What to do?

[maka]

OK

I am relativley new to distilling. I have done some many years ago when I was alot younger. I was taught by my grand father who use to run a still with my other grandfather. I have read Nixon's book and really like Smiley's book and am very fond of the How water heater tank design. In my research on this site I have seen alot of bad mouthing about his book and his design. There is alot of info on this site however I am finding it very difficult to see a better or should I say easy to understand design. I have some S/S beer kegs available and am willing to build using one of those. I am wanting to build a fractioning design for making mostly vodka with the possibility of running a few whiskey runs through it.

I would really appreciate any help.

I am really thinking of the Boka design to get started. Is there directions anywhere for installing a heater element in the keg.

[Dnderhead]

water heater is fine if you can fiend one made from copper or stainless.

[DavidWatkins]

The hardest part of getting a keg set up for electric operation is getting someone to weld a tri-clamp fitting near the bottom of the keg on one side. If you can get that done, you're golden.

Get a tri-clamp to element threaded adapter for $10 from stilldragon and wire it up to your controller. If you don't have a controller picked out, still dragon has a kit for $54.


One good idea though, while you're having someone weld a tri-clamp ferrule anyway, weld two and install a drain on the opposite side from your element.

[WalkingWolf]

One good idea though, while you're having someone weld a tri-clamp ferrule anyway, weld two and install a drain on the opposite side from your element.

Good point DW and while you're at it go ahead and have a 1" ferrule put in on the upper portion, beside the original hole, to use as a filler port. I made the mistake of having a keg modified all up but no filler port -- twice (walks off shaking his head . . . ).


Best of luck to ya and welcome to HD.

[Prairiepiss]

+1 on adding a drain and fill ports. I may or may not have done the same thing WW. I've got to add a fill port to mine.

Now triclamp ferrules aren't the only thing you can use. They are nice don't get me wrong. And I wish I had the money to have used them. But I have used all SS pipe fittings for mine. The element is a 1" straight pipe thread. You van buy 1" NPT half couplers and have them welded on for the element. Or a full coupler and cut it in half. Weld both on and you have a element and drain ports. A few good wraps of PTFE tape on the element threads and it will screw right in and seal up.

If you look in the my stuff link below. I have some picks in there of mine. Or check out the Mr P's harbor freight controller thread in the new distiller reading lounge. I think I went over placement in that thread.

[Jif]

Hey all,

In process of planning my first still build. Looking at stilldragon and attempting to decide what fittings I want to add on to my keg, this thread looked like a good one to zombie up to ask questions.

I've been doing a lot of reading, which doesn't matter as much as actually having any experience. From those of you with experience with boka style stills, if you could do it over from scratch and do it the way you'd most prefer the first time, what fittings would you have welded into a sanke keg for use as a boiler? I intend on doing a 2" column with one 1500w 120v element. Fill ports? Thermometer ports? I have access to free welding service, so the only cost to me is the fittings.

Thanks in advance!