Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

My first attempt at a simple pot still. It’s an unashamed copy of SBB’s Pelican. I originally thought I would be fitting this to a T500 boiler, hence this style of still, but I was lucky enough to source a 50L keg. I liked the look of SBB’s still so much that I decided to stick with it. I'm still waiting on a SS compression coupler to attach the liebig condenser, but otherwise she's all go (if it doesn't arrive soon I will just solder the condenser on and use it. I can cut the pipe and fit the coupler when it arrives!)

A big shout out to Plumby for sending me down some 2” and passing on some really helpful tips. :handgestures-thumbupleft: I’m tremendously impressed with the community that is this forum. The technical information, advice and support is awesome. I honestly would not have seen myself attempting something like this a couple of months ago. Thanks also to SBB for the design and FSD for some bits. :text-thankyoublue:

But where does it stop….. I’ve already started collecting bits for a ‘2 cups boka’ build for neutrals and have been closely looking at some 4” bubbler builds. Cant see myself getting the Airstill out again any time soon :roll:

Awesome pot mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: well done, I'd be soldering the bugger and running her tomorrow.
As you said, you can always cut it and add the ss later.
Have you got anything ready for a sac run?

Doubleuj wrote:Awesome pot mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: well done, I'd be soldering the bugger and running her tomorrow.
As you said, you can always cut it and add the ss later.
Have you got anything ready for a sac run?

No I'm in the middle of a rum wash - 3rd generation now.
I did keep the spirit from my first turbo wash through the airstill. I've got about a litre @ 50 something %, but that won't be enough. I've got a couple of fermenters free so I might do a quick TPW or maybe something quicker to finish. Any suggestions?

Do I need to do a 50/50 vinegar cleaning run? I was able st soak the whole thing in citric acid.

You're in good company if you are copying Salty's design.
Well done :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Nicely done mate

No worries man happy to help where I can. I too can't stop thinking about my next build, I have been thinking about a thumper for my pot still but I don't know where to start lol.

Top notch job mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Definitely looks better on the keg :teasing-tease:

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

Doubleuj wrote:Awesome pot mate :handgestures-thumbupleft: well done, I'd be soldering the bugger and running her tomorrow.
As you said, you can always cut it and add the ss later.

Yep, got impatient and soldered the bugger on. Had a little boiler drama with the vinegar run - a leak around the weldless element fitting when things heated up. The pot head was fine. I drained the keg,removed the element and hammered the curve out of the keg a bit at the fitting. My old CUB keg is a bit wider and shorter than this keg so the curve isn't quite as pronounced, I never had a leak with that one. Lucky it was just a cleaning run so all I lost was a bit of vinegar.

Going to do a goon and garbage run tonight and back in as a cleaning spirit run tomorrow morning and play around with my power controller to try to get a feel for things.

Its currently running with just water (checking to make sure the leak is fixed :handgestures-thumbupleft:) and stripping about 25 minutes per litre @ 22C. Pretty happy with that. :happy-partydance:

Looking good mate, just a suggestion, when your fitting arrives try to have your water coming in from underneath not from above. This way you will eliminate possible hose kinkage.

Plumby wrote:Looking good mate, just a suggestion, when your fitting arrives try to have your water coming in from underneath not from above. This way you will eliminate possible hose kinkage.

Makes sense now you mention it :oops: .Thanks yet again mate.

Thought you would :laughing-rolling:
That looks like a nice stream you've got going there too :handgestures-thumbupleft:
What Zac taught me was to wind a pot back until you get a broken stream and then slowly increase your power/ or decrease your water till you just get an unbroken stream.
Understand though that your sac run (alcohol) will behave differently than this water run.

Thanks for that.
Should get this all sorted by the time my rum wash finishes in the fermenter. No more 5 x 4L runs through the Airstill @ 3 1/2 hours each!! (though, in all honesty it wasn't that bigger inconvenience - just took a while :whistle: )

Decreasing water in a pot still does not seem like a good idea. For that to be decreasing production you would be creating vapour. Are you thinking of an rc wj?

I have never said you should reduce the water flow to a pot still. There is no change in speed or quality to be had by reducing the water to a PC.

A bubbler RC is a different story, but that's for another thread.

bluc wrote:Decreasing water in a pot still does not seem like a good idea. For that to be decreasing production you would be creating vapour. Are you thinking of an rc wj?

Oops yeah my bad :violence-smack: never reduce water on a pc, would do nothing but create potential vapour.
Zak only ever said to dial down the controller/ input voltage. Sorry mate.

Zak Griffin wrote:I have never said you should reduce the water flow to a pot still. There is no change in speed or quality to be had by reducing the water to a PC.

A bubbler RC is a different story, but that's for another thread.

Sorry mate, my bad. Zak never suggested reducing the water on a pc, it was my cock up confusing stills. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

Righto, just fiddle with the controller. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

peter01010101 wrote:Righto, just fiddle with the controller. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

awesome looking still mate, im looking at building something similar, as i love the look of it.

How long is you liebig? and how much is jacketed? cheers

oh also how long is the 2" column?

thanks again