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S-Cackalacky wrote:

Tony_D wrote:Why do I feel like I need an electrical engineering degree all of a sudden?!

Don't get discouraged. Just take things one step at a time. It can seem overwhelming at times, but if you keep at it, it will soon fall into place. It's all about patience and persistence. The whole electrification thing was a big hurdle for me as well, but I was able to get through it and these guys here were a huge help.

Do you use an electric heat source?

Tony_D wrote:Why do I feel like I need an electrical engineering degree all of a sudden?!

Electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering. Ain't homedistillation a blast ?

Don't forget Microbiology & Organic Chemestry, & if you are running propane, better add Petroleum Engineering to the mix.

Tony_D wrote:I am really trying to be open minded but am more confused now than ever......

Don't worry that will change.....maybe!

Tony_D wrote:I am really trying to be open minded but am more confused now than ever......

Welcome to the club.

tp (working towards AG #1)

But wait there's more. Latent heat, expansion ratios, vapor speed, thermal and mass transfer, and a whole host of other things. Oh yeah and flux capacitors.

Don't forget welding soldering and brazing.
Copper Smithing, and by far the most important, Posting copper porn.......

Someone smarter than me will post shortly about enzymes
My bad, aquavita has already lightly touched on the subject

Not to mention taping dildo motors to the hooch.

tp

Holly wad guys this fella is gonna stick ice picks in his ears before long.
You are over thinking things friend settle down a bit.
That's the problem with not building your own rig, one day you are
thinking about stillin the next you have a rig you know nothing about.
Look you want the wash to get a good boil going forget about temp
you will know by feeling your pipes.As all the copper heats up you can fallow
the heat with your hand.And when your rig is all up to heat you will start getting drops out
of your condenser.If you want a good stream turn the heat up if you want drops turn your heat
down.The faster the drops the more heat the slower the drops less heat.

BUT!

Turning up the heat drops ABV. Turning it down to drops increases ABV.

Feel like researching more yet?

tp

Poor little feller have fun.

It honestly never ends.

Your rig is never good enough, your constantly thinking of how to build it better next time.

Your reading is never EVER done, cause as you progress, you find yourself deeply reading the stuff you barely skimmed the first time cause it didn't appy to what you were working on then....
No then, just as you get all caught up and figure it all out (yeah right) something new comes around and it all starts again.

ITS THE BEST THING EVER!

Just do it. If you dont like it, do it again!

No matter how long you been stillin', no matter how much you THINK you know, no matter how much research you do, There is always something else/more to learn.
That is one of the greatest things about this craft/hobby/art/science.
This site is packed full of scientists, artists, hobbyists, and crafts folks with one objective. Making the best likker possible to satisfy their own tastebuds.
And everyone of us, started out, not knowing a thing about distilling. Each of us got where we are by travelling different paths and for different reasons, but we all share the same dream of making a great drink.

Have fun, be safe, take your time, research, read, make a plan, implement the plan, enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Simple

SF

Tony_D wrote:

S-Cackalacky wrote:

Tony_D wrote:Why do I feel like I need an electrical engineering degree all of a sudden?!

Don't get discouraged. Just take things one step at a time. It can seem overwhelming at times, but if you keep at it, it will soon fall into place. It's all about patience and persistence. The whole electrification thing was a big hurdle for me as well, but I was able to get through it and these guys here were a huge help.

Do you use an electric heat source?

Yes, I do. I have a 5 gallon pot still made from a stainless steel stock pot. I installed a 240V 5500W water heater element that I run on 120V service. I bought a cheap Chinese made controller like this - http://www.ebay.com/itm/10000W-220v-Adj ... 1048405275" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow . I did a few mods to it, wired it up, and mounted it in a plastic electrical box from Lowe's. It was a huge learning curve for me and I know if I can do it, you probably can too. If going electric is a stumbling block, think about running on propane until you can get it together.

Don't expect things to happen quickly. Take it a step at a time and approach each step in a methodical way. If it involves some skill you don't have, learn the skill. Get it done and move on to the next step. Satisfaction is all about overcoming difficulty.

Git er done!! we are all telling you the same thing just in different ways.

Alright I finally produced some liquor! Its smells and tastes terrible, but that's a whole other ball game LOL. Thanks for all the advice!

Well beyond the Welcome thread so I am going to lock it and let's ask questions in the appropriate thread area. Thanks.