Hey from QLD

[matt]

Guys Im all new to this, not just the distilling but the forum side of things as well. Please be gentle.

So here's my story. I Have always tinkered away at the home brew beers and really enjoyed it, especially the last stage of the process. So you can imagine my distress when the doctor recently told me I have coeliac disease and can no longer consume the amber ale. FAAARK :crying-blue:

Once I regained my composure I remembered that I enjoy the odd vodka as well, especially the stuff produced by a mate's old man years ago. All this got me thinking if he can do it so can I. So I started doing a little looking around and figured an Aussie forum would be the place to ask the right people for advice.

For my purposes it seems an ideal set-up would be;
- 2 inch boka with 1m min. column
- 50l beer keg with 2400w no weld element and drain tap
- good wash recipe

The first part of the mission is the still - found this on ebay and would really appreciate any feedback on construction/price/seller

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Homebrew-ref ... 3370d831d9

Cheers :text-thankyoublue:

[Kimbo]

Hi Matt,
welcome to the forum mate, those stills are a fairly simple unit to build and use.
dont be scared to try building one yourself, check out some of the designs here ;-)
as for the beer, you can brew your own gluten free beer easy enough. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[R-sole]

That's a very keen price for the stil. As i've often wondered...he must be getting the pipe for free to be able to offer them at that price, it barely covers materials.

Only a couple of points, i would not rely on that slip joint to seal a 50mm column. It has all the weight leaning off to one side and the joint will loosen over time. I'd certainly ask for two stainless ferrules and a triclamp there.

I'd also be asking for a stainless valve, and i'd want stainless threads to attach the valve. I'd want a stainless ferrule at the bottom of the still to attach to the keg too, they're a little more reliable than an ezyflange. I'd want the packing and the insulation included in the price and also some brass fittings brazed on in easy sizes to come of the condensor securely.

Oh, and it needs a short condensor for the product arm to cool the product down, so ask for that to be included in the price too




Lets see how close spud is to the $500 stills if they come complete :lol:

[MacStill]

As is often the case with ebay, if it sounds really cheap it's not going to be the best quality.

[Cane Toad]

Hi Matt,and welcome to our little party...well it's not so little any more hey :handgestures-thumbupleft: I totally agree with 5Star and Mac,there is a shit load of knowledge and know how in this forum,so don't be afraid to ask
Cheers
BD

[Cane Toad]

Just don't ask me,I know fuck all compared to alot of members here :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

[Rumdrinker]

Hi Matt,
For what it's worth I can give you some feedback on the eBay still/seller you linked:
His products are basic designs that are easy to operate, do what they are designed & very well priced for what is supplied. I have bought products from him & from my personal experience will easily recommend him as an eBay seller to deal with.
He is happy to build to request as well so if you want to buy a reflux still & not touch it yourself all of 5Star's suggestions would make it a top unit.
Cheers

[matt]

Thanks very much for the welcome and advice guys.
Thought that e-bay link might spark some critique so thanks 5Star, now I've got some ammo will let you know how I go.
And Kimbo thanks for the GF beer suggestion but as the doc said "Here there's no beer - there's no beer here."


Cheers

[The Stig]

welcome Matt.
You would be better off getting one of the many talented guys here to build you a good rig.

[maheel]

hey Matt and welcome

i would also ask how long it is, IMO at least 1Meter is best to the bottom plate / collection point

whats good about the builder is he understands the need for "safe" parts and is using lead free (mostly) parts and solder brazing etc
plenty of stills around have a few brass parts, you have to decide what you feel is "safe" and what is not by doing research..

i dont think it really needs a product condenser as i run a boka no drama without any, it comes off a bit hot but works fine for starting out

the cold finger does need some sort of hose connection to make it simple to attach hose i reckon

Chris (spud) the seller used to be a member here and decided to go it alone and now is not a member
he has seen a market for reasonably priced stills that will do the job, out of all the ebay ones around at the moment i would say they are the best available on ebay (until something better is listed)

you could approach a few people here for a quote to compare if you so wish.

good luck and keep looking at different ideas :)

[matt]

Thanks again for the welcome.

maheel your point about the single condenser being fine for starting out rings true with me. I'm as green as they come and I'm studying full-time so can really only justify spending a certain amount to get started (no emoticon here for a really tight sphincter). So given the cost of the raw materials, if Chris' product is functional and can be improved on with a few minor tweaks maybe the asking price is about right for me..........unless of course I can find one cheaper :shifty:

[Frank]

Hi Mattattam
and welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy your distilling journey and that this forum is a 'two-way' part of it. ;-)

Mate if I could offer one bit of advice in relation to buying/making a still, I would suggest you seek counsel/info from those that do not have a commercial interest in still building AS WELL AS those that do. This forum certainly provides the opportunity for both and that way IMHO you will get the best combination of subjective/objective details to make an informed decision. 8-)

[maheel]

the length is not listed but crucial to % taken off, really high is not needed as the law of diminishing returns kicks in for every inch higher it goes.
the included piece of copper tube below the needle valave would easily cool the spirit to a collection temp but it still may be in the high 55-65c range

my bok is run "hot" at offtake but thats just me, plenty of ways to make some good spirit :)


a "boka" is a well thought put and proven design and with some simple "rules" can produce very clean neutral

the quality in the bottle is just not all about the still

it's the wash and how you run it (or strip and run) that also impacts the final result

[matt]

Yeah sound like wise words to me fella's.

I'm really keen to get moving on this but don't want to rush in and make uninformed choices/purchases. That was the whole idea of joining this forum I think it's great that such a resource exists. Have learnt a lot in the last couple of days.

Some good functional/productive gear that's within budget is my start point then I'm sure the fun really begins. :auto-swerve:

Cheers

[Panda]

Welcome to the forum

I look forward to seeing what you end up with

[stubbydrainer]

Welcome to the forum Mattattam
All I can add to the posts above is don't rush in to anything until you are sure of your decision, because ya gotta live with it,
Its all good advice, research is cheap and saves you a bundle at the end of the day, think about what you & yours want to drink....research how to make it, then work out what you need to make it, then into it :-D
IMHO stay away from brass as much as you can. and avoid lead like the black plague ( I don't like brass in the vapour trail :naughty: , but the use of brass is ok in the coolant line fittings of the condenser)

Cheers
Stubs

[matt]

Thanks guys for all the tips, will let you know how things progress.

Hope everyone on the east coast got through that rain ok.

Cheers :mrgreen:

[MacStill]

username changed to matt as requested ;-)