Home Distiller

Posted: **Thu May 19, 2022 3:37 pm**

For you guys local to Western Wa or planning on visiting in the very near future there is an online auction of Virginia Thomas Winery in Wenatchee.
https://cyberauctions.com/ViewCurrentAu ... directed=1

Looks like there is a lot of good stuff that may (or may not ) sell at bargain prices

I'm currently trying to talk Mrs Cranky into letting me get this

Posted: **Thu May 19, 2022 6:01 pm**

I got a couple Glencairn glasses and a very nice little antique Early American Pressed Glass goblet at Goodwill today for 99 cents each

There were also a couple of really nice tulip glasses and 3 matching antique pressed glass goblets of slightly less quality than the one I bought but I passed them up... I kind of regret that.

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2022 6:59 pm**

Today Mrs Cranky was out and about so she stopped at her favorite drive thru coffee place for a latte. They said they were having some kind of problem with their plumbing and couldn't make coffee so they gave her a $10 gift card to make up for it.

A few hours later she still wanted he latte so she checked back to see if the problem was fixed but it wasn't

So to make up for it they gave her two more $10 gift cards

Then when I got off work we had to go somewhere and since we were out of coffee at home she still hadn't gotten her latte we stopped at the other coffee place she likes. They had a bit of a line but nothing big and it didn't take long to get to the window but the girl apologized for the long wait and gave her the latte for free

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2022 7:15 pm**

Nice Cranky!

Got a free used 53 Whiskey barrel.

B

Posted: **Fri May 20, 2022 7:20 pm**

5 vintage Jim Beam decanters ranging from 1968-1973. $10 each at an estate sale. Cant wait to fill these up.

Posted: **Sun May 29, 2022 12:39 pm**

The one that got away:

For a while now I've been looking for another keg or two. I want one to use as a dedicated copper for beer making (large opening at the top, building in ULWD element), and one that I can configure either as a thumper for steam stripping, or as a charantais-style pre-heater (which would remove my shotgun project from my list of stuff-to-do as it would allow full-speed strips using my liebig. My current keg boiler is a 30L and I have a second which is my mashtun.

On the french equivalent of craigslist I frequently search for kegs, and found someone selling a set of four 50L kegs and one 30L keg for 150€. 30€ / keg is a pretty good deal around here for a 30L. 4 50L kegs would let me upgrade my boiler to 50L, use my old 30L boiler as a thumper / steam stripper, have a 50L mashtun for distilling ferments and still have the possibility of a preheater and a spare for using as a fermenter, or for low wines storage or... or...

And there's a 30L for making my wort copper.

Except it's a 5 hour drive and it's on the way to nowhere that we are going any time soon. It's going to cost me 100€ in fuel and two days to get there and back (I'm no spring chicken anymore and can't do 10 hours behind the wheel in a day... frankly I hate driving). Or 120€-150€ to have them shipped, if the seller is prepared to at which point I'm now up to 270€-300€ total and 60€ / keg is not quite such an attractive deal.

So if anyone is in France and either lives in Brittany (Morbihan specifically) or is more prepared than I am to drive there, I can give you the link to a good deal for starting off a distillery.

Posted: **Sun May 29, 2022 12:45 pm**

I supposed you also tried: http://www.fairesagnole.eu/forum/index.php ?

Posted: **Sun May 29, 2022 2:03 pm**

man those Beam decanters are soooo 1970's. love 'em.

Posted: **Sun May 29, 2022 8:56 pm**

Kareltje wrote: ↑Sun May 29, 2022 12:45 pm I supposed you also tried: http://www.fairesagnole.eu/forum/index.php ?

I'm a member of the forum but I don't post much there. There's not a lot of activity and everything has to be "theoretical" so it's hard to get straight answers to actual problems.

I will post the link there though. Good idea.

Posted: **Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:55 pm**

ent]
Picked this up haven't figured exactly what imma do with it thinking bout turning it in to a steam rig with a 6" flute

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2022 12:47 am**

Just picked up a 19l asahi keg for $30, and it had 2 liters of espresso martini in it. Took the spear out, poured the martini into a bottle and cleaned out the keg for holding feints (no more 2l bottle everywhere!). Also happened to have a nice cork just the right size for the opening.

Posted: **Fri Jun 03, 2022 11:27 am**

Crisppy123 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 02, 2022 11:55 pm IMG_20220602_203223.jpg[/attachm[attachment=0]IMG_20220602_202411.jpgent]
Picked this up haven't figured exactly what imma do with it thinking bout turning it in to a steam rig with a 6" flute

That's a pretty impressive stainless container.

I keep watching for such a beast but happily so far every time a monster shows up on the local kijiji
it sells before I have the cash to buy it

Posted: **Sun Jun 05, 2022 4:25 pm**

Got 10ft of 1.5" annealed copper tubing for free. Not sure what to do with it. Somesort of wacky column perhaps. Open to suggestions.

Posted: **Sun Jun 05, 2022 4:31 pm**

Good score JMill, when I have something like that I usually sit on it for a while before deciding how best to use it.

Posted: **Wed Jun 08, 2022 7:52 pm**

55gal water reservoir, and an ice maker that needed some love(condenser motor and solenoid coil).

Posted: **Fri Jun 24, 2022 10:09 am**

On Tuesday I picked up a an old cider barrel (~180L I think). It's been sat dry for at least a decade, possibly longer and the bands were loose and you could see light between the staves. I removed one of the heads, tightened up the bands a little and started putting water in it. Mostly it slowly (or not that slowly) drained back out, but now after several days of spraying a little in at a time (and a little rainfall during the night, the bottom seems to have sealed up. I can't see light between the staves anymore.

Once it's water tight, I will pressure wash it, possibly char the inside to sterilise it, and it will become my mash barrel. Free is much cheaper than the several hundred euros that a stainless barrel would cost! I'm going to have to make a mash paddle though. My little stainless fish slice is just not going to cut it any more.

Then on Wednesday I finally managed to pick up another couple of kegs. One already had the top cut off (I'd have preferred that they cut the bottom out, but beggars can't be choosers) and will become my copper for beer brewing, meaning that I can finally tackle 20+L batches. The other... not certain yet. I'll open a new topic with some questions in an appropriate place.

Posted: **Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 pm**

Today at a yard sale I picked up this Craftsman router table for $4

It has what I think is a Black and Decker 7625 router

I figured for $4 the router didn't work but was pleasantly surprised when I got home, plugged it in and found that it works just fine. That was a nice surprise for a router that was discontinued in the '80s

I also got a nice vintage Sand's No28 (28") level for $3

and a nice chef's knife for $1

It's old enough that it's very difficult to make out the makers name but I can barely make out that it's marked Ed wUsthof Solingen Germany. It's got a 10" blade and is 15.5" overall.

I've had a similar 8" knife made by Farberware for many years which is my favorite kitchen knife. This one has a slightly better feeling handle and slightly thicker spine so I may just have a new favorite kitchen knife

Posted: **Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:22 pm**

Got to love those yard sales. I stopped at one today, and in the free pile I picked up

a wart chiller and asked if it was supposed to be there. He said NO its supposed to be

in your car going home with you. looks pro made 26' of 1/4" id copper 2 - 7' clear vinyl

leads with hose fittings assembled and ready to use when it went in the trunk.

Posted: **Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:41 pm**

cob wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:22 pm Got to love those yard sales. I stopped at one today, and in the free pile I picked up

a wart chiller and asked if it was supposed to be there. He said NO its supposed to be

in your car going home with you. looks pro made 26' of 1/4" id copper 2 - 7' clear vinyl

leads with hose fittings assembled and ready to use when it went in the trunk.

One time my wife and I were walking up to an estate sale and there was one of the estate people in the garage. He was making a big deal about the free box so I took a look. There wasn't much in there worth taking but there was a stack of 6 or so pie pans from Marie Callender's or somewhere like that I figured I could make use of, so I grabbed them and said "I suppose I could use these". I then told Mrs Cranky that I would be right back and turned to go put them in the car. The guy got mad at me and yelled something about not leaving any for anybody else

Ummm...Free pile...encouraging people to take the stuff...last day of the sale...two hours before closing... it's not like anybody else is going to take them. So I said "Fine, they can have all of them" and put them all back. People are crazy.

At this sale I think the guy was a little less than pleased at what his wife priced the router table at. He was hinting at $10 or $15. I showed him the price tag and asked if it was $4 or $14 giving him the opportunity to say he thought it was $14 even though it was clearly $4 but he agreed it was $4 and gave his wife a glaring look as he took my money. I was actually surprised it was still there at 2pm at even $14.

Posted: **Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:19 pm**

cranky wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 pm Today at a yard sale I picked up this Craftsman router table for $4

Wow. Blast from the past. That’s the very same router I first used back when I started commercial carpentry. Good times for sure.

I also got a nice vintage Sand's No28 (28") level for $3.

I have that very same level. Not in as nice condition, and only reads one way, but my grandmother gave it to me when I first started building. It was in a drawer in my grandfathers work bench in her basement. He had passed years earlier. When I found it, she teared up and said it must be fate that I have it.

Not sure what is going on, all of the sudden my screen is all blurry

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 2:46 am**

Got a box of goodies, mixture of copper and brass.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:11 am**

cranky wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 pm it's marked Ed wUsthof Solingen Germany.

If its any tool with a sharp edge and marked " Solingen Germany." its good shit and a bargain at $1.
Dropped into a yard sale today my self , found a "crowbar" in as new condition ...for 5 bucks.......would probably retail for close to $80-90.
Dunno what a crowbar is called in other places .????
One like this ...the digging holes type.
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/mumm ... lQQAvD_BwE

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:32 am**

Saltbush Bill wrote:
cranky wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 pm it's marked Ed wUsthof Solingen Germany.
If its any tool with a sharp edge and marked " Solingen Germany." its good shit and a bargain at $1.
Dropped into a yard sale today my self , found a "crowbar" in as new condition ...for 5 bucks.......would probably retail for close to $80-90.
Dunno what a crowbar is called in other places .????
One like this ...the digging holes type.
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/mumm ... lQQAvD_BwE

Around here, we cal those a "tater bar". I don't know why, because I've never dug taters with one. They are usually 6 foot long, light in the morning and heavy as all get out in a couple hours. I've mostly used mine for busting rocks out of fence post holes and prying things apart.
SF

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 5:29 am**

Same critter by another name , same purpose too ,but used more in heavy, hard ground to loosen soil before digging a hole for a fence post. Blunt end with Knob is used to "Ram" the dirt back in once the post is in the hole. Good for leavering things like big logs and other heavy stuff around.....give ya blisters fast if ya not used to using one.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:24 am**

Around here it's a digging bar or more commonly called a bull prick.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 2:33 pm**

A while back a Lowe's (big box store) sales associate approached me and pointed me towards this trimmer/blower combo marked down due to a 'software glitch'. Almost $100 off. Bought both of 'em. Work great.
.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 4:16 pm**

SassyFrass wrote: ↑Sat Jun 25, 2022 3:32 am
Saltbush Bill wrote:
cranky wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:04 pm it's marked Ed wUsthof Solingen Germany.
If its any tool with a sharp edge and marked " Solingen Germany." its good shit and a bargain at $1.
Dropped into a yard sale today my self , found a "crowbar" in as new condition ...for 5 bucks.......would probably retail for close to $80-90.
Dunno what a crowbar is called in other places .????
One like this ...the digging holes type.
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/mumm ... lQQAvD_BwE
Around here, we cal those a "tater bar". I don't know why, because I've never dug taters with one. They are usually 6 foot long, light in the morning and heavy as all get out in a couple hours. I've mostly used mine for busting rocks out of fence post holes and prying things apart.
SF

I've always known them as "spud bars". Nobody seems to know the exact origin of the term.

Posted: **Sat Jun 25, 2022 6:00 pm**

From the internet

Word origin
C15 spudde short knife, of unknown origin; applied later to a digging tool, and hence to a potato

Geoff

Posted: **Sun Jun 26, 2022 5:35 pm**

I just bought an old ultrasonic cleaner - branson b-200 - at a garage sale yesterday for $10 cad. I tried US ing some yukky rum (15 min) it seems a bit better, and some 7 day old pretty clean neutral and I think it may be a bit 'cleaner'. Sometimes I feel like an alchemist or a mad scientist

I also got some old SS 50l beer kegs for free a while back. 3 of them are old guinness kegs I will not use. If any members are on north Vancouver Island PM me if you want one (or three).

Posted: **Sun Jun 26, 2022 7:00 pm**

I went back to the yard sale yesterday to see if I had missed anything...I had

They had a nice old Craftsman drill for $2 a drain auger for $2 and this nice old emergency road kit or $2

It's got jumper cables, an autosiphon, vice grips, safety wire, emergency flags, road flairs, screw driver, rubber mallet. spot light, fuses, first aid kit and fire extinguisher. I bought it just to have a spare set of jumper cables but it's a nice kit to keep behind the seat of my truck.

There was also something else I can't think of for $1 but when I went up to pay the lady said $3.50 because unbeknownst to me it was half price day

So I asked if that made the 27" computer monitor $6 and she said yes, so I handed her my $10 and said keep the change.

The reason I wanted the 27" monitor is Mrs Cranky has been using a 19" monitor on her computer since 2008 and has refused to get a new larger one. She has one now and it's funny to see her sit back further to see it all

I didn't get a 1.75HP Craftsman router because all I had was $10 and it was $12.50 but I regret not going back for it

Home Distiller

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