Glass Thumpers

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Using mason jars or other glass jars for a thumper is a safety hazard. The possibility of them shattering is extremely high.

[T-Pee]

In other words, don't. There WILL be a dogpile on yo azz.

tp

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Darn tootin

[freshwaterjellyfish]

ive been obsessed with the idea of steaming rum w a thumper.. ive read other threads and some people feel strong that theyll work, (provided theyre canning jars)
..years ago i used to pressure cook mason jars for over an hour- multiple times. truth be told, 1per 40 would get hair line cracks.
...even with that being said, im still itchy to rig a big ass pickle jar up for a few runs before i upgrade to a keg...

[jedneck]

Its not the heat that breaks the glass. Its the rapid temp change. And how you gonna seal the lid, they arnt stainless or copper.

[rad14701]

When canning, the entire jar is submerged in the water bath and temperatures rise and lower gradually... A glass thumper is just hanging out in the breeze, partially filled with high proof alcohol once up to temperature... Jars use a tin lid with a synthetic seal... Even using a standard jar ring with a copper plate wrapped with PTFE doesn't make a glass jar safe for use as a thumper... Thermal variations and the action of thumping could be enough to cause a catastrophic failure... The potential risks just aren't worth the gamble... I've never seen a SS or copper thumper suffer a catastrophic failure... Best option is to go with materials that are proven safe...

[freshwaterjellyfish]

..thats very true..the temp variations, flammable vapours...does seem stupid. i went as far as fabricating the face of the lid copper. the pickle jar is way too small anyway..all the reading ive done in the last 20 min sais: dont do it

[bearriver]

ive read other threads and some people feel strong that theyll work, (provided theyre canning jars)

People have thought all sorts of stupid things... Just sayin.

[Red Rim]

In the past, before I found HD, I copied a plan from " those who shalt be named" (ripoff artists).. It used a mason jar as a thumper. Now I am not in anyway condoning this behavior, but,,, I ran a large pickle jar for almost a year with no problems.. However, I read about the ability to have the glass shatter and spraying 180 degree flammable liquid all over you, and I quickly changed my ways. The plus side is I had a visual on what was going on in my thumper and gathered from the speed and sound of the bubbles, the speed that I should run my still. The down side. THIRD DEGREE BURNS AND DEATH BY FIRE!!!

Many other ways to build a thumper, like a nice stainless stock pot!

[googe]

Number 40 is the jar that causes, a house/garage fire, you loose your house/garage, burns you badly, causing hospital time, lost wages, stress on family, so many other things could happen. Safety is about prevention, not what ifs. To me it's not worth it.

[cranky]

Every year I put up green beans, tomato sauce and jelly and every year I have at least one jar fail, in spit of the fact that the jars as well as whats in them are heated to the same temp as the waster they are going into. This year was a double failure on the same batch of green beans. Anybody who cans knows this happens. Canning jars are not made from borosilicate (Pyrex), they are soda glass and prone to stressing from expansion and contraction from heat and they often fail blowing the bottom right out of the jar. So using them for anything besides storage is a very bad idea.

[freshwaterjellyfish]

In the past, before I found HD, I copied a plan from " those who shalt be named" (ripoff artists).. It used a mason jar as a thumper. Now I am not in anyway condoning this behavior, but,,, I ran a large pickle jar for almost a year with no problems.. However, I read about the ability to have the glass shatter and spraying 180 degree flammable liquid all over you, and I quickly changed my ways. The plus side is I had a visual on what was going on in my thumper and gathered from the speed and sound of the bubbles, the speed that I should run my still. The down side. THIRD DEGREE BURNS AND DEATH BY FIRE!!!

Many other ways to build a thumper, like a nice stainless stock pot!

Murphy latches to me like a ramora fish. i was very iffy on the idea. im glad this forum is around for everyone's perspective and opinion.

[SEMO]

I've used the same pint, really thick wide mouth jar on a 5 gal pot still for the past year and seen no problems. I haven't tried it on my keg...yet. I am interested in a thumper as I do believe based on my experience so far that the product is better but it could be personal preference or opinion.

I will likely explore one for my keg but perhaps not glass!

[shadylane]

Glass thumper, Do you mean one of theses?

[cranky]

I've used the same pint, really thick wide mouth jar on a 5 gal pot still for the past year and seen no problems.

It only takes one "problem" to cut you badly, burn you with hot alcohol, set your house on fire and send you both to the hospital and jail Safety shouldn't wait until you have a "Problem". I've been thinking about making an adapter to convert a 5 gal. sankey keg to a thumper, it would certainly be safer than anything glass.

[shadylane]

Made a glass thumper, instead of using a jar, I used a glass globe from an explosion proof light.
The globe is made out of borosilicate glass and has a usable volume of a little over 1/3 gallon.
Planned on putting fruit in it for adding flavor.
It didn't work. The damn thing kept flooding and I didn't like the flavor it added.

Thought about turning it upside down, adding a down-comer back to the pot and using it as a glass bubble plate.

[shadylane]

Since this thread is about what not to use.
Don't use a mason jar for anything other than drinking out of.
Using a regular jar for a thumper is an invitation to disaster.

[moosemilk]

My thoughts, you wanna see what's going on in a thumper, put a proper sight glass on it. One on each side to let light in. That's if. Me, don't care about the visual. I like to learn by feel.

[HDNB]

My thoughts, you wanna see what's going on in a thumper, put a proper sight glass on it. One on each side to let light in. That's if. Me, don't care about the visual. I like to learn by feel.

+1 moose! ...i do some of my best work in the dark!

[moosemilk]

i do some of my best work in the dark!

Yup, a still is kinda like a woman with one big difference: after a bit of time, you can figure out a still.

[hamshine]

i do some of my best work in the dark!

Yup, a still is kinda like a woman with one big difference: after a bit of time, you can figure out a still.

A still will let you run it.... LOL

[freshwaterjellyfish]

i scrapped my big glass jar thumper idea, (im glad i did). But i come back to inquire:
my sis gave me a stainless steel chili pot thats two gal smaller than the cook pot; only thing is the lid is glass but..its thick, heavy, sais made in France. I reckon if i can drill the proper holes with glass bits-i d give it a whirl...ya?...no?..im crazy?...

[T-Pee]

Glass is glass. If it breaks you still have hot ethanol vapors loose.

tp

[Danespirit]

+1 T-Pee
The ones running a rig with glass (plated for example) do so with expensive borosilicate glass.
Anything else, could be asking for a disaster to happen...especially running on gas..! ( sirenes and coloured lights are coming to mind)

[freshwaterjellyfish]

ive never used flame for stilling. In fact i changed from a stove top to a nice big induction plate. In time i can find a SS lid that will fit....at the same time im finding info that states the best pyrex (borosilicate) is made in France.....
"Unfortunately, Pyrex, once synonymous with borosilicate glass, switched from borosilicate to soda-lime glass in the 1950s, with the majority of the U.S. kitchen industry following suit in the 1980s. Soda-lime glass is the most commonly used and least expensive form of glass. Another sad story in which the quest for lower prices led to the sacrifice of quality. Ironically, the European manufacturer of Pyrex, Arc International in France, still uses borosilicate glass in their Pyrex kitchen products today. So in order to get the original quality of an American icon, you have to buy it in France. - See more at: http://kaufmann-mercantile.com/borosili ... Q3W7l.dpuf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow"

[Hound Dog]

Oh la la, well if it's French it must be fine! I would not drill the glass lid but rather drill the stainless pot near the top and come in from the side.

[freshwaterjellyfish]

Oh la la, well if it's French it must be fine! I would not drill the glass lid but rather drill the stainless pot near the top and come in from the side.

lmao!!..no doubt..drilling from the side is definitely thinking outside the pot.
I dont even think the "French" lid and the pot are even a set. Its not the tightest fit. meh...time to scope for SS lid