charging onion head still

Simple pot still distillation and construction with or without a thumper.

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M1T0s1s
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charging onion head still

Post by M1T0s1s »

In this still design should I charge to the A line or the B line? seems to me that it would be the A line but that would be 3/4 gal and the still claims to have a 1.5 gal capacity, which would be at the B line.
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FtW
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Re: charging onion head still

Post by FtW »

Usually about a 3/4 charge is fine, a gallon or a bit over should be OK in there.
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still_stirrin
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Re: charging onion head still

Post by still_stirrin »

Man, that's one wicked looking still. It's almost as big as the thermometer in the cap (which is $$ spent for little or no benefit). But that's another story all together.

With either line (3/4 gallon OR 1-1/2 gallon) that thing will be tough to make good cuts off of. The fancy copper cup the photo shows is great to look at, but too big to make any kind of successful cuts from.

I'd almost say, fill it to the "B line" and heat it up. But you'd better have a clean wash, i.e. - sugar wash without any solids or debris carried over. It will puke up the cap something terrible. And the vapor take off looks to be too small too...possibly 3/8' ID. If you were to get a puke into the cap, it potentially could clog the vapor tube...not a good prognosis.

The still (where ever you bought it) looks like a good mantle piece instead of a working still. It's close to laboratory size, where the volume of distillate is not a factor as much as the quality of it. It's going to be hard to run...but good luck with it.

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M1T0s1s
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Re: charging onion head still

Post by M1T0s1s »

It is made by American still co. I've only ran my 15gal 2 inch column fractionation still before this. My wife bought it for me for our anniversary. So far I've been running a strip run then a 2nd run very slow and I do use allot of real small cups to collect. I have an induction hot plate with a small cast iron skillet that I sit the still in and I have very good control of the heat. It's been turning out surprisenly clean. I've been filling up to the top line for strip run and then the lower line for spirit run
carbohydratesn
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Re: charging onion head still

Post by carbohydratesn »

M1T0s1s wrote: I've been filling up to the top line for strip run and then the lower line for spirit run
Stripping runs are more likely than spirit runs to puke - so it'd probably be better to do spirit runs at the top line too!

With spirit runs, your boiler can be more full than for stripping runs. You'll get more drinkable product that way too, at least twice as much.
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