Coupla designs I came up with. Opinions?

[TK Spirits]

I was sitting around and I started to doodle some new pot still sketches/ideas. I figured these should go up here to see if anyone else liked them. Please tell me what you think, or things that I should change to improve my product when I start distilling again.

[Mr.Spooky]

both of these ideas have been proven to work. some may say that they would use the thermometers, some would not.
spooky

[Samohon]

As Mr Spooky said, all tried and tested... IMO, a pot still is about taste, smell and feel... I had a 3" dial thermometer on my pot still, but took it away and permanently sealed the thermocouple hole, I just found it useless with the temps all being different afforded to the wash I was stillin...

But all the above will give a nice likker... Like the drawings man...

[TK Spirits]

Granted, all of these are rather straightforward and basic. I was reading a tidbit on the mother site and it was talking about different angles and different flavors, like <90* was for a lighter in flavored result, 90* was for an even/ medium flavored result, and >90* gave a heavier flavored result.
Has anyone had any success with those designs?

[Samohon]

Granted, all of these are rather straightforward and basic. I was reading a tidbit on the mother site and it was talking about different angles and different flavors, like <90* was for a lighter in flavored result, 90* was for an even/ medium flavored result, and >90* gave a heavier flavored result.
Has anyone had any success with those designs?

Now you've got it man, great resource the parent site....

I like a light smooth flavour from my whiskey's so my route to the Liebig is 45° (◄90°)... I can tell ya, I'm getting a real nice whiskey from UJSSM / Sweet-feed / All Bran... I have some that has aged for 8 months, it has a dark amber, reddish colour, has undertones of being produced from an all grain, yet it's an UJSSM/Sweet-feed blend... Design is important in a pot still, just ask some commercial distillers who, when replacing a still, replicate everything right down to dent location and depth, never mind Length/Diameter of lynne arms and square meter-age of copper...

Keep us posted on yer way forward TK Spirits...

[TK Spirits]

Now you've got it man, great resource the parent site....

I like a light smooth flavour from my whiskey's so my route to the Liebig is 45° (◄90°)... I can tell ya, I'm getting a real nice whiskey from UJSSM / Sweet-feed / All Bran... I have some that has aged for 8 months, it has a dark amber, reddish colour, has undertones of being produced from an all grain, yet it's an UJSSM/Sweet-feed blend... Design is important in a pot still, just ask some commercial distillers who, when replacing a still, replicate everything right down to dent location and depth, never mind Length/Diameter of lynne arms and square meter-age of copper...

Keep us posted on yer way forward TK Spirits...

So you use a 45* bend and run a UJSSM/ Sweet-Feed/ All Bran? Do you use a thumper or is it just a one time through straight to yer lebig?
Are those recipes on the forum or are they your own?

[Samohon]

So you use a 45* bend and run a UJSSM/ Sweet-Feed/ All Bran? Do you use a thumper or is it just a one time through straight to yer lebig?
Are those recipes on the forum or are they your own?

I always strip my ujssm/sweetfeed/all-bran, through the pot still as fast as I can... I dont use a thumper but when I do a spirit run after 3 or 4 stripping runs, I usually get 60%abv - 67%abv, perfect for ageing...
To see a diagram of my pot head, have a look Here...

The recipes are all from the Tried and True Recipes, Section...
Stop by and have a look...

[TK Spirits]

So you use a combination of all three of these? or you have used all of these batches in a pot still and have had good results?
That is a really neat design. Would you mind if I replicated some of your elements into the still that I build?

[hoochinoo]

I could not read the length of copper from where it meets the boiler to the elbow where you have the thermometer... so i won't be able to comment on that.
If i were you, i would lose the thermometer, you don't need it... apply heat to the boiler and touch the plumbing and you can feel the heat travelling over the copper. After a while, you can feel the heat build up and then it shoots all the way to the condenser. That is what i see with my set up. It is my signla to be ready to see hooch coming out.

Also, i see that you have a 6 inch, copper length between where the first elbow is to the next one. I think that it is short. you are close to the boiler i think.

Then, finally, your condenser, 1/2 inch flex copper, perfect, can you specify how many feet you will be using to build the condenser?

[TK Spirits]

I could not read the length of copper from where it meets the boiler to the elbow where you have the thermometer... so i won't be able to comment on that.
If i were you, i would lose the thermometer, you don't need it... apply heat to the boiler and touch the plumbing and you can feel the heat travelling over the copper. After a while, you can feel the heat build up and then it shoots all the way to the condenser. That is what i see with my set up. It is my signla to be ready to see hooch coming out.

Also, i see that you have a 6 inch, copper length between where the first elbow is to the next one. I think that it is short. you are close to the boiler i think.

Then, finally, your condenser, 1/2 inch flex copper, perfect, can you specify how many feet you will be using to build the condenser?

The more I read the more I realize that I don't really need a thermometer, most are rather inaccurate when reading vapor temperature. I use my fingertips and touch the pipes and "feel" where the steam is. The 90º lyne arm is 18"x1".

So what would you recommend? 8"-10"?

I was using a 10'x 1/4"ID flex copper coil, but that was condensing TOO well, It would drop the temp to like 40º, so I'm thing anywhere from 5'-8'?

[LLave]

I could not read the length of copper from where it meets the boiler to the elbow where you have the thermometer... so i won't be able to comment on that.
If i were you, i would lose the thermometer, you don't need it... apply heat to the boiler and touch the plumbing and you can feel the heat travelling over the copper. After a while, you can feel the heat build up and then it shoots all the way to the condenser. That is what i see with my set up. It is my signla to be ready to see hooch coming out.

Also, i see that you have a 6 inch, copper length between where the first elbow is to the next one. I think that it is short. you are close to the boiler i think.

Then, finally, your condenser, 1/2 inch flex copper, perfect, can you specify how many feet you will be using to build the condenser?

The more I read the more I realize that I don't really need a thermometer, most are rather inaccurate when reading vapor temperature. I use my fingertips and touch the pipes and "feel" where the steam is. The 90º lyne arm is 18"x1".

So what would you recommend? 8"-10"?

I was using a 10'x 1/4"ID flex copper coil, but that was condensing TOO well, It would drop the temp to like 40º, so I'm thing anywhere from 5'-8'?

Please forgive the new guy question, but what is the problem with condensing too well?

[blanikdog]

Yep, I have to admit that I'm also curious.


EDIT: AHHHHHHH 40c Must be using ice in the condenser water for some unknown reason.

[TK Spirits]

Yep, I have to admit that I'm also curious.


EDIT: AHHHHHHH 40c Must be using ice in the condenser water for some unknown reason.

I guess I was over cautious when I made my condenser, ans sometimes those runs can last long, I'd rather have the output too cold than too hot.
comes out 40ºF-60ºF (4ºC-15ºC)
I usually fill the center of the coil with ice and salt, then cold tap water.

My first condenser was a 1/4" ID x 10' in a solid block of ice, wanna talk about COLD I had to hold my hand near the top of the still to warm it back up. It still sits in my freezer, I use it only for fuels now..

[blanikdog]

To each their own I guess. I use water and it works fine. Just out of curiosity, what size runs do you do??

[TK Spirits]

Somewhere in between moves, I have misplaced my old 20L, so I'm doing VERY small 1.5L stripping runs, which make work pretty tedious..
I'm getting pretty close to finding it, I have about 4 more boxes to dig through. I'm thinking of inviting some friends over, having a keg or two and just using that. What would you recommend Blanik?

[blanikdog]

I can't see anything new about the design. A pot still is a pot still is a potstill. I fail to see how such a simple concept can be improved upon. All these things have been done before.

What would I recommend? I'd go for a simple potstill with a coil in a bucket - no ice, no salt, just water - and then I'd take the thermometer into your shed and pound it vigourously with a five pound hammer. But that's just me.

Stay Safe

[LWTCS]

and then I'd take the thermometer into your shed and pound it vigourously with a five pound hammer.

I swear I imagined you said that to someone prior to reading this

BTW 12 pounder would likely offer less chance of repeatative motion injury....

[TK Spirits]

I figure go set up with a 20 lb. sledgehammer and just go to work

[blanikdog]

Well, I didn't wish to seem extreme.

[TK Spirits]

Blanik, to date, how many thermometers have you gotten people to smash?

[Just4funguy30]

Okay, sorry to all for the lateness of this, & I'm still(no pun intended) researching before I do my build. I was thinking though, in the first pic, the condenser is BEFORE the thumper?? Shouldn't it be AFTER the thumper? Please correct me if I'm wrong in this, & please explian why.
Thanks!

[LWTCS]

Can't comment on the OP's intent..But a condenser prior to the thumper wouldd act as a self filling aperatus for the thumper. This type of strategy can further boost ABV.

[Just4funguy30]

Okay, thanks.. I was thinking that it should be after the thumper for the heat that it would impart to the secondary. I wasn't sure if having it cool befre the thumper would give the thumper enough heat to cause a secondary distillation. This is why I'm still reading/learning before I build my own. Thank you soo much for your input! I knew I found this site for a reason!!! Thanks again, all here are awesome! I'm learning before I jump in, my thanks again to all of those that I have been reading & learning from.

[LWTCS]

One would apply cooling to fill the thumper to the assumed level then shut cooling off for the body of the run..
One would still need to employ a product condenser.

[Just4funguy30]

Okay, I get it. That's instead of charging the thumper prior to the run then, correct?

[TK Spirits]

The liebig before the thumper is nothing more than visual reference for aesthetics, I was still judging whether or not to have a single run or a thumper to condenser type rig. Sorry for the confusion.

EDIT** What LWTCS is saying is correct to answer your question.

[Just4funguy30]

Okay, thanks!