Home Distiller

Hey Yall,
I thought you might enjoy a look at my handywork .
It's a 36" x 2" dual plate design bokakob that i'm going to use on that milk pail. I also threw together the little parrot in the bookcase too (just to brush up on my soldering).

I need to come up with a way to seal the lid and then I'm going to do a water test.

...then I'll get a turbo/sugar wash going for cleaning purposes ...I guess I could toss a pint of that distillate in my car's fuel tank (home-brew Dry-gas)

.....then on to some UJSM


'preciate all the knowledge yall share on this forum.
(now let's see how that picture turns out)

Thats a nice looking setup. It looks very similar to mine. Do you have an electric heater in the milk can? I have the taller milk can and after 3 to 4 experiments with gaskets to seal the leaks, I tried the flour dough in desperaton. It worked like a charm. Have made about ten runs now and no leaks. Good luck with yours, I am sure you'll have a great time with it.
Nemo

Looking good, NcHooch...

Might have been nice to have had a few more inches of packed column and a few less of condenser section, but if it works that's all that matters... You can always add a column extension if required...

Keep us posted on your progress and the stills performance...

Good luck...

Thanks guys,
I was sorta confined to the 24" column and 12" condenser since those 2 pieces were the only copper available around here...Like you said Rad, easy to add another foot of need be. I'm planning to either use a 1500W hotplate, or borrow the propane burner from the turkey fryer.

Here are some other pics, maybe they'll be helpful for other builders.

Here's my coil , I set up a simple winding jig and just wound it without any filler .....it flattened out quite a bit but still passes water ok. I plan to pack round the outside with copper scrubbers
I may need to wind another if it doesn't work as expected Here's the business section with the collector plate This is the lid, I'm not exactly sure if the lid is copper or brass, so I'll pickle it just to be sure. that's a threaded copper union with a Viton seal and a copper nut underneath Here's a look at the 45 degree collector plate. this is the first coil I wound on my jig and discovered you need more than 13 feet to make a 10" double helix (lol)...So I thought I'd use it for a distillate cooler instead.

One last pic
this is just a shot of one of the springs that I plan to hold the lid down with, they hook into little pockets on the lid ...the lid is so thick and rigid that I'm thinkin two should be fine (if not, I'll need to come up with some other ideas) I'll keep yall updated with my progress

Thats a beautiful rig. But I'd loose the seal.

http://www.pspglobal.com/polyethylene.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Why not go with a welded connection and a tri-clamp or threaded?

Thx LWTCS . I can prolly find somethin else instead of the Viton....I was thinkin that the Viton has very good chemical resistance and would see minimal amounts of vapor since the copper nut and washer is (somewhat) sealing from the bottom and the Viton seals on the outside.
Maybe I can just solder the fitting right to the lid.

Thanks everyone for your advice

Good seal and prolly stay sealed for a good long while,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you were running a fuel pump.

But after looking at the product info I would not be supremely confident.

Solder that conecction and relax for sure there after.

Great looking work otherwise.

Hey Yall,
I thought I'd send along a progress report ...

I had started a sugar wash last week and decided today was the day that I'd give the still a good cleaning ...

It didn't look like I could fit the whole 5 gal in the pot, so i split it into two. I figured I'd try the hot plate since I was only running 2.5 gallons .

It came up to temp slow as expected and then settled at 176 and immediately started producing.
The run lasted about 2 hours and the temp stayed right around 176 for the bulk of the run, and then started to rise toward the end .... I noticed you can effect the temp by the amount of reflux . I shut it down when it reached 190 on the first run, the run produced just over a quart of very clear distillate in 2 hours .

I ran the 2nd half of the wash this afternoon and the still behaved the same way ....approx 176 the whole way through and rising where it hits the tails (you can actually smell the cardboard smell from the tails out the vent before you smell it in the distillate). I used the 12" distillate cooler coil on the second run and noticed it makes a dramatic difference in the temp of the product . Without my alcohol meter, I had no way to know where to pull the plug (other than temp) so when the vapor temp reached 198, I cut the power. The second run produced 1.5 liters in a little over 2 hours.

I'm tickled to death with the way this still works. Very slick!
thanks Bokakob
NcHooch

Congratulations on a successful clean out run, NcHooch...

Unless your thermometer is off, or you weren't running enough reflux, you should be collecting at 172F/78C and the run should be about over by 176F/80C... With proper reflux the temperature should stay rock steady throughout the hearts cut... When it starts to rise you're transitioning into the tails...

You can always dilute and re-run your spirits for practice... Good luck...

Thanks Rad,
Funny how you mentioned the reflux ...At one point I tried to shut the output all the way off and it just kept on drippin, very strange. I haven't ever taken one of those little valves apart but I can't imagine how it could work OK when it's cold , and fail to shut off when it's hot.

On a related note, it looks like my collector-plate overflow tab wasn't fashioned properly and the overflow runs down the backside of the plate instead of dripping straight down the center of the column. I think I can get into that small section with the collector plate with my Dremel to cut a hole for a tube (instead of the tab)

So I recon a need to have a look at a couple things before my UJSM is ready to run.

Cheers yall,
NcHooch

just a followup from my earlier post ...

My collection plate overflow tab wasn't working as expected (the overflow was running down the back of the plate, and I imagine down the side of the column. this surely cant be acceptable for reflux, so ...

One of Bokakob's designs had a tube (instead of a tab) it was a chore to get it fit properly and then hold it in place to solder it, but it turned out nice (after 3 attempts), and after some testing, I verified that it drips right down the center every time.
(thank god I didn't hafta take the plate out of the column)

Cheers,
NcHooch

Just wanna say that a 10" distillate cooling coil off the take-off valve is highly recommended for this still. works like a charm, takes the temp right down to room temp and no need to be messin with water. also, the black viton seal that I originally used at the boiler cap was removed and the union was soldered to the cap. ...just as strong and no synthetics touchin my booze.

Hope this helps,
NChooch

WTG NcHooch.

Your work is dead clean. And good on you fror loosing the fuel pump seal.

Very nice handywork. Just a quick question. Where did you put the thermometer? I dont see it in any of the pics.

Sure enough LB, it's missing in the pictures, it's located about halfway down between the collection plate and to top of the packing. I installed it late in the build.

I doesn't shine like it used to , it's all tarnished now, but it keeps bringin a smile to my face when it produces 190 proof through the whole run intil it gets to the tails....then the temp starts risin slowly, I usually shut it down when it reaches 200f.

Somethin I've been doing lately is heat the rig up to producing temp on the propane , then shut off the propane and slide it over onto a 750W hotplate and do the run from there ... saves an hour of heat-up time with the hotplate, and eliminates the fire danger and waste-heat issue in the barn.

NChooch

I love this little still, it does everything I need it to do, but the take-off it a little slow, so the other day I set about correcting an issue that has been present from day one. When I wound the original condenser, I wound the first layer and had such a woody I just turned the corner and wound the second coil right on top of the first ...and you can see how small the diameter is compared to the 2" tubing on the old one: here's the new one: it has a nice gap between the coils and fills the condenser section of the bok much better than the previous coil without the need for packing scrubbers around it. I feel this'll promote better vapor flow up toward the top to the column and produce & shed more condensate ...and we all 'preciate more condensate, dont we?

part of me wants to install a small sight-glass below the reflux plate just to watch the ethanol pour down into the packing....yall are havin way too much fun with those flutes

NChooch

NcHooch, the new double helix condenser looks much better than the original... You should definitely see an improvement in performance...

It bothers me not to see a vent of some sort at the top end of the column. In order to get a flow across the condensor coils there has to be a flow along them. So how is the heated mix getting to the top of the column if it's a dead end capped column?

If i'm not mistaken, the vent tube is placed between the 2 connections for the cooling water on top of the cap as shown in the picture, it's a piece of aprox. 4" copper tubing of about 1/4" in diameter and bended almost 90 degrees.

Pooyan wrote:If i'm not mistaken, the vent tube is placed between the 2 connections for the cooling water on top of the cap as shown in the picture, it's a piece of aprox. 4" copper tubing of about 1/4" in diameter and bended almost 90 degrees.

Yep, that is the vent tube... Wouldn't expect NcHooch to overlook a safety item like that, would we...???

Yup, it's that extra tube installed in the cap ....I used a tube so I can put my ear to it and hear the reflux drippin ...but honestly it's hard to know if it's condenser drips, or reflux drips but I like to listen to it just the same. Recently, Ive been thinkin about installing a sight glass to watch the reflux . We'll see.

NChooch

Why did this thread stop?? Let me just know, NcHooch, did You install a sight glass in this column??
I'm so curios to know because I have been thinking the same thing too and just never got around to do it..

me neither ...just haven't gottem around to it

NChooch

NcHooch wrote:Just wanna say that a 10" distillate cooling coil off the take-off valve is highly recommended for this still. works like a charm, takes the temp right down to room temp and no need to be messin with water.

NChooch

Love this cooling condenser.

NcHooch wrote:me neither ...just haven't gottem around to it

NChooch

Well... We will see if any of us ever gonna fix one

BTW, it's a beautiful still You have built, and really like the size of it, handy and yet capable of producing at a fair speed.
I got a milk-can just like Yours and I'm going to use it when building a 50" Bokakob in stainless.. Soon I hope

+2, love the 10" air cooled condenser NcHooch... Liked it the first time round, glad it got a bump up for new members...

How much did it cost you to build this still Hooch, maybe inspiring for new members thinking of building one..

Thanks...

Samohon wrote:+2, love the 10" air cooled condenser NcHooch... Liked it the first time round, glad it got a bump up for new members...

How much did it cost you to build this still Hooch, maybe inspiring for new members thinking of building one..

Thanks...

Thanks Sam.
I think I paid 75 for the stainless milk can and cover and then about $100 for the copper

these prices are from Glendale Plumbing on the web

Qty Unit of
Measure Product Description Unit Price Extended
Price
3 ft (1) bx (10) lf (540) MUELLER LH20010 2 L HARD 10 FT 11.58 / ft 34.75
1 ea (1) TFI W07014 2 C TUBE CAP IMPORT 5.04 / ea 5.04
2 ea (1) TFI W01909 2 COPPER REPAIR COUPLING IMPORT 11.26 / ea 22.52
1 ea (1) TFI W01187 2 COPPER MALE ADAPTER IMPORT 11.91 / ea 11.91
1 ea (1) TFI W01287 2 COPPER FEMALE ADAPTER IMPORT 16.27 / ea 16.27
Subtotal $90.48
...course you need a 25 foot roll of 1/4" copper tube too (about 12 feet for the internal coil, and about the same for the external coil)


Hope that helps
NChooch

NcHooch wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2010 5:55 pm Just wanna say that a 10" distillate cooling coil off the take-off valve is highly recommended for this still. works like a charm, takes the temp right down to room temp and no need to be messin with water.
DSC00508.JPG

Wow that makes things easier. Definitely seems worth it since it removes the hassle of water and a pump.

Love it!

samwell wrote: ↑Fri Jan 26, 2024 12:57 pm

NcHooch wrote: ↑Wed May 12, 2010 5:55 pm Just wanna say that a 10" distillate cooling coil off the take-off valve is highly recommended for this still. works like a charm, takes the temp right down to room temp and no need to be messin with water.
DSC00508.JPG

Wow that makes things easier. Definitely seems worth it since it removes the hassle of water and a pump.

Love it!

You still need to water cool the coil at the top of the column.