[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
x-charset ISO-8859-1NEW DISTILLERS Frequently Asked Questions (Feb'03) 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, and easily observed via changes in the vapour temperature. 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. The cases where you do hear about people poisoned by illict spirits have been the terrible situations where adulterants such as methanol, antifreeze, battery acid etc have been added to the spirits afterwards by unscrupulous sellers (for what misguided reasons ??). If you have had a healthy fermentation take place, it is infact very difficult to make methanol. The other problems have been lead poisoning when people have used lead-based products (ie lead solder) when constructing their still, instead of something more appropriate for food-grade vessels. The rules should infact be dont buy spirits from an unknown supplier - but its very safe to distill for yourself. 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
Re: [biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
On Wed, 21 May 2003 09:30 am, Ackland, Tony (CALNZAS) wrote: NEW DISTILLERS Frequently Asked Questions (Feb'03) snip 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. *poink* well, that was a load of BS. no documented cases? what about the 2 or 3 dozen people killed in a single incident in China a year or so ago? face it, distilling alcohol for human consumption is not an activity to be taken on lightly. you really need to know what you are doing, have access to high grade equipment and testing facilities to allow for QA. I know a lot about engineering and am fairly confident I could do this. But unless I had access to a well equipt lab I wouldn't bother. The consequences of stuffing it up, the relatively high chance of stuffing it up AT SOME POINT and the difficulty of easily determining when you have stuffed it up combine to convince me that this is something you should not attempt. buy your alcohol from the shop. sure, you pay govt taxes, make large companies a nice profit, but you are significantly less likely to end up blind, brain damaged or dead. *sheesh* on the other hand, for making BD inputs, I say go for it hammer and tongs. -- Dr Paul van den Bergen Centre for Advanced Internet Architectures caia.swin.edu.au [EMAIL PROTECTED] IM:bulwynkl2002 And some run up hill and down dale, knapping the chucky stones to pieces wi' hammers, like so many road makers run daft. They say it is to see how the world was made. Sir Walter Scott, St. Ronan's Well 1824 Yahoo! Groups Sponsor -~-- Get A Free Psychic Reading! Your Online Answer To Life's Important Questions. http://us.click.yahoo.com/Lj3uPC/Me7FAA/uetFAA/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 (Feb'03) 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. You don't really need any plans for these - just follow any of the photos about. Reflux stills can be made from plans on the net, or bought from several manufacturers. For reflux still plans see The photos section at http://homedistiller.org/photos-ns.htm for Offset head designs, and http://homedistiller.org/photos-reflux.htm for general reflux
[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 design, see
[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 the Mother Earth
[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
[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 Alcohol Fuel
[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 Alcohol Fuel by S.W. Mathewson at
[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 Alcohol Fuel
[biofuel] New Distillers FAQ
New Distillers FAQ ** NEW DISTILLERS Frequently Asked Questions (Dec'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 ?
