Picked up a 10 gallon copper still

[hootowl]

I'm excited to even do the sacrificial cleaning run

 

[stillcolo]

Nice!

 

[hootowl]

Working on a heat solution. Thinking of building a 240v 4500w controller

 

[Jayjay1976]

Oohh shiny! Is it brand new or did you pick it up second hand? Just curious how much a setup like that costs.

 

[bracconiere]

Does the thumper work like my 5' column? how pure do you plan to be able to pull on it?

(yes it's pretty, what about lead? i see some solder on it...mines welded stainless)

 

[hootowl]

$550 from Steven Stillz

This is a classic all copper, lead free solder construction. The quality is amazing. The thumper got dented in shipping. They immediately sent me another. The packaging was awesome but FedEx figured out the weak spot.

This is a basic pot still. It's not designed to produce pure alcohol. It brings flavor in from the mash and the thumper. To purify you would have to do a few runs. I'm not interested in 190 Proof.

 

[hootowl]

If you research the differences between column and pot, you'll discover that columns are for purity and production and pot stills are for whiskey and the like. Pot stills infuse flavor. Copper removes sulfites.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Pot stills all the way. I just finished pulling my first one together, can't wait to try it out. No thumper for now but it doesn't look to hard to build one so maybe once I get going. I'd rather have bought a real setup like yours but I had to spread the investment out over a couple of months to avoid drawing too much attention from my wife. My first wash is a panela rum; relatively cheap to make and hard to screw up. Once I get my sea legs I'll try other things, mainly stuff that won't require much aging.

 

[hootowl]

This morning I made a 5 gal batch of sugar shine for the first cleaning run.

8 Pounds Sugar
Some Raisins
5 Gallons Water
10 grams distillary Yeast

Should be ready in 5-7 days.

 

[hootowl]

Well it's the 15th and she is still fermenting. Plenty of co2 still coming through the airlock. I think the ABV is gonna be high!

 

[Shine0n]

If you haven't ran this and it's still fermenting, check the pH of the wash
Sugar washes are quick to have a ph drop plus it would need nutes too.

A quick way to check is to take some crushed oyster shell like you feed chickens and drop a couple pieces in there, if it fizzing up quickly then you have a ph issue.

Get some ph strips and check as well, I keep all my washes around 4.5-5.5

 

[Jayjay1976]

If you haven't ran this and it's still fermenting, check the pH of the wash
Sugar washes are quick to have a ph drop plus it would need nutes too.

A quick way to check is to take some crushed oyster shell like you feed chickens and drop a couple pieces in there, if it fizzing up quickly then you have a ph issue.

Get some ph strips and check as well, I keep all my washes around 4.5-5.5

Or um, baking soda? Who has crushed oyster shells laying around?

 

[Emul]

Really nice. Did you get the heating figured out/ready?

 

[hootowl]

Guess I'll have to pick up a PH meter or strips. Still haven't run it. Still bubbling. Not a whole lot concerned about the wash since this is a sacrificial run to clean it. First runs will be done out in the garage over a spare electric stove. Pics to come.
Lot's to learn.

 

[Soulshine2]

$550 from Steven Stillz

This is a classic all copper, lead free solder construction. The quality is amazing. The thumper got dented in shipping. They immediately sent me another. The packaging was awesome but FedEx figured out the weak spot.

This is a basic pot still. It's not designed to produce pure alcohol. It brings flavor in from the mash and the thumper. To purify you would have to do a few runs. I'm not interested in 190 Proof.

I have a Clawhammer 5 gallon reflux still, best I could pull so far is 138 proof, thats enough.

 

[Soulshine2]

This morning I made a 5 gal batch of sugar shine for the first cleaning run.

8 Pounds Sugar
Some Raisins
5 Gallons Water
10 grams distillary Yeast

Should be ready in 5-7 days.

why are you wasting all those ingredients for a cleaning run?? Just use 1:5 of distilled white vinegar and water. Run it twice. Then just water to rinse run.

 

[Lefou]

Oohh shiny! Is it brand new or did you pick it up second hand? Just curious how much a setup like that costs.

It's a secret. We wouldn't want the tweekers getting any ideas, now would we?

 

[Shine0n]

Vinegar strips the patina from the inside and Alki does the opposite plus it will flush out any Flux from production while vinegar will not.

Baking soda is sodium and oyster shell are calcium, I'd prefer not to have sodium I'm my copper still and yes it will tranfer.

If you have an agricultural store near you they would carry the crushed shells, it's used for chickens.

It works for buffering ph so it doesn't drop too far and you crash.

Also, be careful running a wash with too much residual sugars, it will drop and burn to the bottom of the pot.

 

[hootowl]

The company I purchased it from recommended against vinegar as it eats copper. I'm pretty sure one run wont hurt it but I went with their recommendation and am doing the sugar wash. The ingredients arent expensive. I have a 50lb bag of dextrose for the real run.

 

[Shine0n]

Yep when I do a new still I run vinegar/water then flush and then I do my sac run.
The vinegar will help with production scale in the pipes and and sac run will flush out the Flux and mess from fabrication.
That's the only time I do vinegar.

For the last few years I've built 4 or 5 still a year and that's my standard protocol. That's potstills tho, if I build a sectional colum I clean as I go.

 

[hootowl]

I think I'll do an initial vinegar run as well. Other still manufacturers recommend it

 

[Soulshine2]

The company I purchased it from recommended against vinegar as it eats copper. I'm pretty sure one run wont hurt it but I went with their recommendation and am doing the sugar wash. The ingredients arent expensive. I have a 50lb bag of dextrose for the real run.

Thats strange, my kit instructed the dilluted vinegar as a first run cleaner .Its only a one time to wash out any flux ,copper sheet extrusion lubricants ,and junk the still may have in it from construction that you do NOT want in your liquor. I would save that sugar wash and raisins out until you've made sure its free of what I listed above. In fact, for your first "seasoning run"(like seasoning cast iron skillets) ,leave the raisins out altogether and just do a sugar wash . No sense sending all that to the garbage which is what you'll be doing anyway. I wouldnt even think of drinking it, or saving it for a sour mash run.

 

[hootowl]

Agreed. I'll do a vinegar run... may twice. I didnt put much raisins in. The box I had was almost empty. That will be the seasoning run. I'll dump that too. Gotta start another batch. Go a good recipe?

 

[Shine0n]

Vinegar alone will NOT get rid of flux, if you let it sit in there it may but by steam it will not.
A sac run after wii finish off the job.

You don't have to do a full sac run, meaning you don't have to fill your still up.

On my 20 gal I used 4 gallons of heads and tails followed by some water for 10 minutes

 

[Soulshine2]

Vinegar alone will NOT get rid of flux, if you let it sit in there it may but by steam it will not.
A sac run after wii finish off the job.

You don't have to do a full sac run, meaning you don't have to fill your still up.

On my 20 gal I used 4 gallons of heads and tails followed by some water for 10 minutes

Which is why I said this originally..."Just use 1:5 of distilled white vinegar and water. Run it twice. Then just water to rinse run." AND the flux that was used should have been the kind for drinking water(water soluble), not the old red sticky paste flux .

 

[hootowl]

I just ran a vinegar run tonight. Had a blast. Looking to fire it up again cooking more of what's left. Next I'll rum my sacrificial sugar wash. Then I need a good recipe.

 

[Shine0n]

What are you looking to make, rum, brandy, bourbon?

I hope it's not vodka, you have the wrong still for that unless you like to run it ALOT.

I have made some decent vodka with my potstill but it took alot of wash and alot of time running and a hell of alot of really good cuts, really tight cuts.

 

[hootowl]

What are you looking to make, rum, brandy, bourbon?

I hope it's not vodka, you have the wrong still for that unless you like to run it ALOT.

I have made some decent vodka with my potstill but it took alot of wash and alot of time running and a hell of alot of really good cuts, really tight cuts.

Yea but sans vodka and gin what's the point in pure ethanol? I can just buy a bottle of Everclear and do as i wish. I like the idea of the old method and pulling flavors from the mash/wash. I'm new at this and am just having some fun besides brewing beer. It's a lot easier to do this after having some brewing experience under my belt. I may build my own column for this still cause really, the pot itself is just a boiling vessel. A cool one at that.

Most old scotch distilleries use big old pot stills without a column.

 

[hootowl]

First sacrificial run of a 5 gallon batch of sugar wash.

 

[hootowl]

The setup. Cheap electric stove out in the garage.

 

[hootowl]

What do you all think about this thumper design? This is a 3 gal thumper with a 2-1/2 sitting on top as a stripping head. Small water coil mounted externally on the very top to help the water drop back.

 

[Soulshine2]

I'm excited to even do the sacrificial cleaning runView attachment 604571

thats beautiful

 

[Soulshine2]

I just ran a vinegar run tonight. Had a blast. Looking to fire it up again cooking more of what's left. Next I'll rum my sacrificial sugar wash. Then I need a good recipe.

sweet feed is said to make an excellent tasty shine.

 

[Soulshine2]

What do you all think about this thumper design? This is a 3 gal thumper with a 2-1/2 sitting on top as a stripping head. Small water coil mounted externally on the very top to help the water drop back.

View attachment 613769

why do that , just buy a reflux still.

 

[greywolf]

You can make alot of different things with that. If you're after flavor, add some wash or juice to the thump. Stronger flavors preferred. If you want something more neutral use pure water. Very close to vodka. Maybe run it thru two or three times if you really care. Watch out for chlorine and chloramine in your water, its nasty. Good water will be the best tip you get.