space.
Thanks for the input, sound like you got a good plan going. I will be taking your info into consideration.
I first made my still with a 1/2" by 24" pipe out of my converted keg pot. I did this because 1/2 inch copper is a whole lot cheaper than 2 ". I found it difficult regulating output with the 1/2 riser. The fine line from vapor to liquid was to difficult to moderate.
I switched over to a 2" x 24" riser and it seemed to be a lot less sensitive. I could control output a lot easier. I don't know the science behind this I just know it worked.
Also I don't even need a gasket between my adapter that I got from Hillbilly Stills and my keg. The tri clover clamp holds it tight.
I would guess the small 2" section would calm the vapours. Like a funnel is conical, if it was a pot shape with a hole in it, you'd have to swish it around to get all the stuff out.
Here's to alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all life's problems.
"Homer J Simpson"
blackout87 wrote:Word of thought for all of you that hijacked this thread.
A man will start a fight in public for the shear fact that he is:
1. hoping the fight gets broken up
2. gets backup from his friends
A man that takes his fight outside man to man is to be respected. He intends to work it out or finish the fight with no interruptions.
This is not junior high school . I see no further need to respond to you
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
brazenheadbeer wrote:I first made my still with a 1/2" by 24" pipe out of my converted keg pot. I did this because 1/2 inch copper is a whole lot cheaper than 2 ". I found it difficult regulating output with the 1/2 riser. The fine line from vapor to liquid was to difficult to moderate.
I switched over to a 2" x 24" riser and it seemed to be a lot less sensitive. I could control output a lot easier. I don't know the science behind this I just know it worked.
Also I don't even need a gasket between my adapter that I got from Hillbilly Stills and my keg. The tri clover clamp holds it tight.
Thanks for your input, that gave me a better idea of what not to do and what I should be thinking about.
I was looking into a small 2" x 12" or 16" stainless riser myself just so I can get away from the keg in case of puking. And yes, the cost is way effective than 2" copper verses 1/2" copper. I figure I cut the cost by using stainless. Using a 2" x 12" or 16" riser then to my 2" to 1" triclamp will be a nice way to go down to a cheaper size of copper then slowly go down to my 1/2" worm.
Last edited by blackout87 on Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
blackout87 wrote:Word of thought for all of you that hijacked this thread.
A man will start a fight in public for the shear fact that he is:
1. hoping the fight gets broken up
2. gets backup from his friends
A man that takes his fight outside man to man is to be respected. He intends to work it out or finish the fight with no interruptions.
This is not junior high school . I see no further need to respond to you
Thank you for respecting my thread. I dont mean to make anyone mad around here or do I intend to disrespect anyone. Respect is a 2 way street, you got to give respect to get it. I will use your sly remarks as a indicator that I have made my point on this matter.
Please feel free to post on this thread if there's any infomation with the subject at hand you wish to discuss. Other than that, I wish you good day.
blackout87 wrote:Word of thought for all of you that hijacked this thread.
A man will start a fight in public for the shear fact that he is:
1. hoping the fight gets broken up
2. gets backup from his friends
A man that takes his fight outside man to man is to be respected. He intends to work it out or finish the fight with no interruptions.
This is not junior high school . I see no further need to respond to you
Thank you for respecting my thread. I dont mean to make anyone mad around here or do I intend to disrespect anyone. Respect is a 2 way street, you got to give respect to get it. I will use your sly remarks as a indicator that I have made my point on this matter.
Please feel free to post on this thread if there's any infomation with the subject at hand you wish to discuss. Other than that, I wish you good day.
LMAO
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
swampdog 2 wrote:common sence is not common lets reinvent the wheel
Appartently reading is not your forte. I have stated that the pot still has the basic concept between all pot stills. Making pot stills by different design is the beauty, we all make different stills but with the exact same theory behind it. If we continue to follow in footsteps left by others, we accomplish only what the last person has discovered/learned.
swampdog 2 wrote:I hate to be the one to say it but SIR YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE
Don't let him ruffle you , Swampdog . Hell ! I expect we have both tied up potentially better boys in latex bags and tossed them out the car window at one time or another
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
swampdog 2 wrote:I hate to be the one to say it but SIR YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE
Don't let him ruffle you , Swampdog . Hell ! I expect we have both tied up potentially better boys in latex bags and tossed them out the car window at one time or another
Apparently your actions reflect your knowledge level and your ability to read posts that clearly state that I want this thread to stay focused on the subject at hand.
swampdog 2 wrote:gator bait down here a couple concrete blocks and some log chain if you know what I mean
It's sad when people such as yourself can’t understand the concept of respect. I have stated no bad language in my posts or anything that isn’t rational. Your posts lacks intelligence or information.
swampdog 2 wrote:BELLYBUSTER I THINK I WILL HAVE ANOTHER DRINK AND GOOD DAY TO YOU SIR
Yet another post with nothing to offer except to hijack this thread.
Slow learner , ain't ya . Rode the short bus maybe ?
If you ain't the lead dog in the team , the scenery never changes . Ga Flatwoods made my avatar and I want to thank him for that .
Don't drink water , fish fornicate in it .
Ok I am getting in on this. Here is my perspective on your build. Just freelancing and building something that looks cool is fun but it can often times be a waste of time money and effort. Yes following a working design on a first build of anything is a wise decision unless you like rebuilding . You are correct that experimentation leads to discovery BUT you have to have a base to work from to know if you did better or worse than the original.
Now to your question. I am certainly no pro but my still works pretty darned good and it doesn't look like a cookie cutter still either. I like old school pot stills so mine is a version of that. If you look at the traditional whiskey stills in Scotland and Ireland you will notice they are similar in design but have slight differences in column length , taper and expansion areas. all these things make a slight variation in taste. Think of this as putting in your own personal touches, it will have an effect on taste and efficiency. Now look at your thought . A 15.5 gallon pot brings your mash to a boil and then all that vapor gets smashed into a tiny 1/2 inch tube. Sounds like a pretty harsh situation to me. Now picture that same vapor hitting a larger hole and being gradually constricted all the time increasing vapor speed and cooling. It is not reflux per se , but it does have an effect on flavor of the spirit. all this comes into play on a pot still. If you just want alcohol any set up will work . It may taste good it may taste like crap. A taller column is a good thing , not only for puking but for flavor enhancement. I won't tell you how to build it as you want to do that designing your self. I will say you need to look into column shapes and velocities, angle of lyne arm, volume of column. Think slow and smooth transition from large to small. Buy sheet copper and make your own tapered tubes. It's not easy but it looks cool and if you get it right it works great! Not everything has to be bought all tubes don't need to be straight. it is just easier that way. the more things you buy the more it will look like everyone else's. Good luck and be creative.
By the way What do you want to make?
Last edited by corene1 on Mon Dec 02, 2013 9:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sorry 
