submarine pot!!!!????

[travelin man]

i was just doin some pondering on and idea i had....and i thought that id see what everyone has to say! i am a big fan of tim smith from moonshiners...so this is where i get my questin...in the show he used a 150-100 gallon sub marine pot...i was thinking about building a 10-fifteen gallon sub pot! but was not sure how to go about it. i know i wanna make it differnt than his cus i dont have the resources to build the head...so i was thinking about a ss bowl and some 2" copper for the lyne arm to a thumper! the heating source would be a built in electric heating element! i know its rough but its just in my head right now! so some in put would be greatly appreciated!!!




thank you in advance

[DuckofDeath]

You do realise that show is BS and you would do good to ignore everything they say?

[Richard7]

Hey travelin man,
You would have done better to say your a fan of submarine pot's than to mention that show! I like to watch it because I like to walk around my house and yell "YOU STUPID DUMBA$$" at the tv. But to address your question, to build the pot would take as much skill as to build the head so if your going to go for it, build the head too. No since in just going half way. The pot has seams at both end caps and one long one off center of the top. It wouldn't be hard for someone who knew what they were doing but quite hard for a novice.

[travelin man]

So the pot still is bs? Not buying it!I know the show is bs! But I can't believe the still is bs and the history is bs! I just want to know if anyone thinks about the design!

[travelin man]

Thank you Richard!

[Prairiepiss]

I think the design is designed around making money. Not making a good drink. There are far better designs if you really want to improve on a drink.

If you are out just to build one just do it. But if you don't have the build skills to do it right. What's the use in doing it? Much easier to build a simple pot still. And get the same results.

[toast860]

ifu do build one let me know i want to make a bigger still now that i have the basics. would be anything soon i have lots to learn. but i was going to do the samething but different sourse of heat. i was thinking a long nurn made out of copper pipe and a still head will be the biggest hang up. either way let me know.

[DuckofDeath]

So the pot still is bs? Not buying it!I know the show is bs! But I can't believe the still is bs and the history is bs! I just want to know if anyone thinks about the design!

They used car radiators for a worm in the past as well. Doesn't mean its a wise thing to do.

[cornsqueezer]

I like to watch it because I like to walk around my house and yell "YOU STUPID DUMBA$$" at the tv.

And I thought I was the only one that did that!!!!!

And if you decide to make it I wouldn't use pine like Tickle!!!

[spencer321]

I'm just speculating but considering white oak is used for barrels, would it be a fair assessment that white oak could be used for a sub pot?

[Boda Getta]

TM
I don't think DofD was saying that the submarine still (a type of pot still) is BS. The submarine type still was/is very common for the high volume, professional moonshiner to use who priority was maximizing their profit at the expense of the quality of the whiskey. What I think D of D was saying was that 99.9% of what Tim Smith did with or said about the still was total BS. The show can be entertaining I guess, but please don't be fooled into thinking you will learn anything about actual distilling from watching that show; the exact opposite will result. For that, do a bunch of reading on this site.

Good luck,
BG

[hikfromstik]

I would stay away from any wood material on a boiler . If you ran wood chips is a still you'll get pure methanol. Maybe thats were the going blind folklore came from . I would stay away from the wood . I also thought that tickle used pine wood .

[Dnderhead]

"" If you ran wood chips is a still you'll get pure methanol""
where this come from? i want to see this.

[rad14701]

There would only be marginal "distillation of wood" happening in a black pot submarine still and only for a run or three... Nothing to worry about if making proper cuts...

However, it would be a pain in the ass to go to the effort of making a hobby scale 10 - 15 gallon submarine pot... A legally sourced beer keg would get you the size and reliability needed for far less aggravation...

Wipe your mind clear of 99.9% of what you've been seeing on Moonshiners... I scream at the TV throughout every single episode as I watch those fucktards make a mockery of our craft... I'd like to give each and every one of them a good bitch slap up side the head for being so ignorant... They are contributing zero help towards our efforts in proving that hobby scale home distillation can be done in a safe and controlled manner... And, while somewhat entertaining, I wish they'd pull the plug on that series because it is not helping our public image in any way, shape, or form...

[Boda Getta]

100% agree Rad, but what we must realize is that the producers of "Moonshiners" could not care less about contributing to our cause and improving our image. It's all about money... viewership = rating = $$. That show won't be pulled until it is no longer profitable.

BG

[Richard7]

Tune in next week to hear Jim Tom say "I can build ya a gooood rye wisky still, jus call me at BR549!

[cornsqueezer]

There would only be marginal "distillation of wood" happening in a black pot submarine still and only for a run or three... Nothing to worry about if making proper cuts...

However, it would be a pain in the ass to go to the effort of making a hobby scale 10 - 15 gallon submarine pot... A legally sourced beer keg would get you the size and reliability needed for far less aggravation...

Wipe your mind clear of 99.9% of what you've been seeing on Moonshiners... I scream at the TV throughout every single episode as I watch those fucktards make a mockery of our craft... I'd like to give each and every one of them a good bitch slap up side the head for being so ignorant... They are contributing zero help towards our efforts in proving that hobby scale home distillation can be done in a safe and controlled manner... And, while somewhat entertaining, I wish they'd pull the plug on that series because it is not helping our public image in any way, shape, or form...

I feel the same way, and they are making allot of money to act/be that stupid not to mention screwing up everyone's opinion of home distilling

[travelin man]

Damn! I was just wondering about the pot still! Sorry!

[Dnderhead]

it takes a bit diferant "animal" to digest wood the yeast and enzymes that we use dont do that.
the fuel guys are working on it,most use some sort of molds/bacteria.and even modified.

[DuckofDeath]

I bet if I was on that moonshiners show I could get 115% likker.

PS I am joking don't go ballistic

[toast860]

me and travelingman where just asking for ideas and what not. i knew it had to be a special type of wood wasnt sure what type tho. and yes tickle , used studs. which also have all type of bad stuff init. but i am going to go build a sub still this summer. or some kind of version of the thing . after following this topic i thought what if u made the side out of wood then wraped the wood with some sheet cooper. then go about the rest normally. u could then solder all the joint and everything . but i would hate for a 20 gallon still bottom to blow out . i dont get how you would support the load that 20 gallons of mash would make. so i am thinking makeing more of a box then anything else but a square couldnt help disperse heat that much. jsut ideas so dont yell at me it hurts my feeling. yes feeling. as in one.


ps my father lives in climax and has meet all these guys before the show was even thought of . ( they all go to the same church) besides jimtom whos is the towns biggest drunk . these people dont do anything like we do here on. they dont really make cuts. they use what every plastic bucket they can find and tickle will turn out just like jimtom. a toothless drunk. but hes funny to watch

[Prairiepiss]

If I was to do it. Although I have no want or need to. As there are far better designs to use.

I would build the pot out of all copper sheet. On the sides I would give the sides a lip all the way around. So when set in place it would set in about 1.5". I would use brass rivets from the outside in to hold it together. Then solder it from the inside. I would then cut some nice 3/4" plywood to fit into the recessed sides. So it looked like the copper overlapped it. Using brass screws in place of some of the rivets to hold the plywood in place. then fold the copper lip over the plywood. So you couldn't see the seam. Maybe stuff some denim material around it to look like that's what I used to seal it. You would need to make a good stand to support the copper bottom and sides. I would also make a proper copper cap linarm and worm. And use an oak barrel for the flake stand.

I personaly would probably mount one or two electric elements in the side of it. So they could be covered with the plywood side. And only have the cords coming out the bottom. I would also add a drain bung on that same side. Make it look like its sealed on the plywood. So probably the drain in the middle and the elements on both sides of the drain.

But I've really never thought about it before.

[Richard7]

Damn! I was just wondering about the pot still! Sorry!

Don't worry, I don't think anybody is holding anything against you. You gave us a topic to vent in. Enjoy the circus!

[Prairiepiss]

I bet if I was on that moonshiners show I could get 115% likker.

PS I am joking don't go ballistic

Well I could get 200% ABV proof by adding sugar to the still.

[goinbroke2]

I gots 225 proof percent one time when the law come crashin thru tha woods an I was half thru a run. I pulled the hogs head off to hide it, but when they went runnin on by and totally missed me I added 50 pounds of sugar and a jug of antifreeze and shore enuff I gots 225 proof percent!

swear ta gawd is true!

The bead was so big it looked like dishsoap in the masonjar!

When the law came back my way I dumped about 2 gallons in my car and took off like a scalded hog! They almost had me till I hit the highway, then I floored it and once the needle went past 120mph I stopped lookin at it. I heard later the cops had me on radar at 165mph!

fastest that like little ford fiesta ever went!

swear ta gawd!

It was so strong it ate through the bottom of a glass mason jar!

[Richard7]

I gots 225 proof percent one time when the law come crashin thru tha woods an I was half thru a run. I pulled the hogs head off to hide it, but when they went runnin on by and totally missed me I added 50 pounds of sugar and a jug of antifreeze and shore enuff I gots 225 proof percent!

swear ta gawd is true!

The bead was so big it looked like dishsoap in the masonjar!

When the law came back my way I dumped about 2 gallons in my car and took off like a scalded hog! They almost had me till I hit the highway, then I floored it and once the needle went past 120mph I stopped lookin at it. I heard later the cops had me on radar at 165mph!

fastest that like little ford fiesta ever went!

swear ta gawd!

It was so strong it ate through the bottom of a glass mason jar!

Ok, tell the truth, was it you driving or Tickle!

[Misflt]

This thread made me chuckle. Just to point out for the guys wanting to build one of these. They are junk. I've seen them in use long ago and they are really just a backwoods bargain basement hunk of crap meant to be used for one season.

Here is why you would not want to build one. In order for this type of still to hold mash, you would have to soak the wood by filling it with water (once its built) and keeping it filled best you can until the wood swells and seals up the leaks. You then have to keep running it constantly to maintain the sealed joints. If you don't use it for a few days or more, the wood dry's out and warps and you are left with firewood. It will never hold water again and you will have to rebuild it. Your copper, which is god awful expensive is full of nail holes and would have to be trimmed for future use in a better design. After you spent all the time and effort to build the first one, you would be pissed to see it rendered useless after the first time you stop using it for more than a few days.

They were made to be cheap and fast to build, so you wouldn't care if it was found and busted up. Could you imagine how you would feel if you had a 100-200 gallon alembic destroyed because it was found? That is why the Submarine design was dreamed up.

Hope you guys didn't waste your time building one, hope this thread discourages anyone else from trying it. That show should be taken off the air, but, that horse has been properly beaten to death, I digress.

[Halfbaked]

traveling man the submarine is not BS. I have seen more submarine stills in my area than any still. Most being between 100 and 500 gal and up to 1000 gal. I have seen pictures of 50 of these stills 500 gal ea at one still site. They cooked in them, fermented in them, and stilled in them. IMHO they made lots of cheap low quality alcohol. The sides are wood and they are the stills are easily made and cheap. Lots were not soldered but bent and hammered. Obviously the cap has to be soldered. That being said they leak like a sieve and in my opinion the only use for one is having a small one as a conversation piece on the coffee table. Get you a keg.

[scout]

So the pot still is bs? Not buying it!I know the show is bs! But I can't believe the still is bs and the history is bs! I just want to know if anyone thinks about the design!

The submarine still pot came into being so shiners could do up to 600 gal runs, some folk are always going to be ambitious and go as large as they can. The ones I've seen in use nowadays are stainless steel with oak supports on the sides, the interiors of these are all stainless, the side boards are there for shape holding, they are not in touch with the mash. The Cap is where the first copper comes into play and every one of the subs I've seen (3) have at least one thumper hooked in line. These pots are hard to move, heavy as all get out, and stick out like a sore thumb even when camouflaged because of the profile. The guys I know that use these monsters tell me they mash in the cooker. I wouldn't ever do that cause you have to be far to careful of scorching during the run. Also I prefer my old copper rig with the wood barrel thumper. I have a small collection of antique stills and one is from the prohibition era, it has soldered joints that were sealed with lead solder, just shows how little the commercial guys cared about the quality of their product. It's not something I would ever use but it is a nice collector piece and I can use it to show how not to build a still. Two other stills, from that same era but by proud shiners, are double folded seamed and you would have to paste them up before every run I would imagine or risk a fire or blowing up if you were to use them, the seams show signs of being pasted. The bottom halves of these two are shaped by hammering a single piece of sheet to shape and a separate top half that have the folded seams. The caps of these two are tall (about 2 1/2') wide at the top with 3"cap arms that taper to 2" at the thumper turn down and 4' long. I picked these up on hikes through the mountains with some old timers I met back in the early 60's while in the Catskills. None were working stills at the time I was allowed to collect them. I do wish I had had a camera with me at the time since I had to do a lot of work to get them out of the furnaces. The first one I collected was show to me by the owner and I told him how beautiful it was. He thanked me and told me that he had a new set up and If I really wanted it, I could have it, but he wasn't tearing down the furnace for or with me, That was all up to me. Over the next few weeks he introduced me to the men that knew about the other two stills and I was guided to them and allowed to collect them, for the work of taking them down and hauling them out of the deep hollows where they had set for years. These men thought it was good to find a kid that was interested in their way of life.

By the way, The sub the show had Tim Smith using looked to be a 600 gal unit to me. If you want to build one you carpenter up the sides and cut SS one inch larger than the outline of the side, then you have to bend the 1" into a flange, next you stand them up and drill and screw (SS screws) the bottom piece into place, weld it to the sides instead of drilling and riveting (if you want to really do it right and tight). Then you would cut the Cap hole in the top piece and bend the edge of the bottom ends so , then do the same for an interlocking seam on the upper sections ends, before putting it all together. To me something like this would be more a conversation project, since I'm not a commercial shiner.

The show moonshiners is to me, seems rather typical of what real outlaw shiner guys would tell any outsider, far as I can tell. Would you really expect the outlaws to give you the scoop or any part of the real deal for that matter? It's at least getting folks attention albeit in what I think is not a good way. Entertainment at best, not something meant as teaching by any stretch. Besides if the show was the real deal, we would be watching the BATF close in on every one of the players and arresting them. Shoot, even Mr. Sutton didn't give out much in the way of how to make it, even in his last days. If you haven't been around a for profit shiner for a long time and earned their trust, do not expect to get any real information on how to from them would be what I'd tell anyone, especially a TV producer looking for a show.

[CanadianBacon]

I hate to revive this thread but the show moonshiners is such Bullshit. I could never imagine what my beer, wine, cider, meed, mash would taste like with NO sanitizing or making it in plastic that clearly looks like its not PET. They use metal shit and scrape the shit out of there plastic barrels when mixing, No fucks given about the Bactria that is harbored in them, using hands to "sample" mash...Not to mention storing liqour in milk jugs?! You can never get the smell out of them, I had my sanitizer stored in one for 4 months and it still smelled like crap when I emptied it.

Before I even considered distilling and I was brewing beer, wine, cider i could see that show was bullshit. I heard someone got arrested and quoted that show for where they learnt how to.... They had a still in there front yard, Shows how much they learnt.