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pommie wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:18 am The stainless appears perfect, the copper discoloured.

The copper is discoloring because its doing its job.....I wouldn't remove it.

pommie wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:18 am The stainless appears perfect, the copper discoloured. I'm thinking more stainless is the way to go. Opinions?

Thanks all,

Pommie.

Depends on the materials of your still, if it is copper or not. Regardless, I think almost all will recommend having some copper in the distillation column (reflux that is) either copper mesh or copper saddles

ismbardbrunel123 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 05, 2020 12:18 pm

NZChris wrote: ↑Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:06 am If any sugar wash of mine has a pH around 4.5 the next day, I add shells. Not grit, whole shells.

..i bought 15 medium oyster shells last week, there is hardly anything left of them...just had delivered 25k of crushed oyster shells ....

Mate, go to your local fish shop and ask them what they do with their oyster shells when they shuck them. Mine throws his away so I get them for free!
I reckon you could get them from your favourite restaurant too if you wanted to go down that path

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 3:16 am The copper is discoloring because its doing its job.....I wouldn't remove it.

Just out of curiosity, what is the coppers job? I've read this thread viewtopic.php?f=17&t=81416 but can't find a reason.

pommie wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 5:42 pm

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Sun Dec 27, 2020 3:16 am The copper is discoloring because its doing its job.....I wouldn't remove it.

Just out of curiosity, what is the coppers job? I've read this thread viewtopic.php?f=17&t=81416 but can't find a reason.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 0450.x/pdf

Do sulphur compounds come over when you're in full reflux and outputting 95%? Curious.

Pommie.

pommie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:15 am Do sulphur compounds come over when you're in full reflux and outputting 95%? Curious.

Pommie.

I think so. All I really know is that after a reflux run, my distilate smells like nothing and my copper wool smells like crap!

pommie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 30, 2020 4:15 am Do sulphur compounds come over when you're in full reflux and outputting 95%? Curious.

Confusing question.......nothing can leave a reflux still when its in full reflux.

So, two completely complementary answers. I (obviously) mean't in (almost) full reflux but producing 95%. BTW, where does the Sulphur come from? The Bran maybe?

Just wondering something, is headroom necessary I know that this has been mentioned in the recipe but I did this recipe 2 years ago and there was not a very fast ferment at the time so I thought I can increase. the volume in the fermenter.

artooks wrote: ↑Fri Jan 08, 2021 12:45 pm Just wondering something, is headroom necessary I know that this has been mentioned in the recipe but I did this recipe 2 years ago and there was not a very fast ferment at the time so I thought I can increase. the volume in the fermenter.

I don't leave a lot of room in my fermenter, whilst it ferments out fast the action wasn't furious!

I got stuff floating on top for a couple of days but not a lot of foaming.

pommie wrote: ↑Fri Jan 08, 2021 1:57 am where does the Sulphur come from?

My understanding is that it is a by product of the fermentation process.

I have used an approximation of this recipe a few times with good results but different outcomes to the descriptions posted here. The deviation from the recipe is i did not adjust the PH and just hired my borehole water which is around 6.5 would do the trick.
So, my ferments were not that fast even though I controlled the temp to about 27C.
After one day the ferment smelled just like apples and the final product also has a hint of apple flavour. Its odd but this is the result i get every time.
In not complaining. Is a great product in the end.

In most ferments, apple aromas are from a combination of acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate. They are both produced by yeasts during fermentation.

You can only get sulphur out if you put sulphur in. Sugar (CH&O) doesn't contain sulphur. The fermentation process can't magically produce it so I figure the only place is the bran. Anyone confirm?

I tried this recipe using rice bran instead of wheat bran for one good reason, we grow rice and I can get rice bran from the mill down the village where we husk our rice. The other day, my wife bought me 2 kg, 0.87 AUS$...
I could not find DAP, so I used Potassium Phosphate plus Ammonium Sulfate instead.
I've just (30 Jan 2 pm GMT+7) poured the yeasts into my second batch (100l fermenter- Ted's recipe 23l x 3 =69l)
Ted's recipe is great thanks to the bran which already has got lots of nutrients and fibres where the yeasts can hook themselves on.
Here's what I found:
Rice Bran (for 100g)
Proxymates
• Protein 13.35 g
• Fat (total Lipids) 20.85 g
• Carbohydrate, Total (by Difference) 49.69 g
• Sucrose 0.5 g
• Glucose 0.2 g
• Fructose 0.2 g
• Sugar, Total 0.9 g
• Fibre, Total Dietary 21 g
• Saturated Fat, Total 4.171 g
• Moisture 6.13 g
Minerals
• Calcium 57 mg
• Magnesium 781 mg
• Phosphorus 1677 mg
• Potassium 1485 mg
• Sodium 5 mg
Trace elements
• Iron 18.54 mg
• Zinc 6.04 mg
• Copper 0.728 mg
• Manganese 14.21 mg
• Selenium 15.6 µg
Vitamins
• Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 4.92 mg
• Vitamin B1 (thiamin) 2.753 mg
• Vitamin B2 0.284 mg
• Vitamin B3 (niacin) 33.995 mg
• Vitamin B5 7.39 mg
• Vitamin B6 4.07 mg
• Vitamin B11 (folacin) 63 µg
• Vitamin K 1.9 µg
Amino Acids
• Aspartic Acid (C4H7NO4) 1.308 g
• Glutamic Acid (C5H9NO4) 1.854 g
I had to stop (around 40% abv) my first stripping run because of lack of water... I have two tanks with water from a deep well, that one 1000l wasn't full when I started, the other one 2000l, isn't connected to the same water circuit. My cooling system started leaking, furthermore, I forgot I tried a vinegar run a couple of days before... Waste of time, I only got distilled water out of my liebig, so I stopped it and cleaned the copper parts with vinegar + salt.
This time I'm going to use my VM still setting as stripper instead of the pot still setting but without reflux condenser and without packing material, gate valve open 100%, or without gate valve, I haven't decided yet.

Take the gate valve out if you must use your VM for stripping . Accidents can happen and if you have it closed , you know what will happen .

Garouda wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:05 am I had to stop (around 40% abv) my first stripping run because of lack of water...

Go to bunnings and get an ornamental water fountain pump and set up a recycling water system.

It works on stripping runs but sometimes you dont get 100% recycling when the water gets too hot but I find I can keep the temperature down by replacing say 20-30% of the volume every now and then.

I also run 2 water containers and let one cool while the other fills, the temp gets down quite a bit but as I mentioned, you can add a bit of fresh cold to get it down.

Also try ice packs in the tubs to get the water temp down.

As an aside, I try to combine distilling days with washing days and use the cooling water for the washing machine!

CoogeeBoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:29 pm

Garouda wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:05 am I had to stop (around 40% abv) my first stripping run because of lack of water...

Go to bunnings and get an ornamental water fountain pump and set up a recycling water system.

He is a long way from a Bunnings (backblocks of NE Thailand)

Teddysad wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 5:47 pm

CoogeeBoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:29 pm

Garouda wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:05 am I had to stop (around 40% abv) my first stripping run because of lack of water...

Go to bunnings and get an ornamental water fountain pump and set up a recycling water system.

He is a long way from a Bunnings (backblocks of NE Thailand)

Woops!

Yummyrum wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:50 pm Take the gate valve out if you must use your VM for stripping. Accidents can happen and if you have it closed, you know what will happen.

You're fully right , the only reason why I considered leaving it on is that I've never used my still and wanted to test the setting up. The all stuff is quite high and heavy, I need to figure out the best method to assemble the still ...

My second batch's nicely fizzling, I got +/-18 Brix at the beginning, some 10% potential ethanol indeed 12kg sugar/17/69litres=10.2° alcohol. Now after some 20 hours it reaches 15 Brix. As you can see on the picture I'm using a big (Ø 50 cm x 50 cm height) noodle soup pot as fermenter, it's the same as my boiler... There's no airlock, so I need to release some CO2 every now and then...

CoogeeBoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:29 pm

Garouda wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:05 am I had to stop (around 40% abv) my first stripping run because of lack of water...

Go to bunnings and get an ornamental water fountain pump and set up a recycling water system.

Thanks for the hints CoogeyBoy. It was my very first run, and we learn by doing. We live uphill, 3km away from the village, solar power and water from two deep wells (I like to have a spare wheel). Next time I will have a contingency plan. Indeed, my water from the deep well stays first in four concrete jars of 1700 litres each, and I will organize a connection with my cooling system as B plan.
At the back, our rubber trees, unfortunately no Bunnings in sight, just kidding...

Garouda wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 8:04 pm

CoogeeBoy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 3:29 pm

Garouda wrote: ↑Sat Jan 30, 2021 12:05 am

Thanks for the hints CoogeyBoy. It was my very first run, and we learn by doing. We live uphill, 3km away from the village, solar power and water from two deep wells (I like to have a spare wheel). Next time I will have a contingency plan. Indeed, my water from the deep well stays first four concrete jars 6800 litres.pngin four concrete jars of 1700 litres each, and I will organize a connection with my cooling system as B plan.
At the back, our rubber trees, unfortunately no Bunnings in sight, just kidding...

I am really impressed, love rural Asia.
Good luck

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I am really impressed, love rural Asia.
Good luck
[/quote]

Totally agree If it were not for the current restrictions I would be up there now enjoying SomTam , larb , nam tok gai yang and other great delights

i think i could eat larb every day, my favourite dish, but back to thread
i stripped a couple of 25l FFV washes yesterday.
for the first time on a stripping run, i put 2 x 100mm rolls of copper mesh in the column.
the fores were completely different (BTW i have stripped quite a lot of FFV)
very very fruity smell (like apple juice) with the usual acetone in the fores.
i might whip the mesh out tomorrow to see if they are gunked up.

Think about throwing some copper into your boiler to Howie

Saltbush Bill wrote: ↑Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:48 am Think about throwing some copper into your boiler to Howie

Interesting: To make sure I'm clear, your'e suggesting to add chunks of copper directly into the wash being distilled (either in addition to or instead of mesh in the column)?

I dont believe you can have to much copper.

Thanks. I just thought the copper had to be in the vapour path to effectively remove sulfites.