Building my first copper still

[DBCFlash]

Been doing some research and I've decided to build my own still!!
Okay, You guys have heard that a thousand and one times. I'm going to go ahead and bore you with all me details and I welcome constructive criticism along the way.

Plan is for a ten gallon stainless stock pot with a 220 volt water heater element and home made controller. I am building a two foot tall column with 2" copper pipe. I intend to pack it with copper scrubbies and have wrapped the top with 1/4" water line to try to control the reflux, but I also intend to run it unpacked without the cooling to make some whiskeys. The condensor is a 1 1/2" copper with 3/4" fluted pipe inside, about 16" long. Cooling will be from a recirculating pond pump in a big cooler of chilled water, ice added to control the temps.

The aesthetics and build are just as important to me as producing fine products so each piece will be positioned and polished to please my eye. It also must be entirely functional so there's that too.

Here we go:

This is my dry fit. The pot of flux represents a brewers thermometer. Anyone see any big errors?



This is the inner 3/4" tube for the condenser. I fluted it to create some turbulence. It will be vertical.


I'm polishing each piece as I go. Looks like it's made of gold!

I'll be using a 2" NPT stainless nipple to mount the column to the pot lid. The pot is currently in the mail and ultimately I'd love to use a stainless mixing bowl as the lid and column base, but I have to find one that's just exactly right.

I'm an amateur welder and I've been contemplating trying to MIG the bung for the heater element and the nipple for the base but I haven't tried welding stainless before.

I'm ready to hear some opinions so, the range is open! Blast away!

[rubber duck]

Hey you have some really great building skills. That still looks amazing. On the technical side you watched a lot of youtube videos.

Your going to learn a lot be patient with the goobers like me that have been around a while. We might know a thing or two but you can build.

[rubber duck]

Now I'll be the first... exactly how does this work?

[Lyonsie]

Thats some fine work. Id think about the positioning of the water valve to the coil though. You appear to be entering water to the top of both condensers here.

[StillerBoy]

Hey you have some really great building skills. That still looks amazing.

+1 on great building skills

Now I'll be the first... exactly how does this work?

+1 on how exactly are you going to make this work ? ?

Mars

[cob]

I see one big error and a second that will be left for you to decide and a third maybe.

the big error is polishing before you solder as soon as you apply heat all that polishing work is for not.

the one for you to decide is if you want to continue with a design that will work but costs you a lot in fittings and labor.

or you can find a simpler design that is easier to build and will do the same job as the design you have mocked up.

the condenser may be to short and fat. (1.5 over .75 about 20" long ? )

[DBCFlash]

The cooling water enters from the bottom so stopping it at the top after it's done it job (or not)bis the plan.
I know that much of the polishing will be spoiled in the final construction, but some of the areas will be really tricky to get to once it's all together so it'll get polished twice.
I have all the fittings and I consider my labor free.
Easier to build is not even on the list of things I'm considering.
The theory with the coil is that I will try to hold the reflux in the column by keeping the top cooler. I'll try to maintain a lower temperature to draw just the worst of the heads out then allow the heat to come up through the rest of the run. It's all just theory and I'm new at this so it could all turn out to be BS in the end, but I'll let you all know the results, good or bad.
I am a little concerned about the condenser size, but I thought I might run it with colder water to make up for it's small size. since the cooling water comes from the bottom up, the top will be somewhat warmer than the bottom, so hopefully the magic will condense somewhere in the middle. I'll be adding a nice long 1/2" tube to the end of the condenser so I could theoretically induce some air-cooling finned tube after the Liebig section. Not as pretty, but if I have to...

[StillerBoy]

I would suggest the following.. add removable jointer at the top and bottom of the product condenser, and one at the top of the column just after the reducer.. this will greatly assist in cleaning should it punk on you, and for storage..

Plus adding some copper scrubbers inside your 3/4" condenser, because on that short length you will get very little condensing especially in a vertical position.. what you have now will work, but you will be limited on how much power you can you.. will be very slow at distilling..

Give it a go.. and see for yourself.. but there are much simpler and efficient design..

Mars

[still_stirrin]

The theory with the coil is that I will try to hold the reflux in the column by keeping the top cooler. I'll try to maintain a lower temperature to draw just the worst of the heads out then allow the heat to come up through the rest of the run. It's all just theory and I'm new at this so it could all turn out to be BS in the end, but I'll let you all know the results, good or bad...

It's a CM still, which can be a little tricky to run. You manage the reflux ratio by regulating the coolant flow in the reflux condenser. But the 1/4" copper reflux coil (external to the column) will not be very effective. These types of reflux columns are an old (and inefficient) design. External coils do not contact the vapor, so heat has to be conducted through the column wall, and that means that the vapor has to tranfer its heat while flowing along the column. I think you'll find that you'll get quite a lot of smearing with it.

The "dimpled" vapor tube in your Liebig (product condenser) is a good way to enhance its efficiency somewhat by creating turbulence in the vapor flow. The turbulence improves the convection heat transfer of the vapor to move heat to the wall of the vapor tube. But convection heat transfer is not the primary means of heat removal to trigger condensation. Conduction of heat through the copper and into the water jacket is the main mechanism.

Another method to improve condensation would be to flatten a strip of copper and twist it. Then, insert the strip into the vapor tube. It would increase the surface area in contact with the vapor and increase conduction of heat to the water jacket. Since copper is such a good heat conducting material, increasing the surface area in contact with the vapor is a fantastic efficiency enhancer.

Finally, polished copper may look good in a catalog (or a commercial distillery). But, a copper still with a natural patina has the warm look of a good friend; aged and seasoned demonstrating its experience.

Good effort at a "first". The experience you've gained will help you with "the next".
ss

[still_stirrin]

As a follow up, to get an idea of the adequacy (or lack) of your product condenser, you should go to the parent site and run the calculation for a product Liebig on a potstill with the heat input you have. The calculator will get you "to the ballpark", although I would upsize 10% as a safety margin.
ss

[DBCFlash]

I have been considering adding a twisted fin to the condenser and I think I'm going to remake the dimpled line with deeper dimples in a twisted pattern. I'll solder the twisted fin to the dimpled line to maximize the heat transfer. I'll check out that calculator.

I'll have to do some more research on the CM still but since there will be copper packing inside the column right where the coil is mounted I think I might get a more thorough heat transfer than just the cold walls.

Thank you all for your suggestions! This isn't soldered yet, so I can still make changes simply.

[DBCFlash]

I reviewed the calculator you suggested and if I chill the recirculating condenser water the small fat Liebig will meet the minimum criteria for my still. If I can increase the efficiency by twisting, dimpling and adding a a twisted fin, then there is a comfortable margin. I received my stainless pot and brewers thermometer as a Christmas gift from my lovely wife today. Cutting a hole in it for the element will be unsettling for me, but it has to be done! Now I need to find a nice, domed stainless bowl to use as a lid, then cut a hole in that as well.

[still_stirrin]

stock pot potstill

This is my gin still, a small (16 qt) stock pot. I used a ss sink basket strainer for the lid to riser interface. I works great.
ss

[DBCFlash]

I couldn't find a sink strainer that had 2" npt threads, and I did a lot of searching! I finally settled on a 2"npt pipe nipple with a big nut.

[DBCFlash]

After all the concerns about my short, fat condenser, I remade the inner tube. I made much deeper dimples in a rotating pattern then I made a copper twisted liner for the water jacket. Now there is a smaller area for the vapor to travel through with far more surface area and the cooling water path is very turbulent as it twists its way up the tube. This should improve the efficiency of the condenser. I've started soldering the components and my lovely polishing job is ruined...but I really did expect that. It'll polish up once it's all together.

I've researched MIG welding stainless and my welding rig is totally capable with a change in gas and some 308 stainless wire. I'm going to weld a threaded 2 inch stainless pipe into the domed lid so I can mount the copper column, but I need to figure out a way to clamp and seal the bowl to the pot. Binder clips would work, but I want a more elegant solution. I'd rather not have to use flour paste to seal the pot, but it's on the list of possibilities.

Ordering my heating element and the stuff I need to build a controller shortly. I also need to figure out where to install my new 220 outlet.

There's a lot of details to get through to get this project working, but it's all pretty fun stuff.

[Boda Getta]

Beautiful work, you are a true craftsman. Having said that, IMHO, you would be better served and end up with a more flexible still if you ditched the stock pot and went with a 15.5 gal SS beer keg. The keg/column connection using a flange at the bottom of the column w/ ss sanitary clamp to the built in flange on the keg is bomb proof. You would avoid the problem getting the lid/pot connection not to leak. The added capacity would be a plus as well.
Good luck,

BG

[DBCFlash]

As I said earlier, aesthetics is very important to me and although I know the keg makes a great base, I just can't get past the "made in a frat house" look re-purposing a keg for anything. I know, It's my stupid issue. I could change over to a keg later on if I need more capacity, but I doubt I'll ever need more than that now. I don't drink THAT much...

[Badmotivator]

As I said earlier, aesthetics is very important to me and although I know the keg makes a great base, I just can't get past the "made in a frat house" look re-purposing a keg for anything. I know, It's my stupid issue. I could change over to a keg later on if I need more capacity, but I doubt I'll ever need more than that now. I don't drink THAT much...

I like your style, and I hope your machine comes together nicely in the end.

At the risk of creating some "mission creep"...

I was also concerned about aesthetics but I wanted a keg-sized boiler. In my signature there is a link to how I made my keg look real purdy. Also, I don't drink that much either but I'm sure glad I went with something keg-sized. Hope that helps.

[DBCFlash]

As I said earlier, aesthetics is very important to me and although I know the keg makes a great base, I just can't get past the "made in a frat house" look re-purposing a keg for anything. I know, It's my stupid issue. I could change over to a keg later on if I need more capacity, but I doubt I'll ever need more than that now. I don't drink THAT much...

I like your style, and I hope your machine comes together nicely in the end.

At the risk of creating some "mission creep"...

I was also concerned about aesthetics but I wanted a keg-sized boiler. In my signature there is a link to how I made my keg look real purdy. Also, I don't drink that much either but I'm sure glad I went with something keg-sized. Hope that helps.

Absolutely amazing build!! My hat's off to you Mr. Badmotivator! You have set an impossibly high standard for me to reach with my sorry assed build, but it's great to know someone else is concerned with "how it all looks" the way I am. I'm inspired now to get mine looking pretty, and the keg pot is no longer off the list of possibilities. It just has to turn out as nice as yours has. Maybe I'll follow in your footsteps and graduate from my pot to a keg.

[DBCFlash]

Ordered my heater element, controller components, hydrometers, stainless clamps, pipe fittings, carboy airlocks and a five pound barrel of pork rinds tonight. Can't wait to start putting it all together.

[DBCFlash]

Okay, here we go again. I haven't even finished soldering this thing together and I've convinced myself that I won't be happy unless I install a couple of sight glass' so I can monitor the boil and the reflux. Going to order up a couple of 2" copper male adapters and some glass and seals from stilldragon.

[Swedish Pride]

Looks like it will end up very similar to TPs still.
look for his thread or shoot him a PM if you want advice from someone who's done a still like it

[DBCFlash]

Looks like it will end up very similar to TPs still.
look for his thread or shoot him a PM if you want advice from someone who's done a still like it

I found his post and I do remember referencing his design when I first decided to build something. The performance of his set-up gives me hope that I haven't wasted my time with mine. I know where I want my sight glass now, and I'm thinking of a good way to add a cold finger to the top of mine. This hobby requires a lot of complex decisions. I keep changing my mind.

[DBCFlash]

I have all my small parts in the dishwasher getting them sparkly clean and I experimented with cleaning the bigger parts using muriatic acid. When they say adequate ventilation, THEY MEAN IT!! Worked like a charm to strip these copper pipes clean in just a few moments. Scary thing was a big spiders nest came rolling out of my condenser tube. Those pipes have been laying around for a long, long time.

[Ghostpepperman]

Very nice setup you have there, I went with the Keg style and modified it to look nice.
Check out my setup @ http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p7347068

I myself try to keep it simple and easy to work with....not over complicate things.
Anyways have fun and be safe

[DBCFlash]

Very nice setup you have there, I went with the Keg style and modified it to look nice.
Check out my setup @ http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 1#p7347068

I myself try to keep it simple and easy to work with....not over complicate things.
Anyways have fun and be safe

Nice straightforward setup, but it looks HUGE! Is that an old fire extinguisher you used for a thumper?

[DBCFlash]

Mocked up my parrot tonight.

[rager]

Parrot looks awesome. Only suggestion I would make is make the collection cup a bit bigger. Distillate doesn't always come off in a perfect stream. Oh I would make the output straight down and eliminate the upward part of the discharge tube .
Looks good so far

[DBCFlash]

Parrot looks awesome. Only suggestion I would make is make the collection cup a bit bigger. Distillate doesn't always come off in a perfect stream. Oh I would make the output straight down and eliminate the upward part of the discharge tube .
Looks good so far

I'm on it! I made a larger collection cup tonight. I wasn't very satisfied with the curly "Who-ville" base so I'm creating something out of marble. I needed a longer discharge tube to keep the jars away from the big curly base and to keep it high enough to clear the jars it needed the compound curve. I understand I'll have to "tip" it to keep from smearing my cuts, but I'm okay with that. As I've read, the parrot will be primarily for learning what's going on and once I understand what I'm doing I will probably just set it on the bar as a conversation piece. All my copper is soaking in vinegar right now so it'll be nice and clean.

I ordered Staybrite solder and flux as the water soluble flux and Mexican silver solder wasn't really working with my stainless components. I just couldn't get my cheap assed solder to stick to the stainless. It rolled away like mercury. I'm avoiding the MIG welding option, 'cause it seems like a big pain in the ass.

I still have a lot of bits in the mail right now so I can't really do a run yet. I'd love to at least boil some water but my element and controller parts are still on the way.

[still_stirrin]

Never had a parrot. Never needed one. Messy bit of hardware that's really quite extraneous. But...YMMV.
ss