My first (decent) still

Many like to post about a first successful ferment (or first all grain mash), or first still built/bought or first good run of the still. Tell us about all of these great times here.
Pics are VERY welcome, we drool over pretty copper 8)

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Steve Broady
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My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

This thing started out as an 8 gallon still from Amazon. It had a coil condenser in an open pot and plenty of brass fittings and silicone seals. The condenser was a royal pain to keep adjusted, always either overflowing or running dry, and I made a mess more than once trying to use it.

Reading about the potential dangers of brass and silicone, I replaced the main seal with Teflon packing and soldered copper directly to the stainless lid. I also decided to increase the size of the vapor path from 3/8” tubing up to 3/4” pipe, and used unions to connect the condenser.

Speaking of the condenser, it’s a 1” diameter shotgun with four 1/4” tubes inside. The reducer at the end is just slipped on. Depending on the angle, it might be smearing just a little bit, but I haven’t worried about it. As long as I keep cool water flowing through it, this thing can condense all the vapor I can make on the largest burner on my stove, even with 40% ABV in the still.

Water cooling is via the two hoses with quick connects. They run to a pot in the sink, in which I have a small pump, and which I set up to have cool water flowing in and overflowing into the sink. That arrangement lets me move the pot temporarily if I need to use the sink, as well as not tying up the faucet for several hours at a time. The pot of slightly warm water also turns out to be a great place to thaw meat for dinner! The pot also makes a convenient place to store the pump, hoses, and wrench for the union, all of which then fits inside the still for storage.

I tried making a much smaller still once before, but never got it to seal well. The condenser is my third, and the first that I would call successful. While I could make any number of improvements to this setup, it works reliably and suits my needs at the moment.
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still_stirrin
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by still_stirrin »

I like it. Cute little potstill. Someday it’ll be a great ginstill.

And when you’ve grown into a keg, this will help you finish some of your (smaller) ferments. Remember, a guy has gotta’ have tools. And this stock pot potstill is a great addition to your toolset. I use mine frequently. It doesn’t replace my keg boiler, with potstill head or the reflux column and reflux head.

But it is a specialized tool to make gins (and recently an absinthe) as well as triple distilling other runs that need just a little “nudge” to finish just right.

I like it. Keep up the good work.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Stonecutter »

Looking good Broady! How was the cost comparison between the store bought still and this one? I would assume that you would’ve saved any money had you simply bought a stock pot and done it yourself from the beginning. But market costs for copper and such are F* these days. I sure as hell wish I would’ve taken my time and researched and built before shoveling out wads of dough for a still that has most of its original pieces in storage.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Renhoekk »

Looks like you’ve got juuuuuust enough clearance under the rangehood, so you found the perfect size setup :D :D
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Handy little still , just a shame you went down the road of buying the other piece of rubbish first.
So many Newbs that I see starting out are falling into that trap. I keep thinking that a "WHAT NOT TO BUY " thread needs to be started.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by EricTheRed »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 1:25 am Handy little still , just a shame you went down the road of buying the other piece of rubbish first.
So many Newbs that I see starting out are falling into that trap. I keep thinking that a "WHAT NOT TO BUY " thread needs to be started.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by city shiner »

Steve Broady wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 3:32 pm This thing started out as an 8 gallon still from Amazon. It had a coil condenser in an open pot and plenty of brass fittings and silicone seals. The condenser was a royal pain to keep adjusted, always either overflowing or running dry, and I made a mess more than once trying to use it.

Reading about the potential dangers of brass and silicone, I replaced the main seal with Teflon packing and soldered copper directly to the stainless lid. I also decided to increase the size of the vapor path from 3/8” tubing up to 3/4” pipe, and used unions to connect the condenser.

Speaking of the condenser, it’s a 1” diameter shotgun with four 1/4” tubes inside. The reducer at the end is just slipped on. Depending on the angle, it might be smearing just a little bit, but I haven’t worried about it. As long as I keep cool water flowing through it, this thing can condense all the vapor I can make on the largest burner on my stove, even with 40% ABV in the still.

Water cooling is via the two hoses with quick connects. They run to a pot in the sink, in which I have a small pump, and which I set up to have cool water flowing in and overflowing into the sink. That arrangement lets me move the pot temporarily if I need to use the sink, as well as not tying up the faucet for several hours at a time. The pot of slightly warm water also turns out to be a great place to thaw meat for dinner! The pot also makes a convenient place to store the pump, hoses, and wrench for the union, all of which then fits inside the still for storage.

I tried making a much smaller still once before, but never got it to seal well. The condenser is my third, and the first that I would call successful. While I could make any number of improvements to this setup, it works reliably and suits my needs at the moment.
That mini-shotgun it straight up cool!
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Yummyrum »

Nice work Steve Brody

You have taken good advice from the forum and transformed your cheap and nasty still into something to be proud of and safe .
Hats off to you Sir . :thumbup:
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

Stonecutter wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:55 pm How was the cost comparison between the store bought still and this one? I would assume that you would’ve saved any money had you simply bought a stock pot and done it yourself from the beginning.
Sorry about the delay, Stonecutter. I somehow missed all the comments on this thread, starting with yours. I’m not sure about the cost, to be honest. A stainless pot that large isn’t cheap, and then there’s the lid and hardware to buy. All that I salvaged off the original still was the pot, lid, clamps, and thermometer, so I probably didn’t do myself any financial favors going that route. But I did get one major benefit. I had totally failed to make a stop from scratch previously, so this gave me the confidence I needed to have a known good (or at least functional) starting point. I don’t think I would have been able to build what I have now without that boost. So I consider the extra money spent on education.
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Steve Broady
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

Renhoekk wrote: Sun Aug 28, 2022 12:42 am Looks like you’ve got juuuuuust enough clearance under the rangehood, so you found the perfect size setup :D :D
You noticed that, huh? 8) I can just barely open the microwave with the still going. That’s why I don’t want to move up to a keg, or to add a reflux column. Doing that would mean I’d have to move off the stove, and there’s no gold place for a bigger and better still at this moment. Hopefully in the future..
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

city shiner wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:43 am That mini-shotgun it straight up cool!
Thanks! I’m kind of proud of it. As a lifelong fan (okay, obsessed nut) of steam locomotives, it reminded me of the things I’ve read and seen about building a locomotive boiler. I even used the truck of annealing the ends of the tubes and then inserting a tapered punch to press them tightly against the tube sheets, just like in boiler construction.

And trust me, you don’t want to see my first attempt at a shotgun. It’s straight up ugly! I still have it, but I’d be ashamed to show it off as anything but an example of what not to do.

Yummyrum, thank you for the kind words. This forum has been invaluable, and I’ve tried my best to take the advice of folks like yourself to heart. I know I could do better next time around, but I couldn’t have done half as well if it weren’t for the kind folks around here.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

Figured I’d share, just for giggles. First, the new shotgun with the end spout removed..
C40555DD-5920-44E0-B443-6BDCB14440C6.jpeg
The tubes don’t touch as much as they appear. The ends are flared out a bit to make better contact with the end plate. Not only did that help seal it up without needing as much solder, it also held the plate in place mechanically so that it didn’t move again with subsequent soldering operations.

And then, old vs. new:
8589D62B-48A6-4429-9F86-9FA7705CA734.jpeg
I learned a lot making this thing. Most of which I’ve known for years, because I’ve been making brass models since I was a teenager. But it’s just so tempting to cut corners…
For example, don’t try to use solder to hold a butt joint together. Make a mechanical connection first, always. The top of the old shotgun was a royal pain in the butt to get sealed.

One big change I made was to make the end removable, which makes it possible to clean. The old one simply cannot be cleaned by any method other than immersion in some solution.

I decided to move up from 1/2” to 3/4” for the vapor path, which seems to have made a significant difference on the speed of a stripping run. Maybe just my imagination, but it’s done in any case. I also added quick disconnects and garden hose connectors to simplify setting up the cooling, and potentially make it easier to run this outside if I ever want to.

And for the record, all that JB Weld on the water jacket is in no way connected to the vapor path. I just couldn’t reflow the solder joint without breaking three others. See the comment above about getting it sealed.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Bushman »

still_stirrin wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 4:16 pm I like it. Cute little potstill. Someday it’ll be a great ginstill.

And when you’ve grown into a keg, this will help you finish some of your (smaller) ferments. Remember, a guy has gotta’ have tools. And this stock pot potstill is a great addition to your toolset. I use mine frequently. It doesn’t replace my keg boiler, with potstill head or the reflux column and reflux head.

But it is a specialized tool to make gins (and recently an absinthe) as well as triple distilling other runs that need just a little “nudge” to finish just right.

I like it. Keep up the good work.
ss
My exact thoughts when looking at and reading the OP’s post. Did you make your own gasket for the lid of the pot and if so could you explain how. The reason I ask is my gin still I made my own gasket that fits an 8” opening.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

Bushman wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:31 am Did you make your own gasket for the lid of the pot and if so could you explain how. The reason I ask is my gin still I made my own gasket that fits an 8” opening.
I did. On the advice is a thread I found here some time ago, I used 7x3 mm Teflon tape.
77D09C9F-4166-44A5-8DEA-03E974C9D56F.jpeg
This is the lid of a thumper I built, using the same gasket. Using a cheap pot that has less than ideal shape to the lid, it’s a little challenge to get it to seal properly, but patience is a virtue. I used the exact gasket on my still, and that works without issue.
61D12D02-BAFE-44A5-AE26-CCDFFB114821.jpeg
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by captainshooch »

Wow Steve, I am very impressed. You have taken the time to read, research and come up with the answers to get your project done.
I own a buttload of stills, some purchased, some made by myself and I get the most satisfaction out of the ones I built.
My hat is off to you sir. Job well done, now if we could just get others to follow your lead....
Read, research, learn, follow thru, it is really not complicated.

By the way, I see a taller set up in your future.. :ebiggrin:
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Steve Broady »

captainshooch wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:50 am My hat is off to you sir. Job well done, now if we could just get others to follow your lead....
Read, research, learn, follow thru, it is really not complicated.

By the way, I see a taller set up in your future.. :ebiggrin:
Thank you, captain! Your kind words are greatly appreciated. I do try to take the time to do my research and learn from what other people have to teach. I’m sure I’ve annoyed some folks here asking questions that are usually answered with “step back, read, and practice.” But for what it’s worth, I’ve taken all the advice I could get to heart and tried to get the most out of it that I could. Like you said, it’s not that hard. All it takes is being willing to read, think, ask questions, and always strive to improve yourself.

As for the taller setup, that’s been on my mind for a while. I feel like I’ve got enough skill to at least research and build a decent reflux still at this point. To be honest, my main limitation is time. This one is about the most I can handle in the limited time that I have. I’d love to make both the time and space in my life for something more in the future.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by captainshooch »

Yes time sometimes is the one thing that is set and just can't seem to get enough LOL...
Don't sweat it. I have been working on my newest set up for 3 months now. If I am lucky, I will get to run it before the end of October.
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Re: My first (decent) still

Post by Bushman »

Thats the way I built my gasket so far it has lasted several years without issue.
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Re: My first (decent) still

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Steve Broady wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:25 am
Bushman wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:31 am Did you make your own gasket for the lid of the pot and if so could you explain how. The reason I ask is my gin still I made my own gasket that fits an 8” opening.
I did. On the advice is a thread I found here some time ago, I used 7x3 mm Teflon tape.
77D09C9F-4166-44A5-8DEA-03E974C9D56F.jpeg

This is the lid of a thumper I built, using the same gasket. Using a cheap pot that has less than ideal shape to the lid, it’s a little challenge to get it to seal properly, but patience is a virtue. I used the exact gasket on my still, and that works without issue.
61D12D02-BAFE-44A5-AE26-CCDFFB114821.jpeg
I love that stuff!
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