Professor Green wrote:I know you're probably very keen to get started but I would wait, try and save a few pennies, and get something decent rather than cobble up something on the cheap. Safety is a big concern with this pastime as it can go disastrously (and potential fatally) wrong very easily and we would not like to hear that you burnt your house down with a poorly constructed still.
As I mentioned earlier, it may also be well worth your while to keep an eye on the for sale section here as there a quite often cracking bargains to be had.
If you fill out your general location in your profile, you might be able to find someone to offer you localised help too.
Cheers,
Prof. Green.
:text-+1:
Unfortunately when I first got interested in this hobby I had just lost my job to some total bullshit, but that's another story, I was receiving no income at all. Once I sorted out centrelink on a humbling $460 a fortnight I went to the local H.B.S had a chat with the guy, asked about the different still options they had and if they would do lay-buy. He said I could lay-buy for the at least 12 months if I needed as long as I made regular payments. For the first few months it was hell and felt like I was never going to get the still out of lay-buy. I was lucky enough to have a small fishing boat that I was not going to be able to afford to run anytime soon and it hadn't seen water for about 16 months prior. So I sold that for what was remaining on the still and got it out in less time than anticipated. However moral of the story here is that it is possible to get what you're after.
Then I picked up an alembic pot still head that came for sale on facebook for $50 so now I can start to experiment with brown spirits for not a lot of investment.
What im really trying to say is be patient and explore every option you have thoroughly before making a decision.