Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I use my lm still as a pot all the time. Just run it without packing. Works great.
It will do as it can do both. However, I want to upgrade to a bubbler when I can.

Thanks for the advice guys!

I think I've settled on a design to get me started, now just looking into either building a dedicated boiler or using me brew pot (not keen on this plan - even tho it's the cheapest - I don't like the idea of ethanol (and other distilled byproduct), when using a bbq bottle and triple ring burner!). Besides, I have twin 15A circuits in the shed - might as well use them!

I've read more than a few people do so without problems, which is heartening- but I'm 'that guy' (if it can happen it would happen to me!)

I reakon electricity is definately the go.especially twin 15a :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I would not be game to use gas while stilling. Plenty round here do though..

Hey mate I'm fairly new to the game as well. I bought 2 meters of 2" with the idea of using 500mm for a pot still head and the other 1500mm for a Boka. After a lot of success with the pot still I have scrapped the Boka idea and just building a 4" 4 plate bubbler. My best suggestion if money is a deciding factor is to make friends with your local metal scrap yard. I paid around 100 bob for my initial pot still and now I'm cutting it up for parts haha. I will come in well under 500 for my bubbler build but this couldn't be achieved at retail prices. Good luck mate.

where abouts (roughly) are you Rolli?

in time you might find a member who will show you his rig running... i was lucky enough to find one and wow!!! learned a years running in one day! good times...

What did you deciede on a boka and a pot?

Redux wrote:where abouts (roughly) are you Rolli?

in time you might find a member who will show you his rig running... i was lucky enough to find one and wow!!! learned a years running in one day! good times...

I'm in perth.

Bluc- going to build a pot still first, if time and interest allows I may still make a boka as well - having had a good read it seems the pot still will adequately do what I want it to do while I cut my teeth and learn the ropes

My current thinking is to build a 4" pot still straight off the bat, if I make it 'modular' I can get excited later on with bubble plates and the like.

I am wonder long tho, if it's worth putting a shotty into the still straight off the bat?

Rolli wrote:My current thinking is to build a 4" pot still straight off the bat, if I make it 'modular' I can get excited later on with bubble plates and the like.

I am wonder long tho, if it's worth putting a shotty into the still straight off the bat?

I built one straight up for my pot, I was a bit impatient with cleaning and had problems with leaking
However I don't regret doing it at all
When I was heating over gas, I could turn my adjustable regulator all the way up and crank out around 13L an hour on stripping runs, with just a trickle of water
Wasted a whole lot of gas, tho :))

The first thing I ever soldered was the 2" shotgun on my old pot still.

If you build it now, you won't have to build it later! They're really not that hard.

Hi all,

Thought I’d drag up my old thread, as I’ve recently decided to build a still (again), and after a series of huge changes in my life now is a much better time to dedicated effort in not only building but using a still!

Anyway, after re reading others advice here, and scouring the board plus other corners of the Internet, I think I’ve settled on making myself a CCVM still, with the ability to remove the reflux condenser and cap off the still head to run as a pot still.

My plan currently sits as a beer keg boiler. As I’ve moved houses, I no longer have the power available to me that I did years ago so it looks like I’ll probably have to run this off lpg bottles, as the house I’m in now only has a single 10A circuit for the gpo’s (and it’s a rental so I can’t change it).

I’m planning to have a 1000mm tall reflux column, then coming off a T piece back to a 500mm long shotgun condenser, and a coil reflex condenser at the head. Based on my research and someone’s suggestion previously, I’m planning to use 75mm copper tube.

Two big questions I have right now are, if the keg has a 50mm fitting, is it worth replacing it with a 75mm ferrule to match the column width, or will the restriction that low have negligible effect? Also, I’m struggling to find any copper tube locally (Rockingham \ Perth) presumably the copper prices being what they are has made it a scarce item in salvage yards. Is buying new copper through a plumbing store my only option? Or does anyone have a pearl of wisdom as to where to find suitable tube around Perth without the plumbing store prices??

If anyone has any comments or suggestions for my plan, I’m all ears!! And also thanks to all the folks that comments previously, it’s been a huge help to look back on and get clearer on a reasonable first step.

Cheers
Rolli.

Welcome back Rolli
I am not a builder ,but there are many on here so they will be able to comment on your plans. For me I would suggest scarcity equals high cost so I would revisit what you are planning to spend and weigh that up against what you can buy sometimes building is not always cheaper. Having said that there is also great joy in building from scratch. You budget is always worth checking lol, much like measurements before you cut anything.
Enjoy the journey mate