To be clear, we’re talking about the stills that look something like this:
Maybe it was a gift, or maybe you bought it for yourself before you came here and read all the negative opinions about them. However you got it, you’ve got it now. And you’ve learned that the manufacturer might not have as much concern for your safety as you do, and the still isn’t up to snuff as it came out of the box. So now what? What’s the bare minimum needed to get your still into safe condition?
As I understand it, there are a few problems with these things, some easier to fix than others.
Silicone
There’s a silicon gasket between the boiler and lid. Silicone gaskets where the fittings go through the lid, silicone gaskets between the fittings, silicone tubing. It all has to go. It’s not considered safe, nor is it permissible here. No negotiation. If you want to know why, feel free to look up all the numerous threads discussing it. This is not the place.
Brass
All the fittings on most of these things are made out of brass. Even lead free brass sometimes has a small amount of lead in it. Whether that’s a problem for you or not is up to you, but most here chose to avoid it.
General Design
Most of the stills I’ve seen use 3/8” copper tubing for some or all of the vapor path. This is on the small side, and can be clogged if/when your mash boils over.
The “thumper” these things sometimes include is not really a thumper and doesn’t do anything useful. It can be modified into a thumper, but it’s also a bit on the small side, so there’s not much point in my opinion.
They also generally have the condenser sitting directly on top of the boiler, which is a problem both because you have a cold and heavy pot of water sitting on top of a hot boiler and more importantly because it puts the takeoff spout above the boiler, where high proof alcohol could drip onto your heat source.
Upgrades
First things first. The silicone has to go. If you’re really cheap, a simple paste of flour and water is a really effective, if somewhat messy, solution that has worked for centuries. If you want something a little fancier, you can buy expanded PTFE tape. This is what I’ve used:
For the tubing, the simple solution is to move the condenser, and then put your collection jar under that little spout. Bend the end down a little so that it doesn’t dribble uncontrollably. If you need to extend it, buy more copper tubing and connect that, either soldering it or using compression fittings. Or you can use a tool to enlarge the end of the tubing so that it fits over what you already have. That way alcohol can drain into it and to some convenient collection point.
Those brass fittings aren’t great. The good news is, you can buy replacements that are made from stainless steel. It may take a little looking, and you might have to get a little creative, but all the threads and fittings are relatively common and easy to work with. Of course, if you’re willing and able to solder copper and stainless, things get a lot easier and cheaper, but for the purposes of this tutorial I assume that’s out of reach for the moment.
There is not much you can do about the general design and construction quality. Obviously, you can and should move the condenser off the boiler and into a support of its own. The “thumper” these things sometimes include is probably best just left off entirely. Once you know enough to know if you can use it for anything, you don’t need this guide any more anyway. So just put it aside for now.
This is not the only way to fix the problems, nor is it necessarily the best way. If you have a few tools, the ability to solder, and some creativity and patience, you can do a lot more with one of these stills. Without major changes, it will never be as capable as a larger, better built still, but you can at least get your feet wet and learn to make something decent. You will learn a lot just improving and running your still. And most importantly, you’ll be safer for it, as well as demonstrating to the rest of us that you’re taking safety seriously.
