[biofuels-biz] [Distillers] Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Nov'02) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I make a Turbo-all-sugar wash ? 10) How do I run a Pot still ? 11) How do I run a Reflux still ? 12) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? 13) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 14) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 15) Why do my spirits turn cloudy when diluted ? 16) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 17) What web resources are there ? 18) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 19) Can I run my car on it ? 20) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 21) What is a "Thumper" ? 22) Can methylated spirits be made safe to drink ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For an excellent book on all aspects of still design, see "The Compleat Distiller" at http://www.amphora-society.com. See th
[biofuel] [Distillers] Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Nov'02) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I make a Turbo-all-sugar wash ? 10) How do I run a Pot still ? 11) How do I run a Reflux still ? 12) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? 13) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 14) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 15) Why do my spirits turn cloudy when diluted ? 16) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 17) What web resources are there ? 18) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 19) Can I run my car on it ? 20) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 21) What is a "Thumper" ? 22) Can methylated spirits be made safe to drink ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For an excellent book on all aspects of still design, see "The Compleat Distiller" at http://www.amphora-society.com. See th
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
Hmmm I've been a bit slack about getting this out on a regular basis. Any suggestions for additions/changes etc ? ** "NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (June'02) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? 18) Can methylated spirits be made safe to drink ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractiona ting column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For an excellent book on all aspects of still
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (June'02) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? 18) Can methylated spirits be made safe to drink ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For an excellent book on all aspects of still design, see "The Compleat Distiller" at http://www.amphora-society.com. See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. For fuel alcohol stills see t
RE: [biofuel] Digest Number 964
Al, > Hi I have produced moonshine [()0O] > I know that its impossible to 99% alcohole wil a still > My question being [at the most you can get anout 94% and > not a great deal of that in distilling a batch] > what percentage HAS the alcohole to be and what happens > when you can reach that purity> It depends on how effective your column is. I have a 1.5m x 2" diameter column, and it will produce 96% alcohol even when the wash is down to less than 1-2% alcohol. It does run as a batch - the boiler holds 30L. As the wash gets lower and lower in alcohol, it just means that I have to increase the "reflux ratio" slightly - eg collect less, and return more of the distillate back to the column to help purify the rising vapour. This column does the same job as about 12 pot stills one-after-the-other, but does it in a single pass. For more information about home distilling, see http://homedistiller.org , and also check out the "distillers" and "new_distillers" newsgroups at http://www.yahoogroups.com Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/orkH0C/n97DAA/Ey.GAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'01) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For an excellent book on all aspects of still design, see "The Compleat Distiller" at http://www.amphora-society.com. See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. For fuel alcohol stills see the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual at http://jour
[biofuel] Vacuum fermentation
A wee while back there was a discussion about vacuum fermentation for fuel grade ethanol (George ?) Have just found a basic page about it at Purdue Uni. Doesnt add much more detail, but has diagrams. http://www.esb.ucp.pt/~bungah/working/vacferm.htm Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Buy Stock for $4. No Minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/6GDALA/VovDAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'01) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. For fuel alcohol stills see the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual at http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meToC.html, and the The Manual for the Home and Farm Production of
[biofuel] self-made vacuum
>Think of a PotStill, with the fermenter being the Pot, and a very >long Lyne Arm running to the bottom of a hill. With liquid in the >Lyne Arm flowing by gravity, when a valve is opened to draw off some >liquid, a vacuum would be created in the fermenter. Shutting off the >valve at the bottom, would allow the vapor to condense, creating more >vacuum. But you'd need some way to make sure that the vacuum only acted on the liquid in the fermentor, or else it will just draw vapour out of the liquid in the lyne arm too (hence no net gain). Keep on with these ideas - I'm sure you're on to something. Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] vacuum distillation
> The concept that I had and didnt fully explain was to use the large > propane tank as a vacuum reservoir to draw the vapors into the tank > to be drained from the bottom after they condensed. This would > isolate the air compressor from the ethanol vapor. Great concept ! I didn't think that the volume of CO2 would be a problem, as its generated reasonably slowly over the period of fermentation - eg the airlock on top of my fermentor steadily bubbles away, its not exactly a huge flowrate. I was thinking though of the problem of running your compressor 24/7. But the vacuum reservoir deals to that nicely. Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] Re: Vacuum distillation
Roger, >excellent tony just the info that is needed. do you >have any thoughts on whether yeast will survive a low >vacuum environment? Sorry - no ideas about that one. On the whole though, yeast seems to be quite a hardy wee bugger, and will withstand quite a bit thrown at it. Worth a try. Tony http://homedistiller.org Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] Vacuum distillation
I have some calculations showing the change in water-ethanol equilibrium as a result of reduced pressure, at http://homedistiller.org/designs.htm#vacuum If you want to play with the calculations themselves, i have a wee spreadsheet : http://homedistiller.org/Theory.xls cheers Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/ACHqaB/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] [new_distillers] New ethanol discussion board available
As part of relocating my Home Distillation site, Dave has helped set up a discussion board, as an alternative to these ones here at YahooGroups (but it won't have adds ! - you won't be 10 pounds lighter anymore). http://www.homedistiller.org/forums/wwwthreads.php?Cat= Its broken down into the categories of .. * Research and Theory * Stills and Appurtenances * Mash/Ferment/Distill * Flavouring and Aging * Alcohol as Fuel * Resources and Reviews Yet another resource for distillers to utilise. Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/Pv4pGD/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'01) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" at http://www.Moonshine-Still.com (Free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. For fuel alcohol stills see the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual at http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meToC.html, and the The Manual for the Home and Farm Production of
[biofuel] Kiwi_Distiller moved
Yep, thanks to Dave I've now moved from Geocities (who were capping the amount of traffic to the site) to : http://www.homedistiller.org All the content is the same, so you'll still feel at home there. We're going to set up some discussion boards too, will let ya know once they're running. A few other members have also offered to chip in their skills, and we'll see about trying to set up some mirror sites too - something close to ya, so that you'll get it all at a reasonable speed. Again - more details once its done. Hopefully we'll be able to still use the Geocities site as a mirror site, so all the old links & references will still work. Appologies in advance should we find a few teething problems in the coming weeks, but we'll try our best to get it all working soon. cheers Tony (& Dave) Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/ujOgTC/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] StillMaker - updated and better than ever !
The StillMaker site has been updated, and moved to a new location. Titled "Build a World Class Distillation Apparatus" its now at Http://www.Moonshine-Still.com As well as the usual "two through tube" design (the internal reflux model), there is a new version - a reflux column with a top mounted condensor, using a beer keg as the boiler (the valved reflux model). It looks great ! Download his site and the still plans, for FREE, either as a Word document : Http://www.Moonshine-Still.com/Still.doc PDF : Http://www.Moonshine-Still.com/still.pdf Zipped HTML file : Http://www.Moonshine-Still.com/StillMaker.ZIP Highly recommend it. Tony [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Get your FREE credit report with a FREE CreditCheck Monitoring Service trial http://us.click.yahoo.com/M8mxkD/bQ8CAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] [Distillers] New Distillers FAQ
New Distillers FAQ ** "NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (July'01) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? 17) Can I use a reflux still to make rum or whisky ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 96.48 %(by volume)), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers : http://stillmaker.dreamhost.com/ (free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. A good book is Ian Smileys "Making Pure Corn Whisky" at http://www.magma.ca/~smiley/main.htm, with full design details. For fuel alcohol stills see the Mother Earth Alcohol Fuel manual at http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meToC.html, and the The Manual for the Home and Farm Production of Alcohol
[biofuel] Re: Back to the Zeolite thang....
>Now all you need is the 95% ethanol! :-) . -K Ken - see http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller for how to do this Its easy to build a hobby still capable of this, for well under US$150 Tony Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~--> Small business owners... Tell us what you think! http://us.click.yahoo.com/vO1FAB/txzCAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM -~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] Re: Still Plans
>What size pot and what size column would one need to >produce 5 gallons of ethanol per day? It depends on how long you want to spend making that 5 gallons ! eg: my 1380W heating element is well suited to 40 mL/min (0.6 gal/hour), so that would take you about 8.5 hours to run off 5 gallons. However, if you had a 3 kW element, you'd half the time and only take 4+ hours. A 6kW element 2+ hours etc. You can predict the flowrate from the calculator at http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/dtw.htm#use_fract Note that you'll want a reflux ratio of around 2-5. If you make the column taller, or use better packing, then the reflux ratio can be less. Each time you double the heat input, you need to double the cross-sectional area of the column. Note though that this doesn't mean doubling the diameter.. cos it gets squared.. so if a 1.5 inch column is fine at 1380W then at 3kW you'd be looking at around 2-2.5 inch diameter (minimum) and, the 3+ inch diameter (mimimum) for a 6kW setup. I have an interactive design calculator at http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/reflux_calc.htm which does this for you. The sizes it predicts are sorta on the little side - it would pay to beef up any predictions a tad just to be safe (it won't cost any more) The size of the pot is basically irrelevant. It doesn't change the performance of the column greatly. So ... if you wanted to do all 5 gallons in one hit, and assuming your mash is around 10% alcohol, then you're looking at a 50 gallon pot. Fairly big huh ? How about a 25 gallon one you fill twice, or a 10 gallon one you fill 5 times ... etc. the choice is yours. The advantage of doing a bigger volume is that once its up and running there's less messing around - eg you only need to fine tune the column once, and then watch & adjust as it goes, rather than 5 times say ... In your pot, you also want to allow a bit of headroom - for foaming, etc. Leave about 1/4 to 1/3 of it spare. This is where anything you can do to increase the % during fermentation can be an advantage, eg a 20% mash would only take up half as much room, but a 5% mash will be 100 gallons ! A big pot (50 gallons) will take a long time to get up to distilling temperature. You may want to consider using additional heating to get it up to temperature. This is where you can get to thinking about making a more continuous set-up. Then the pot doesn't need to be so large (only a couple of litres/quarts ?), and all you'll need is say another meter or so of column to act as a stripping/analysing section below the feed point (haven't done it myself, but have a few ideas). The height of the column, its type of packing, and the amount/ratio of reflux that you use will determine the purity that you achieve. (Notice that heat input and pot size don't factor). Using a high-surface area packing such as stainless steel scrubbers will let you get about 93-95% purity with a 1m column. To get the same, using say marbles or glass pieces or raschig rings, you'll need a taller column - say 1.5m+ This is all explained at http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/refluxdesign.htm Have a good look through the pages at http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/ , then please do ask any more questions. I don't always have the answers, but there is generally someone in the "Distillers" newsgroup at YahooGroups who has "been-there, done that" and can offer some advice. Tony Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] "New Distillers" FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'00) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.yahoogroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 95.6%), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers : http://stillmaker.dreamhost.com/ (free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5). See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. Regarding the choice of heating for the still - if you have 240V available it is usually easiest to control & safer (particularly with internal elements). Gas can be used, but more care is needed to keep the collection container further away and not letting it overfill. 6) How do I make a whisky / vodka / rum / gin ? Whiskey : Heat 4 kg cracked or crushed malt with 18 L of water to 63-65C, and hold there for 1-1.5 hours. H
[biofuel] Still plans
Marc, Are you refering to the "StillMaker" design ? The site for it is http://stillmaker.dreamhost.com I also have a copy of it on my site; http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/still.pdf I also have other plans for stills, both pot and reflux; see http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/designs.htm , and there are many pages of photos (http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/others.htm) from which to draw inspiration and enthusiasm. See http://www.geocities.com/kiwi_distiller/ for a full menu of my site. cheers Tony Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[biofuel] [new_distillers] New Distillers FAQ
New Distillers FAQ ** "NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'00) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.egroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 95.6%), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers : http://stillmaker.dreamhost.com/ (free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5), or for a fractionating column see Nixon & Stones : http://www.gin-vodka.com/ (US$8). See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. Regarding the choice of heating for the still - if you have 240V available it is usually easiest to control & safer (particularly with internal elements). Gas can be used, but more care is needed to keep the collection container further away and not letting it overfill. 6) How do I make a whisky / vodka / rum / gin ? Wh
[biofuel] Continuous still ?
I've been toying with the idea of a continuous still. Applicable to either drinking alcohol or for fuel. A bit of fun for a 20L hobbiest, but probably worth the effort for those doing bigger washes. Once you knew what the "balanced" flowrates were for your particular setup, it wouldn't take too much stuffing around - simply turn on, get it up to temperature in 5-10 minutes, then you'd be in business. Don't know if I'd get around to making it, but something to ponder on a Sunday afternoon. Here's my thoughts so far ...any suggestions/comments/questions would be helpful. There's a poorly drawn diagram attached to assist with the description. Basically, provide a rectifying section to attach below the usual 1.0 - 1.5m packed reflux column (eg Nixon-Stone design.). It would comprise a small "boiler", and a 0.5m packed rectifying column, preheating the feed by passing it through the boiler. (Go have a look at the drawing now) For it to work, it would need to have about 40-50cm of packing (use stainless steel scrubbers), in say a 1.5 to 2 inch column. This should be enough room to fully strip the ethanol from the incoming wash, and end up with a bottoms product very low in ethanol - low enough to discard on a continuous basis. Just need to double-check the maths sometime, but should be ball-park for now. Probably need a bit of mesh/perforated plate or something to keep the packing in place. To preheat the incoming wash, pass it through some 3/16 or 1/4 inch tubing doing a few coils in the "boiler" section at the bottom. Need enough length (and slow enough flow rate inside it) so that the wash would be superheated to over 95C. Would want a fair length of tube here (5-10 feet ?), but without creating too much pressure restriction to cause the feed to not feed (haven't worked out the head required to overcome this (yet)) Introduce the wash into/through this coil by siting the wash barrel higher than the feed location - gravity to do the pushing. Given that the feed location (top of the packing in the rectifying section) is only about 0.5m off the ground, this only means sitting the still on the floor, and the wash barrel on a bench or higher. After pasing through the heating zone, the tubing goes up the center of the packed rectifying section, and discharges onto the top of the packing in the bottom section. The "boiler" section would be as small as possible. Just enough space to fit a heating element and the preheating coil. Less than 1 litre ? Maintain the bottoms liquid level by having an overflow tube. Immerse the inside end under the liquid level, so that the vapour doesn't try to escape out it. Have a vent on the outside of it so that it doesn't try to siphon out all the contents. To avoid boiling it dry, have the simple precaution of always ensure that there is overflow occuring (there should be anyhow due to mass balance). Maybe get an element with some sort of automatic cut-out on it that protects against boiling dry. If you wanted, you could mount a simple sight-glass for the liquid level, by having a clear tube from the base of the boiler up the outside, open at the top - the liquid level in the tube would be the liquid level in the boiler The top of the rectifying section would just screw into the bottom of your regular column. If making it from scratch, maybe just do in one single column, say 1.75m+ tall. Using the bottom element to do the preheating takes a bit of the energy, and changes the collection rate a little. eg usually an 1800W element would produce around 127 mL/minute at 95% purity from the top of the column (once the pot contents were up to distilling temperature). But preheating a continuous feed of wash at 10% purity would take about 1436W, leaving only 364W to make vapour from (eg 26 mL/min of vapour). For mass balance, you'd need to limit the wash flowrate to around 245 mL/minute, from which you'd collect a proportion of the 26 mL/min depending on what reflux ratio your column needed to make the 95% purity. How would you control the column ? Only a valve on the wash feed line, and the one at the top of the column that controls the reflux ratio/collection rate. Might even pay to have a simple rotameter in the wash feed line to see what the flowrate there was (its like a wee cone/float in a transparent bit of tube - the faster the flow the further up it gets pushed). Or just use a measuring cup and a stopwatch, and make sure that your collection rate of distillate was less than feed rate * (feed purity/distillate purity). The joy of the continous set up would be that while you're doing this balancing, any stuff-ups just get recycled back into the wash barrel - no loss other than your time. It would probably pay to have a thermometer also in the boiler section, to check on its temperature/purity. If the temperature started slipping down below 100.0C too much, it could be an indication that
[biofuel] [new_distillers] New Distillers FAQ
"NEW DISTILLERS" Frequently Asked Questions (Sept'00) Posted near the 1st of each month, to the NEW_DISTILLERS newsgroup at www.egroups.com Please email any additions, corrections, clarifications required, etc regarding the FAQ to Tony Ackland ([EMAIL PROTECTED]), however please direct any general questions to the newsgroup itself. *** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? 2) Is it legal ? 3) Will it make me blind ? 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? 5) How do I get or make a still ? 6) How do I make a whisky / rum / vodka / gin ? 7) Should I use sugar or grains ? 8) Can I use fruit wine ? 9) How do I get rid of that "off-taste" ? 10) How do I measure the strength of it & dilute it ? 11) How do I flavour/turn the vodka's into something else ? 12) What web resources are there ? 13) How do I contact the NEW DISTILLERS news group ? 14) Can I run my car on it ? 15) How do I convert between gallons and litres and 16) What is a "Thumper" ? ** 1) Is distilling hard to do ? Nope - if you can follow instructions enough to bake scones, then you can sucessfully distil. To distil well however, will require you to understand what you're doing, so read around and get a bit of information under your belt before you begin. 2) Is it legal ? Probably not. It is only legal in New Zealand, and some European countries turn a blind eye to it, but elsewhere it is illegal, with punishment ranging from fines to imprisonment or floggings. This action against it is usually the result of either religous beliefs (right or wrong), but more generally due to the great revenue base it provides Governements through excise taxes. So if you are going to distil, just be aware of the potential legal ramifications. 3) Will it make me blind ? Not if you're careful. This pervasive question is due to moonshine lore, which abounds with myths of blindness, but few actual documented cases. The concern is due to the presence of methanol (wood alcohol), an optic nerve poison, which can be present in small amounts when fermenting grains or fruits high in pectin. This methanol comes off first from the still, so it is easily segregated and discarded. A simple rule of thumb for this is to throw away the first 50 mL you collect (per 20 L mash used). Probably the greatest risk to your health during distilling is the risk of fire - collecting a flammable liquid near a heat source. So keep a fire extinguisher nearby. 4) Whats the difference between a pot still, reflux still, and fractionating column ? A pot still simply collects and condenses the alcohol vapours that come off the boiling mash. This will result in an alcohol at about 40-60% purity, with plenty of flavour in it. If this distillate were put through the pot still again, it would increase in purity to around 70-85% purity, and lose a bit of its flavour. A reflux still does these multiple distillations in one single go, by having some packing in a column between the condensor & the pot, and allowing some of the vapour to condense and trickle back down through the packing. This "reflux" of liquid helps clean the rising vapour and increase the % purity. The taller the packed column, and the more reflux liquid, the purer the product will be. The advantage of doing this is that it will result in a clean vodka, with little flavour to it - ideal for mixing with flavours etc. A fractionating column is a pure form of the reflux still. It will condense all the vapour at the top of the packing, and return about 9/10 back down the column. The column will be quite tall - say 600-1200mm (2-4 foot), and packed with a material high in surface area, but which takes up little space (pot scrubbers are good for this). It will result in an alcohol 95%+ pure (the theoretical limit without using a vacuum is 95.6%), with no other tastes or impurities in it. 5) How do I get or make a still ? If you're after a pot still, these are generally home made using what-ever you have at hand - say copper tubing and old water heaters or pressure cookers. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux stil plans see Stillmakers : http://stillmaker.dreamhost.com/ (free!) or Gert Strands : http://partyman.se/Engelsk/default.htm (US$5), or for a fractionating column see Nixon & Stones : http://www.gin-vodka.com/ (US$8). See the list of "web resources" below for links to sites selling ready-made stills. Regarding the choice of heating for the still - if you have 240V available it is usually easiest to control & safer (particularly with internal elements). Gas can be used, but more care is needed to keep the collection container further away and not letting it overfill. 6) How do I make a whisky / vodka / rum / gin ? Whiskey : Heat 4 kg cracked or crushed malt with 18 L of water to 63-65C, and hold there
RE: [biofuel] RE: [Distillers] Collecting impurities
Robert, Thanks for the reply. I have a couple of questions/myths that you might help me with... >However, the doubler (or thumper, as >some people call it) did most of the work of >removing the methanol as it was easily flash >cooled by the water in the doubler. Perhaps even >more important is the fact that the methanol is >easily soluble in the water, and that it is the >fact that methanol is a more aggressive solvent >(in other words, faster to react with other >elements) which makes it react quickly with the >water and therefore enter into a chemical mixture >or compound. How is it that the methanol forms a more positive bond with the water in the doubler, compared to the water in the original wash ? I can understand it initially being collected in there when the doubler is cold, but doesn't this heat up after a while (because of the hot vapours passing through it), and then the methanol will start to come out of solution as easily as it did off the inital wash ? I haven't seen a doubler in action, but I'd figure that it would be operating at around 82-85C after a while - warm enough to vaporise a fair bit of its methanol. What sort of reaction is taking place - what are the compounds it forms ? I had presumed that it would be fairly inert toward water. Why wouldn't these form (& stay) in the inital wash too ? >Now, the fusil oils get trapped for a >different reason. They are also easily removed by >the water which is cooling the vapors, but then it >gets trapped by the surface tension of the water. >It floats to the top, and gets poured off with the >bottoms water. I wonder if anyone has tried using surface tension modifiers to get this happening a little better, non-ionic surfactants and the like ? There must be a suitable one out there which would enhance this feature. I had presumed that they were retained here (more than in the wash) because of the doublers lower temperature than the wash (eg 90-96C), and hence lower volitility. cheers, Tony Big Groups = big savings @ beMANY! http://click.egroups.com/1/4112/4/_/837408/_/960078109/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
