what exactly does a pot still consist of

Just starting out and need some advise? then post it in here.

what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby crow » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:52 am

Sorry if this is a dipshit question but I've been looking at heaps of them here and they are starting to look like a plain copper pipe rising up and reducing to a condenser , is it really that simple or am I missing something
crow
 
Posts: 2363
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:44 am
Location: Central Highlands Victoria
equipment: ultra pure reflux still and a 4" 4 plate MacStill built copper bubble cap column and a 500mm scoria packed rectifying module

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby Kimbo » Thu Mar 15, 2012 12:10 pm

croweater wrote: is it really that simple or am I missing something


Pretty much, its that simple :handgestures-thumbupleft:
your just trying to cool a vapour so it turns int a liquid again ;-)
Kimbo
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 5461
Images: 0
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:33 pm
Location: Perf WA
equipment: 4" bubbler with a 6"inline thumper

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby crow » Thu Mar 15, 2012 1:11 pm

Gee sus surrounded by stills all my life and never asked " dude whats in the pipe " :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: . Its just that the only stills I saw inside of were huge complicated commercial ones built for Hardy's and the like :oops: . Ok well now I'm bloody sure I can make one .Would this work ok , my plumber has heaps of old copper hotwater services . If I pulled the copper boiler out welded a stand for it to sit in , pulled the copper drain out of my old sink hole sawed a copper or ss bowl inserted the drain screwed on a copper riser with a p trap or just an elbow pretty sure i got them . Then a 2" to I don't know 1 1/2 or 11/4 reducer leibig to suit and I'd just have to cut a hole in the boiler and work out how to fix the bowl down with seal ,need to remove it to clean I guess . There's a big arse burner at dads somewhere we use to boil wood for bending , if I got him to hand it over that would fire this ok I think but then again 10 min ago i wouldn't have had a fucking clue what makes up a pot still :roll:
crow
 
Posts: 2363
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:44 am
Location: Central Highlands Victoria
equipment: ultra pure reflux still and a 4" 4 plate MacStill built copper bubble cap column and a 500mm scoria packed rectifying module

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby Kimbo » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:32 pm

croweater wrote: If I pulled the copper boiler out welded a stand for it to sit in , pulled the copper drain out of my old sink :


Mat, try and use nice clean copper pipe if you can ;-)
you dont know what has been poured down the sink over the years :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Kimbo
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 5461
Images: 0
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:33 pm
Location: Perf WA
equipment: 4" bubbler with a 6"inline thumper

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby crow » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:51 pm

No only sink drain I meant when pvc came in mid 70's dad had loads of copper fittings and being a builder not a plumber ( he only did a bit of plumbing every now and then)He got stuck with them . There's crates of copper shit in his shed , its old but never been used just checked the drains here two are brass read a few times it's best avoided may contain lead the other is nickle plated copper is nickle a problem . might be able to burn it off with caustic or hydrocloric
crow
 
Posts: 2363
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:44 am
Location: Central Highlands Victoria
equipment: ultra pure reflux still and a 4" 4 plate MacStill built copper bubble cap column and a 500mm scoria packed rectifying module

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby crow » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:13 pm

can anyone tell me are these perforated plate stills just super flash pot stills for improving cuts . been trying to work out how they work and what their advantages would be . the reason I ask is when I got home heaps of my copper I'd been saving for many yrs had been knocked off Laundry coppers piping , fittings valves gauges taps a copper hws boiler ( it woud be fucking scrappies) . 2 pieces 3mtrs of 100mm and 5mtrs of 80mm I might claim on insurance , if they get replaced I think I might be able to build something interesting
crow
 
Posts: 2363
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:44 am
Location: Central Highlands Victoria
equipment: ultra pure reflux still and a 4" 4 plate MacStill built copper bubble cap column and a 500mm scoria packed rectifying module

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby SBB » Fri Apr 13, 2012 7:33 pm

croweater wrote:are these perforated plate stills just super flash pot stills for improving cuts

In short you are right............but there is a lot more to it.
Barrel strenght spirits or higher from low abv wash without having to do multiple stripping runs first.
Good flavour carried over from washes made from molasses or Grains.
Concentration of and a more abrupt change in cuts from Foreshots. Heads , hearts and Tails......leaving a bigger Hearts cut
Theres probably more .....but Im about 1/4 of the way into a bottle of home made Ouzo...........so might stop before I get it wrong :teasing-tease:
SBB
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 2451
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:12 pm
Location: Northern NSW
equipment: (The Pelican) a 2 inch pot / stripper on 25L electric boiler interchangable with T500 reflux still...... 2 1/2 inch pot still on 50L keg (gas burner).....
3 inch Boka (half share with Draino),...... 4 inch 4 plate perforated plate Bubbler

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby stubbydrainer » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:59 pm

wot, only a quarter !!! @ 8:30 pm, Friday Nite :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:
stubbydrainer
 
Posts: 728
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:42 pm
Location: Northern Rivers, NSW
equipment: 4" perf. plate bubbler,2 1/2" pot with a triple wall liebig,
Small 8L pot for experiments & Gin, 6Kw 80ltr electric boiler , P.I.D/PWM controller
1/2 share with SBB in a 3" boka,

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby SBB » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:45 am

:violence-stickwhack:
SBB
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 2451
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2011 8:12 pm
Location: Northern NSW
equipment: (The Pelican) a 2 inch pot / stripper on 25L electric boiler interchangable with T500 reflux still...... 2 1/2 inch pot still on 50L keg (gas burner).....
3 inch Boka (half share with Draino),...... 4 inch 4 plate perforated plate Bubbler

Re: what exactly does a pot still consist of

Postby crow » Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:43 am

These sound like some pretty serious advantages I'll definitively be looking into this down the track @-)
crow
 
Posts: 2363
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 1:44 am
Location: Central Highlands Victoria
equipment: ultra pure reflux still and a 4" 4 plate MacStill built copper bubble cap column and a 500mm scoria packed rectifying module


Return to Beginners Questions



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests

x