The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Reflux still design and discussion

The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Heffers » Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:42 pm

Good Evening All,

I just finished typing a massive spiel about how to make and use this still........ and fuck me in the ass if my shitbag computer didn't wipe it all on me. :angry-banghead: :crying-green:

Anyway here it is

Image

It gets 95.something% easier than Errol Flynn flicked off your mum's undies. It was easier to build than a Lego brick wall and cheaper to build than a match stick shit house.


Anyway, I was well into a massive documentary about how good MANU De HANOI's awesome still design is when calamity struck. Important bits are as follows;

1600mm x 2.5 inch high
650mm x 2 inch lyne arm
350mm column to collection (along the length of lyne arm)
440mm single wound 1/4 inch copper coil.

Would love to stay and chat about how fucking cool this cheap and easy still is....but I do really need to kill a computer right now.

Cheers, Heffers.
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby devotus » Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:17 am

Looks good mate.
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Swede » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:13 am

Cool, that's the only one I've ever seen besides manu's still.

A few questions,

How controllable is it? Also, is the water temperature critical, ie, if you use a recirculating system with a reservoir, does the temp change as it heats up affect take off rate?
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Heffers » Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:04 am

G'day Swede,

This thing is super controllable. With a single wound coil, changes of about a centimetre result in minute differences in collection : reflux ratio. Water flow does affect control so I imagine that cooling water temperature would also have an effect (I run mine from the tap so I can't say from experience). This still is so easy to dial in it's not funny.

Cheers, Heffers
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby R-sole » Mon Dec 05, 2011 8:49 am

Swede wrote:Cool, that's the only one I've ever seen besides manu's still.

A few questions,

How controllable is it? Also, is the water temperature critical, ie, if you use a recirculating system with a reservoir, does the temp change as it heats up affect take off rate?



Have a look around, check the posts by Spud1700, he built a stack of em.


I'll stick with my VM for minute control, but there's no doubting they are cheap and easy to build.

Are you temp correcting your abv readings? That's something that has to be taken into account (with boks as well) and you can do it easily enough by printing out a chart to have on hand and checking a few readings by cooling to the right temp and rechecking.
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Heffers » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:10 am

Yep, thats temp corrected.

96% at 22.9 degrees = 95.4% (readings taken just then)

So unless my alcometer or thermometer is incorrect, that's the good oil.

Cheers, Heffers
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby maheel » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:23 am

i do like how you can easily maximize height on the column on these

at the column end of the condenser is there a reflux return tube or something ?

i was thinking you could easily add a valve on the output tube if you wanted to return to full reflux without moving the coil
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Jimmy1 » Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:28 am

Heffers wrote: easier than Errol Flynn flicked off your mum's undies. It was easier to build than a Lego brick wall and cheaper to build than a match stick shit house.

Cheers, Heffers.

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: Fucken love it
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Frank » Mon Dec 05, 2011 5:35 pm

Heffers wrote:Good Evening All,
I just finished typing a massive spiel about how to make and use this still........ and fuck me in the ass if my shitbag computer didn't wipe it all on me. :angry-banghead: :crying-green: .................
Cheers, Heffers.


Hey Heffers,
its great to hear the new toy is running like a beauty. Good on ya and (warning: personal bias follows) keep aiming at that peaty whisky goal :dance: meanwhile.....
mate, your PC has most likely placed the still desc text that you wrote in some form of retrievable memory-based log but...well...(warning: personal bias follows)the 'prize' just doesn't make me want to help any further...sorry :laughing-rolling: :teasing-neener:

Good call too 5Star, Spud has done similar (and, for sure, more than once) but I'm not aware of any problems with running them that he's found (of course, I'm not aware of LOTS of things :roll: )
Frank
 

Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Heffers » Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:13 pm

maheel wrote:at the column end of the condenser is there a reflux return tube or something ?



It sure is. I was doing a bit of testing and noticed that reflux, when running down the lyne arm, would shoot straight over onto the far wall of the column. That collection tube just diverts all the reflux into the centre of the packing.

Cheers, Heffers
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby Icarus » Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:04 pm

Great to see something run and perform better than a singer sewing machine, (this gives away my age).

How much spirit per hour does it produce?

cheers from Icarus in QLD
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Re: The Easiest Still With The Best Results.

Postby MacStill » Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:15 pm

It would need a reflux centering tab where the head joins the column I would imagine, however I reckon a dual slant plate bok is easier to build in it's simplest form. ;)

If you need to keep your still short, as suggested before these would be great for maximising packed column length.
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