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Unable to purchase a copper-bottomed pot…
So, I got me a fancy, custom engraved, carbide steel tipped decorator FLAME SPREADER for ma propane boiler and tired ass Ole Vevor still…
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29 Replies
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I see something strange in your first photo.I see that stainless tubing exiting the boiler which is directed into that smaller stainless pot. That’s supposed to be the Worm/condenser. It doesn’t appear that you’re using that Worm though. It appears that the hot vapor runs through that copper tubing, down to the bottom of the 5 gal bucket of water, back up out of the bucket and down into that glass jug. If my assumption is correct, it’s not supposed to be done that way. The condensed product would collect within the copper tubing, block the flow, pressure would have to build in order to PUSH the condensed product up/out and into that glass jug.Hot vapor is supposed to enter the Worm at the top, continuously spiral downward as the vapor condenses within it and the condensed product exits through the bottom of the worm.
4″ VM Build
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Yup. Basically using it as a pre-cooling pot. There’s 10 ft of copper tube in the 5 gal bucket under water.Oh, and that “push” makes the whole system act like a reflux. Getting 90 percent all day long.
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I feel like that’s going to cause significant smearing.Cheers,jonny————i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred————
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Newbie here. What’s “smearing” ?
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Newbie here. What’s “smearing” ?Smearing is when your fractions become smeared together and are therefore much less concise. For instance if you collected into three containers only you would have much less resolution when choosing your cuts. Collecting your spirit run into 24 numbered jars (two cases of mason jars) works well and provides an appropriate resolution for selecting and blending your fractions. Aka: Making your cuts.Read up on the Novice Guide For Pot Still Cuts link which is at the very bottom of every page – It’s a very helpful rabbit hole Cheers,jonathan————i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred————
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Ah. Well, I’m just ain’t that precise. Throw away the foreshots 150 ml or so, put everything else in jars with burnt oak sticks, and drink them. Not really picky as long as I don’t get headaches or go blind.
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The whole set up is a mess, you need to do some reading , learn what your doing, it’s a safety hazard as is.If your not prepared to take this hobby seriously and improve your methods and equipment then maybe this forum isn’t the place for you.
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Also, reflux would mean condensate being directed back towards the boiler for re-distillation. That’s not reflux.Cheers!-j————i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred————
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The whole set up is a mess, you need to do some reading , learn what your doing, it’s a safety hazard as is.If your not prepared to take this hobby seriously and improve your methods and equipment then maybe this forum isn’t the place for you.Ya know, Bill, I was fixin to say something nasty to you, but then I realized, this hobby is important to you. You’re a purist. I’m sorry to inform you, but I am not. I’m an old man living on disability who likes to drink, and thanks to what I have learned on this forum, I can now turn $5 worth of Tractor Supply corn into a week’s worth of booze. It works for me, and I’m happy. I apologize if my pedestrian approach offends you. Honest, I would really LOVE to up my game, but I simply can’t afford all the fancy stuff you guys use. Even if I could afford it, the barley malt contains gluten, and with celiac disease that’s a no-no. So, I use corn. Just corn. And I use the equipment I have… a cheap ass pot and leftover copper tubing.
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You only need to please yourself That being said, is that a plastic coupler between the small pot and the worm/bucket?It wouldn’t be hard to make a more proper worm with the parts you have to up the quality of your spirits a little.Cheers,jonny————i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred————
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No, your just not prepared to learn from what your being told.There are faults with that set up that people have told you exist, they could be fixed at very little to no cost.Time spent taking the dips and hollers out of the tube leading away from the Boiler, sorting that plastic bucket and copper pipe so that it works as it should.Making proper cuts.All of those things cost nothing but time and effort and would be a vast improvement on the current methods.
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Seeing as you only run Corn in that still , it worries me that you are at high risk of that darn thing blowing up .The holes in the gaskets in those flexible Stainless tube are smaller than a corn kernel . Iff’n you have a foam up in that boiler and some of that corn floats up and gets stuck in there you are fucked .Please consider upgrading that still . You should have no vapour point smaller that 1/2”My recommended goto .wiki/index.ph … ion_Theory
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Excellent point, but I filter and squeeze the corn out prior to fermentation, so the still only gets clear corn beer.
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Yeah, Johnny, and it really chaps my ass. It’s high temp silicone, but ONLY because I couldn’t rig a pressure-tight copper fitting there. It’s definitely on my list of improvements, tho.
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Excellent point, but I filter and squeeze the corn out prior to fermentation, so the still only gets clear corn beer.That is good to hear . My recommended goto .wiki/index.ph … ion_Theory
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Pressure is not a factor. If you have pressure, you have other issues to resolve.________________I drank fifty pounds of feed-store corn’till my clothes were ratty and torn
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Pressure is not a factor. If you have pressure, you have other issues to resolve.Yes, there is some back-pressure, where the vapors have to push through the condensate in the copper coils under water. Pushing through like that condenses more of the alcohol vapors, kinda like a slobber pot, and the result is a mild back pressure on the rest of the system. It works, and I don’t have to worry about losing alcohol as a vapor at the end of the pipe. Maybe it’s just me… I was a plumber before I retired, and I like things to not leak.
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Pressure is not a factor. If you have pressure, you have other issues to resolve.Yes, there is some back-pressure, where the vapors have to push through the condensate in the copper coils under water. Pushing through like that condenses more of the alcohol vapors, kinda like a slobber pot, and the result is a mild back pressure on the rest of the system. It works, and I don’t have to worry about losing alcohol as a vapor at the end of the pipe. Maybe it’s just me… I was a plumber before I retired, and I like things to not leak.Product is intended to just condense within the worm. That product is intended to trickle out through the bottom of the worm as it is being condensed. In other words no pooling or collecting at all. As mentioned previously, pooling smears your cuts. Back pressure is not beneficial either. If vapor could leak through a proper worm, inducing back pressure wouldn’t be a solution. If vapor could leak, that would be an inadequate cooling water issue or an issue with too much power. Keep in mind that we’re only trying to help. We’re not trying to criticize to make ourselves feel better and/or make you feel bad.4″ VM Build
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Pressure is not a factor. If you have pressure, you have other issues to resolve.Yes, there is some back-pressure, where the vapors have to push through the condensate in the copper coils under water. Pushing through like that condenses more of the alcohol vapors, kinda like a slobber pot, and the result is a mild back pressure on the rest of the system. It works, and I don’t have to worry about losing alcohol as a vapor at the end of the pipe. Maybe it’s just me… I was a plumber before I retired, and I like things to not leak.Product is intended to just condense within the worm. That product is intended to trickle out through the bottom of the worm as it is being condensed. In other words no pooling or collecting at all. As mentioned previously, pooling smears your cuts. Back pressure is not beneficial either. If vapor could leak through a proper worm, inducing back pressure wouldn’t be a solution. If vapor could leak, that would be an inadequate cooling water issue or an issue with too much power. Keep in mind that we’re only trying to help. We’re not trying to criticize to make ourselves feel better and/or make you feel bad.Nice point. Yes , I understand. Cooling has been an issue, even back when I was distilling cheap wine to make liquor. I would go through several bags of ice trying to keep the system cool enough to condense in that little pot (the one that come with the still). I gave up. Added 10 ft of 1/4″ copper refrigerator supply line (unused) I had left over from my plumbing days. First I tried just coiling it in the air, but it didn’t seem to cool enough. VERY high purity, but a lot of loss. Once I put the coils under water, it worked better. One 5 gal bucket of rainwater works for the whole 10 gallons. By the time I’m done, the bucket is barely at 90° F.
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It looks like you’re distilling outdoors. You could fill a 30 gal plastic storage tote with water and recirculate water from it, to the flake stand and back to the tote. If you use a large enough volume reservoir of water, you wouldn’t need any ice or waste any water.I personally just use my tap water/well water and send the waste water down the drain. I know some people can’t do that or have no interest in wasting water.4″ VM Build
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Yes, I have thought of using the thermal mass of a rainbarrel, but I threw out my back just lifting a 5 gal bucket… a bit beyond me physically. This system works for me. I really appreciate all the helpful advice I have gotten here. I started with 10 lbs corn, gave the corn squeezing to the chickens when it was done, poured the pot still leftovers in the garden, and put the water back in the rain barrels (well water here is not good at all). What was left was 1/2 gallon of very tasty stuff. Helped me not feel my back any more. Gonna add some more fresh charred oak today, let it set for a bit, and start on the next batch. If anyone knows how to obtain a gluten-free malt, that might eliminate a few steps for me, but I does what I can.
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This has to be an April fools jokeI drink so much now,on the back of my license it’s a list of organs I need.
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“The hardest thing for a Master to remember…Is how foolish are the minds of beginners”
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So, after letting it age for a very long 12 hours, I now have sippin whiskey. Thoroughly enjoying this!
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@DaviesCountyBooxer – You only need to satisfy yourself so if you’re happy with your product then you’re good to go Most folks around here are chasing the craft of producing higher quality product than what is available (affordably) in a store near them. These folks are going to attempt to help you achieve a better product.I’m interested whether you’re doing one-and-done runs or double distillation?Cheers,j————i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred————
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Putting aside all of the safety stuff that been said for now DCB.If you really would love to up your game, it won’t cost you anything. I mean nothing at all.All you have to do is spend a bit of time doing some light and mostly entertaining reading, and take some of the advice that will be freely and very generously offered here.For starters.Gather up all the jars, cups, glasses etc that you have around your place, and on your next run, fill them all 2 fingers full one after another and line them up.Once your run is finished, give them all a sniff and a finger dip.You’ll notice the ones in the middle are great, the ones at the edges are less great.Pour all the great ones into your oaking bottle and enjoy as soon as you want to, pour all the less great ones into a spares jug or whatever you have.Next spirit run, add these spares to your starting volume, do the same process all over again.If you don’t notice enough improvement to make you want to learn more about upping your game, then crack on and do your thing man, it’s your life.Make Booze, not War!
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I ran a similar setup for a long time! I was able to scrap a .25” thick round plate from a friends shop, added a few holes, and I had a perfect diffuser for the propane burner! But no harsh words are necessary on this forum. Most criticism is meant to be constructive, even though some times it comes across as harsh. Also to help improve your setup, replace the CSST with copper.13.5g/50L keg modular 3″ pot/VM copper&stainless w/offset gin head26g 4″ stripping still5500watts of fury
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Also to help improve your setup, replace the CSST with copper.Ooooh, that would be nice! Again, it comes downto money. At the end of the month, we have $127 left after paying bills, and that goes to food, for us, the dogs, the cat, the ch8ckens… it’s a tough spot. We go to local churches and food banks for stuff to eat, and get their rotted scraps to feed the chickens. Seriously, we are right on the edge, so spending money on anything just isn’t possible. A copper still would be awesome. Great grandaddy Frank had his huge “copper birdbath”, but I have no idea where he got it. His condensing pipe was 1/2″ copper, in coils, stretched horizontally about 10 ft. Just a big, plain pot still with a horizontal “worm”. But it worked. And no, as tempting as it is, even in desperation, I don’t make any of this for sale. Strictly personal.consumption.
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Putting aside all of the safety stuff that been said for now DCB.If you really would love to up your game, it won’t cost you anything. I mean nothing at all.All you have to do is spend a bit of time doing some light and mostly entertaining reading, and take some of the advice that will be freely and very generously offered here.For starters.Gather up all the jars, cups, glasses etc that you have around your place, and on your next run, fill them all 2 fingers full one after another and line them up.Once your run is finished, give them all a sniff and a finger dip.You’ll notice the ones in the middle are great, the ones at the edges are less great.Pour all the great ones into your oaking bottle and enjoy as soon as you want to, pour all the less great ones into a spares jug or whatever you have.Next spirit run, add these spares to your starting volume, do the same process all over again.If you don’t notice enough improvement to make you want to learn more about upping your game, then crack on and do your thing man, it’s your life.Thank you for that sir. I do understand about the cuts, and fractional distillation… it was a thousand years ago, but I do remember Organic Chemistry lab. I’ve been taking the foreshots, and the heads, and bottling them up for my wife, who uses them as solvents for her paint/art projects. Nothing goes to waste. The tails, though, as long as my fermentation is clean, tend to taste just as good as the hearts, just a bit watered down. Anything collected over 209° F goes into the solvent jars as well. What I keep is from 201 to 209.
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