Imagine my dismay when I found my style still crossed out in red in the original post.
Then I saw it was due to construction costs (fittings) whew! ( I started working before coming to HD)
Other than the small 1/2" (cheap) fittings and the normal small parts; I've got a 3" cap and a 2"cap.
I'm getting pretty close to cleaning this thing up and boiling some water through.
A question for the pro's....
The condenser is (2) coils 8' X3/8" (double coil interwound)
I was planning on using an above ground pool (2500G) to provide the cooling water with a pump rated at 156GPH @ 5' head. (350 open)
Is there a max temp for cooling water with this setup? I'm in FL, so 80-85 is a possibility for starting water temp.
Bushman wrote:For a VM still which would you go with a butterfly or a gate valve described in your photo?
Hooks not on here much at the moment so I'll just quickly say that a gate valve is probably best, many get away with using a ball valve, I wouldn't use a butterfly valve.
I'm not a reflux guy, but i wouldn't worry about temps on your water run as it will be hot.
Alcohol is WAY different. Your rig looks nice. Djew pickle that brass yet?
To bad you felt compelled to molest your keg. As a reflux,,,, to be,,,, stiller,,,you could a let it be with a tri-clamp. Water hose clean up is easy peasy. No matter. Looks really good.
I'm in Palm Beach County. U close by?
Me and Pumpman have been known to meet on the road to swap and commiserate.
Separate the coolant lines from the column, and insulate the column.
Pool water contains chlorine, which is not so good for the copper coolant lines in the long run. You can probably get away with it if you do the run when the chlorine is at its lowest concentration (ie the day before you add more chlorine).
HookLine wrote:Pool water contains chlorine, which is not so good for the copper coolant lines in the long run. You can probably get away with it if you do the run when the chlorine is at its lowest concentration (ie the day before you add more chlorine).
Also, you can keep your calcium hardness at it's highest allowable level to help stave off the corrosive quality of clorine.
1.2 pounds for every 10 ppm for a 10,000 gallon pool.
thanks Rednose
i understand now,makes good sense, i will change mine.
i got hold of a keg,and its 30 liter.planing a pot still with it,all stainless steel.
i would like to know something els,how can i seal thread, here we use a hairy type of material called hemp , which is twisted around the thread to enable a seal. Will this be acceptable to use? '~ '
Best material for distillery threads is teflon tape
flip wrote:i would like to know something els,how can i seal thread, here we use a hairy type of material called hemp , which is twisted around the thread to enable a seal. Will this be acceptable to use? '~ '
Licensed Micro distillery "Bonanza"; fighting the local market
flip wrote:i would like to know something els,how can i seal thread, here we use a hairy type of material called hemp , which is twisted around the thread to enable a seal. Will this be acceptable to use? '~ '
I'm new to distilling so I don't know from experience in this application but I think a hemp wrap would be fine if Teflon tape is unavailable. I don't know if the alcohol will leach any undesirable stuff from it though. Maybe using cotton string or making a flour paste (it's just flour and water) and painting it on the threads like pipe dope would be better. I've read a lot of people using the flour paste to seal stuff so I'm confident it would work but it might prove a little problematic when you try to take the joint apart later as the heat from the still sort of cooks the paste solid. Take this with a grain of salt, though since I'm new to all of this.
Poppa Joe wrote:Here is one i made...
And the car to get away in....
Cheers
PJ
Looks like you suffered the same book I did.
While the cooling tubes are not used by me
The pot still actually works quite well
Can get up to 75% with a little time and practice
Cheers
TAF
We haven't got the money so now we have to think
Build it, don't buy it
Just called at the local brewshop to get some EC1118 yeast, at the front of the shop was a little reflux still about 18"tall made by Pure Distilling, Now for the surprise, the price was $895, including a plastic filter kit, there was no vent hole in the top of the column, and a tiny ball valve on the 1/4"takeoff. The total materials to build a still like this would be around $60 + boiler, how do they get these prices, they must just pull a number out of a hat. Some poor sucker is going to be taken, not knowing any better.
I new to all this and have just finished building a still the same as the first crossed out picture before I found this forum/post. I was wondering if this still is only not recommended because of the cost involved or has it some operational faults? I built mine at work on night shift out of food grade stainless and an old 50lt beer keg heated by gas so it hasn't cost a cent but have only done a water run as I am waiting for my mash to ferment. I do have a problem with my heat being a bit weak and are looking into a 2200kw element but don't want to spend any money if the still is no good.
Thanks
I have the offset illistrated above. Doing the first run up I never could derduce distilant without steam out of the top. the run was water only is this a problum? Is there modification I need to make?
At thestick
The first still is crossed as it's not efficient and the reflux can not be centered, you can get it a bit better eliminating the lower tube cross.
At Allen:The second still is crossed cause of economic reasons, you can built a bok that gives you the same results as the offset still but at 1/3 costs.
You don't need to worry, that still works well if you get customed to the double valve operation.
Water condensing will not give you any good result, all changes when you are with a real run.
Joe
Licensed Micro distillery "Bonanza"; fighting the local market
[quote="rednose"]At thestick
The first still is crossed as it's not efficient and the reflux can not be centered, you can get it a bit better eliminating the lower tube cross.
Thanks Rednose, after a heap more reading on these forums ( Wish I had found this site first) I have already removed the lower cooling tube from the column. I've done a couple of runs and had a lot of fun messing around in the shed making booze. I'm now want to convert this still to a VM reflux. Hopefully some of the experts on here can offer me some advice once I post some pics and drawings on what I plan to do.
I would like to thank all the contributor to this forum it has been mind-blowingly helpful. Two questing. Contributors have referred to stripping runs as FAST. Is it faster because you do no cuts? Or is it literally faster? What regulates speed of distillation? Do I just crank up the heat to just under 212?
when doing a stripping run you turn the heat up ,open/close valves etc. so there is little or no reflux.
cant give you an exact amount of heat as that depends no how much you condenser can knock down.
juts to say take off as fast as you can.some remove fore shots and some don't.other cuts are not made.
Another question. I hope you guys aren't getting tired of me. Smoothing agents? what is used? I was told you can light vodka on fire and tell what is being used by the color of the flame. True?
Allen wrote:Another question. I hope you guys aren't getting tired of me. Smoothing agents? what is used? I was told you can light vodka on fire and tell what is being used by the color of the flame. True?
If preparing and fermenting the wash properly, at low %ABV, and distilling properly, making proper cuts, you should not need "smoothing agents" (activated charcoal)... Do things right from the start and you'll end up with good product...
I thank hes talking about such as glycerin no should not be necessary.
burning is not a test for purity only for percent as alcohol wont burn below 50% with out help.
It's not good idea to use other folks cuts, you have to learn that by smell and taste but at the very beginning you can refere to the temperature of your vapor outlet.
Every receipt and every still has other cuts to be made.
Joe
Licensed Micro distillery "Bonanza"; fighting the local market
"Making Cuts" is one of the most repeated topics on the forum. I stress to everyone starting out to take the time to learn to make cuts. Folks come in thinking ther'z some magic mo-jo to cutting. Aint nuttin magic bout it. As Joe said in the last post, ya got to learn to cut by taste and smell (and/or feel if that's how you do it)
I've hit tails @ 55% on runs and @ 72% on runs. Both of these wuz using the same pot still just different wash "blends". Kiwi wrote and excellant tutorial in the New Distiller's Reading Lounge. In the title it says PotStills in paranthesis. You reflux chaps need to read it too. If anything you reflux folks should have a sharper cut.
There has been several experienced stillers suggest when starting out to run in 200 mls (100mls is better) increments and line them up. Ya got 15-25 (or more) little containers when you finished. Start in the middle and work your way to the outside. This will give you a good example of the changes that occur over a run. If you collecting in 500mls jars (I read it here over the last day or so) and you don't know how to cut, you won't know any more when you finished than when you started. It's all here folks, it's just a matter of passin' it cross the grey matter.
I ran my still for the first time. I have an off-set valve reflux from planes found on the net. After cleaning by soaking in vinegar waster overnight then boiling off some vinegar water I flushed it well and ran some cheap box wine through. I got an idea how to run the still but it didn’t produce much. It was very sweet smelling cloudy and had crap floating around. After cleaning I ran a wash corn sugar at 14% abv 5gal. This went well. At 155f I got steam out the top that the condenser couldn’t keep up with. This was a low boil (you can hear the stones tinking a little faster then 1 per sec) when the temp hit 167f (I live at 5400 fl) it locked in and the condenser was knocking it all down. I discarded 150ml to be safe. I started collecting 100ml glasses. The first three had dramatic differences in Oder four through ten smelled the same very good and was a constant 90 abv. I then started collecting in 500ml jars (ran out of little ones) after collecting about 3.5lt the temp started running up fast and production was little to none so I assumed the last 500 was tails but I could not smell a difference. I blended all from the fourth glass to the tails and got 89abv. I diluted it down to 40 proof and tasted it. There was no burn at all but there was a very distinct metal taste. The still was packed with copper and ceramic 50/50. Where did the metal taste come from?
