G'day from SA

[Whiskey Baron]

G'day folks - Steve is the name & I'm about to start my journey into the world of home distilling.

I was drawn into the hobby late last yr when a mate purchased a Turbo 500 still & he was raving on how good a drop he can make for a fraction of the price of something you would buy from the local bottle shop. Now no offence to the people who use this still & enjoy what it can make - but to me I wasn't impressed with all the stuff 1 has to add to a simple sugar wash (turbo yeasts, clearing agent, anti-foaming liquid) then filter it through an oversized Z-shaped kids drinking straw full of what looked to me granulated black chalk. Plus the taste just wasn't for me. Going home that night I was thinking surely there is a better still/ set up to make a nice home-made drop of booze.

So after several mths of research I stumbled across this website & imeadiently took a fancy to the recipes that consisted of regular supermarket ingredients - due to simplicity & low cost to make a batch. So for me purchasing a pot still was the way to go & I was VERY close to purchasing a 5 Star Distilling pot still - until this past weekend..

Saturday morning I went to check out a local garage sale due to some car parts were up for grabs that I was interested in. Strolling along the various items I came across a 30L boiler on a table that had a large suspicious hole in the lid. So when I asked the guy who was hosting the sale about it - he grabs a cardboard box & say "this goes on top" & pulls out a shiny copper Pure Distilling pot still. He said its been used once & he lost interest in it. Before you know it - my wallet was $300 lighter & I was the owner of an "as new" Pure Distilling pot still.

So here I'am - I have NO idea at all how this still works - flow rate (the boiler has no thermostat on the side - could be interesting for stripping runs) if it leaks, how to clean it, to make sure its ready to run etc. So Im asking fellow members what would be the way where I can not only clean the still but learn how it works, if it leaks etc & where I can start learning how to do stripping runs, cuts etc before diving into making a BWKO or something similar?

Thanx in advance

Steve - the Whiskey Baron.

[twojaythomo]

Hey mate how you going, it's too much info. to explain everything, all you need to know is on the forum though, cuts, washes etc. you will just have to do some reading and research before you begin, as for running it I have a pure distilling reflux and it uses not much water at all ( about 500-600mls a minute) as for a pot still have not used one yet but I would say slowly turn on the water when it's at boil and you should be able to workout the flow rate pretty quickly.

Hope this helped a little and welcome to the forum.

[Brendan]

Hey mate, all the usual 'how it works' stuff is on the forum here. Have a dig around and take your time reading.

From a safety standpoint, when you're ready to test for leaks, put a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water in your boiler (make sure there's plenty well above the element). When it's running, you can check for leaks that aren't obvious by holding a mirror close along any joins or suspect areas...if there's a vapour leak, it'll fog up :handgestures-thumbupleft:

The vinegar is also perfect for cleaning it, so you'll knock over two jobs in the one go!

[Whiskey Baron]

Cheers for the replys guys. I have been really getting into some deep reading here tonight in regards to cuts & running a still for 1st time.

Will certainly do the half vinegar & water through the still & use a mirror once I get home from work.

Getting rather itchy to fire her up

Cheers,

Whiskey Baron

[woodduck]

Hi mate, welcome.
I was like you I just couldn't wait to get started but trust me it does pay to do some reading, I don't think I have ever read this much not even in school lol. My suggestions are the newbees section, the pot still section and probably some of the ageing stuff too just to start with oh and especially the safety section and the "tell us your fuck up" section goes well with that. It's best to be safe first, this hobby can be dangerous if we don't watch what we're doing.
Anyway have fun. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

Welcome Steve,

not bad first choice but this hobby grows on you. if you need a hand sourcing stuff in Adelaide sing out bloke.

Enjoy the learning curve keep it simple and safe and progress over time.

bt1

[Sam.]

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Like said check out the newbies corner and the safety section to start with, if you have any more questions before firing it up let us know ;-)

[Ken]

Hey WB
I'm located near Mt.Pleasant and do a bit of 'stilling from time to time ;-) :))
If you need some tips or advice just drop me a note man.

[Urrazeb]

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: you've made the first step to making spirits that will shit on your mates turbo show :handgestures-thumbupleft: