Pictures from Byarozauka village in Belarus
(http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php)

Still in the forest1
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=8
Still in the forest2
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=9
Samogon with salo
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=10
Drinking samogon
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=11

wal

Samogon and lard! :) Nice! Sounds like just the thing for hard workers
and/or cold climates. The last pic suggests the guy closest to the
camera wasn't quite brave enough to drink with the locals though.

waljaco wrote:

>Pictures from Byarozauka village in Belarus
>(http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php)
>
>Still in the forest1
>http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=8
>Still in the forest2
>http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=9
>Samogon with salo
>http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=10
>Drinking samogon
>http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=11
>
>wal
>
>
>

hi im having a lil trouble with my copper pot still i have cleaned it
with sandpaper and a strong dose of muratic acid and after that i
washed it with lots of scalding hot soapy water then rinsed it with
lots of hot water and dryed it and i have boiled water and vinegar in
it for 4 hours and rinsed and dryed it again it looked clean enough
to eat off of it but i just did my 1st test run with it useing a 6
pack of beer and 1 gallon of water only wash and when it came out of
the condenser the first cup looked like orange juice the second
looked like lemonade and then it cleared up but by then it was almost
pure condensed water with the budwieser smell so i tried to strain it
through a coffee filter and the filter looked like rust when i
strained it so is there any other cleaning methods i can try thank
you

I have extracted this from  the still spirits site and have used the product
which works really well if you are distilling around 80% ,I am now using
plain white sugar  as I distill at 95%, but the product is great and if you
live in NZ then give it ago well worth the extra expense and produces a
clean crisp neutral alchol.

Cheers Ken Mc

Still Spirits Turbo Sugar
This blend of sugars and carbon has been developed specifically for use with
Still Spirits Turbo yeasts. This special blend of carbons continually treats
the wash during fermentation to ensure less by-products in the final wash.
Activated carbons used have tightly controlled pore size distribution to
trap those byproduct compounds known to produce off flavours in the wash
which will carry over in distillation.
Distilling a cleaner wash not only reduces the direct distilling by-products
but also reduces off flavours from cooked by-products.
The wash should be treated with Turbo Clear prior to distilling.

-------Original Message-------

From: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
Date: 04/29/04 14:28:44
To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Distillers] Re: Carbon in Wash

Hi Dave,
Thank you. Plenty of it here in NZ and we use it for filtering our spirits.
Regards
John
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: David Lunsford
   To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 1:52 PM
   Subject: Re: [Distillers] Re: Carbon in Wash


   Where can food grade activated charcoal be found in the U.S.? The local
   brewer said he didn't have a clue. Dave

















   At 01:22 AM 4/29/2004 -0000, you wrote:
   >    Hi John,
   >
   > Perhaps what was being said was that adding activated charcoal would
   >  Charcoal works due to
   > it's porosity and electrostatic charge, both of which will easily
   >"" by yeast during the fermentation.
   >
   >"" is a phrase used in the Wine / Brewing Industry to describe
   > how yeast will clog a filter media, such as diatomacious earth or
   >  Yeast cells, being HUGE as compared to chemical chains,
   > love clinging on course surfaces due to their flocking nature (in
   > reference to yeast floculation.......the description of yeasts ability
   >  By placing beachwood
   > logs in large conditioning tanks, A-B gave the yeast something to
   >  BTW - No flavor came from the
   > logs and they were steam cleaned after each use and they did not
   > remove any diacytals or sulfides.
   >
   > Soooooo........my humble opinion is to save your charcoal for after
   >  Adding it to a fermentation
   >  would probably be a waste since the yeast will just clog its pores
   > and bury it with sediment anyway.
   >
   > Regards,
   > BS
   >
   >
   >>"" to the wash at the start
   >> of the fermentation a more neutral spirit can be produced. How much
   >> should be added to a 25 litre wash?
   >> Can anyone help.
   >> Thank you
   >> John
   >
   >
   >
   >   Distillers list archives : http://archive.nnytech.net/
   >  FAQ and other information at http://homedistiller.org
   >
   >
   >  Yahoo! Groups Links
   >  To visit your group on the web, go to:
   >http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/
   >  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
   >Distillers-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   >  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
   >



   Distillers list archives : http://archive.nnytech.net/
   FAQ and other information at http://homedistiller.org



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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     b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     Distillers-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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Yahoo! Groups Links







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello
The person who made "Will's Still", please contact me. I have some
questions about the cooling system!

After such a dramatic cleansing it will take a while to "cure" . Like
a new frying pan requires a bit of time to become broken-in. Another
possibility is that you over heated the first batch and "burped" the
contents of the pot into the coil. If so, then the early distillates
contained yeast and other such products. Try running the still at
minimum temps for a cycle or two and see if the problem does not cure
itself.



--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "mark" <drybag1@m...> wrote:
> hi im having a lil trouble with my copper pot still i have cleaned it
> with sandpaper and a strong dose of muratic acid and after that i
> washed it with lots of scalding hot soapy water then rinsed it with
> lots of hot water and dryed it and i have boiled water and vinegar in
> it for 4 hours and rinsed and dryed it again it looked clean enough
> to eat off of it but i just did my 1st test run with it useing a 6
> pack of beer and 1 gallon of water only wash and when it came out of
> the condenser the first cup looked like orange juice the second
> looked like lemonade and then it cleared up but by then it was almost
> pure condensed water with the budwieser smell so i tried to strain it
> through a coffee filter and the filter looked like rust when i
> strained it so is there any other cleaning methods i can try thank
> you

When I cook in beer, it foams up a lot. I suspect foam got into your
lynn arm and out the condensate.

Beer is not a good cantidate for distillation due to proteins that
cause foam (nice in beer, not in a still I suspect).

Wash your still with warm water and a soft cloth. No need to use
sandpaper. Then try some cheap wine instead of  beer.

Sven.

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "mark" <drybag1@m...> wrote:
> hi im having a lil trouble with my copper pot still i have cleaned
it
> with sandpaper and a strong dose of muratic acid and after that i
> washed it with lots of scalding hot soapy water then rinsed it with
> lots of hot water and dryed it and i have boiled water and vinegar
in
> it for 4 hours and rinsed and dryed it again it looked clean enough
> to eat off of it but i just did my 1st test run with it useing a 6
> pack of beer and 1 gallon of water only wash and when it came out
of
> the condenser the first cup looked like orange juice the second
> looked like lemonade and then it cleared up but by then it was
almost
> pure condensed water with the budwieser smell so i tried to strain
it
> through a coffee filter and the filter looked like rust when i
> strained it so is there any other cleaning methods i can try thank
> you

Try the Pharmacy ( Chemist in the UK ).  we keep it in the Ambulance for
overdoses and poisonings.  cleans what's left in the tummy :)

Steve



----- Original Message ----- >    Date: Wed, 28 Apr 2004 20:52:57 -0500
>    From: David Lunsford <maxtonnage@...>
> Subject: Re: Re: Carbon in Wash
>
> Where can food grade activated charcoal be found in the U.S.? The local
> brewer said he didn't have a clue. Dave
>
>
>

Adding to Sven's great comment......

I have distilled a significant amount of beer based washes.  Prteins
are indeed a big source of the foaming and what you saw coming from
the still was a burst of foam that got into the arm and was forced
out by the steam behind it.
I have a 15 gal US beer keg boiler I tend to overrun at 12.5 gal.
Yes, I tend to inititially get quite a bit of discharge from the
condensor......about 2 - 3 cups.  It looks like crap and I feel all
tense while it's doing it.  What I have learned to do is the
following:

1.)  Add salt to the wash.

2.)  Pour all the beer wash into a large bucket or vessel of some
sort and beat it with a wire wisk.

Items 1.) and 2.) are meant to drive out any remaining CO2 in the
wash, which also causes a HUGE amount of foaming (I learned the hard
way!).  Just add salt to a glass of beer and it will provide a lot of
nucleation sites for CO2 bubbles to form.  Further, I've noticed it
stabilizes the boil a snick.

3.)  I have an electric boiler, and when the temperature gets close
to boiling, yet still under that temperature, I cut back the power
quite a bit.

Beer based washes produce some incredible tasting juice, so don't
give up!  The secret is in prepartion and observation.

Good luck!
BS


> When I cook in beer, it foams up a lot. I suspect foam got into
your
> lynn arm and out the condensate.
>
> Beer is not a good cantidate for distillation due to proteins that
> cause foam (nice in beer, not in a still I suspect).
>
> Wash your still with warm water and a soft cloth. No need to use
> sandpaper. Then try some cheap wine instead of  beer.
>
> Sven.

How do I know when my sugar wash has stuck? It has been bubbling for 4
weeks now, although slowing. I took the lid off to stir, and it had quite
an interesting odor, and I handed the spoon to the wife to hold while I was
putting the lid back on, and she tasted the liquid on the spoon, and said
it tasted quite sweet. I am a poor man, and haven't been able to procure a
hydrometer yet. If it is stuck, what do I do?  Dave

Dave,
     RELAX!!! As long as it is still bubbling its not
stuck! One thing you can try to speed things up a bit
is to place your fermentor in a warmer place. A rise
in temp. will cause it to brew a little faster. But if
it is slowing down it is getting near completion. So
you can have a little more patience and wait or move
to a warmer location. I had mine in a cardboard box
with a 40 watt light bulb but like yours it never
seemed to reach the end. So what I did was replace the
40 watt bulb with a 100 watt bulb and covered my
fermentor in a big towel. It's going much faster this
time and the towel keeps your wash from becoming
"light struck". Hope this helps....


Darryl

______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca

Darryl, thanks again for the info....I was afraid I was going to have to
start over.....Dave








At 04:43 PM 4/29/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>     Dave,
>    RELAX!!! As long as it is still bubbling its not
> stuck! One thing you can try to speed things up a bit
> is to place your fermentor in a warmer place. A rise
> in temp. will cause it to brew a little faster. But if
> it is slowing down it is getting near completion. So
> you can have a little more patience and wait or move
> to a warmer location. I had mine in a cardboard box
> with a 40 watt light bulb but like yours it never
> seemed to reach the end. So what I did was replace the
> 40 watt bulb with a 100 watt bulb and covered my
> fermentor in a big towel. It's going much faster this
> time and the towel keeps your wash from becoming
>"". Hope this helps....
>
>
> Darryl
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
>
>
>   Distillers list archives : http://archive.nnytech.net/
>  FAQ and other information at http://homedistiller.org
>
>
>  Yahoo! Groups Links
>  To visit your group on the web, go to:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/
>  To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>Distillers-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>

hi wash is thick and unsettled has feremented all the way out
anybody got any ideas as to why and would it still be ok to distill
been distilling for 5 years and this has never happened before

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, David Lunsford <maxtonnage@e...> wrote:
I would suggest a vigorous stir to agitate the yeast, eliminate
dissolved co2 and redistribute the nutrients. Then raise the
temperature a few degrees. It should go faster again.


> How do I know when my sugar wash has stuck? It has been bubbling for 4
> weeks now, although slowing. I took the lid off to stir, and it had
quite
> an interesting odor, and I handed the spoon to the wife to hold
while I was
> putting the lid back on, and she tasted the liquid on the spoon, and
said
> it tasted quite sweet. I am a poor man, and haven't been able to
procure a
> hydrometer yet. If it is stuck, what do I do?  Dave

Thank you for the photos.  You might enjoy the book Log Cabin pioneers
by Wayne Erbsen.  It also has many pictures of log homes and antique
stills as well as their owners.  I sometimes try to picture all of you
modern entrepreneurs and gourmet tasters in your ancestral roles.  Your
travel log speaks for itself.

Peggy


-----Original Message-----
From: waljaco [mailto:waljaco@...]
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:12 PM
To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Distillers] Making samogon

Pictures from Byarozauka village in Belarus
(http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php)

Still in the forest1
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=8
Still in the forest2
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=9
Samogon with salo
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=10
Drinking samogon
http://www.exploitz.com/pictures/4520/index.php?pix=11

wal





  Distillers list archives : http://archive.nnytech.net/
  FAQ and other information at http://homedistiller.org
Yahoo! Groups Links

Hey folks, I have made lots of wine but am now trying
distilling spirits. I plan on building a valve reflux column still
eventually, BUT for now I am trying the amazing still idea. I ordered
the wood carbon, a heater & some 48hr turbo yeast mix. First off, Is
the heater adjustable and how in the world do you adjust it if so?
Second, Does the heater need to be suspended in the wash or can it
lay in the bottom of the bucket.....didnt know if it would melt
anything. Third, I thought of evaporating 12 liters at a time instead
of the recommended 8, then 8, then 8 more. Whould I stick to the
instructions for some reason or is it good to go like I planned. I
did not order the containers. I plan on using some that I have laying
around. Like a 5 gallon bucket inside of a 15 gallon one instead of
their 10 liter inside of the 30 liter. I am planning on using the
method with 2 holes cut in the bucket for the higher alcohol. Sorry
for so many newbie questions but I dont want to screw this up the
first time & get discouraged. Thanks in advance for any help on this.

                         Brad in Bama

Can anybody help me with my problem? my amazing still will only get up
to 41C. I bought the still form www.brewhaus.com. i dont know what is
wrong with the heater. It says it can go up to 50C but i cannot get
near that temp.also do i totaly put the whole heater in the water?  I
am only producing about 1/4L a day. Why is the? Is it because I am
only heating the mash up to 41C or what. also is it better to have a
cooler room to us the amazing still. like will it run better if the
room is cooler. Also is there any othere "tricks" for the amazing still?

thank you,
          Mark

Hi Brad,
    First off the heater is usually adjustable via a
small control knob located on top of the heater. If
the degree markings are not on the heater itself you
will need a separate thermometer to adjust your heater
by trial and error (i.e put your heater in some water
and see what temp it maintains and adjust either up or
down from there.) Your heater would be suspended in
the wash as they are made from glass and will shatter
if operated while not immersed! Now some heaters are
fully submersible while others have a little mark on
them to indicate how much of the heater has to be
under liquid be it water or wash. The instructions
with your heater will advise which way to go. A fully
submersible fish tank heater will do the same job and
would probably be cheaper(and have the temp. markings
on it). Available at Wal mart or similar stores.
    I have never used the amazing still so your other
questions I am unable to comment on.... Its a start
for you anyway!!!

Hope this helps,
Darryl











______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, Brandon Lee <blueflame456@y...>
wrote:
> What part of Kentucky are u n
>
>
> mark <drybag1@m...> wrote:
> hi i have checked every place i can think of and still no luck at
> finding any copper 2" pipe in fact the biggest sold here in ky usa
is
> 1" so if any one has some extra i would be willing to buy it thank
> you
>


You can check out this ebay auction, the ebay item number is
3813155325  or you can cut and paste the link below.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=3813155325&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

Selling 2 inch copper pipe, up to 10 foot lengths.

All,

I have a Super Reflux 25L still, via Still Spririts.

At present it starts to run around 76C or so and then will continue
to climb.  Stop at 92C says the instructions.

In recent runs I've increased the water flow to hold the temperature
at 82C.

Please refer to extract below where it appears I should aim to hold
the temp at 78C??

So for a wash thats meant to yield 3L of spirit from the run is the
following a good idea, given my equipment:


Throw away the first 50Ml
As it hits 78C increase the water to try and hold that 78C until 3L
is collected.

Any simple advice, greatly appreciated.

Mark C




The alcohols in the wash begin to vapourise from the wash around
specific temperatures. If by themselves they would be ...
Acetone 56.5C (134F)
Methanol (wood alcohol) 64C (147F)
Ethyl acetate 77.1C (171F)
Ethanol 78C (172F)
2-Propanol (rubbing alcohol) 82C (180F)
1-Propanol 97C (207F)
Water 100C (212F)
Butanol 116C (241F)
Amyl alcohol 137.8C (280F)
Furfural 161C (322F)

Once together, a mixture of several of them will be slightly
different however. You no longer get them coming off seperately, but
always as a mixture. Fortunately for us though, each of the species
will tend to dominate around its boiling point temperature, thus we
know whats "mostly" coming off at that point. By tracking the
temperature of the vapour, you have a fairly good idea when you're
collecting the Ethanol your after (78-82 °C), vs when it is starting
to get lean and you're into the higher alcohols.

I had a friend who stored a wash for a long period of time but his
distilled out with a vinegar taste and smell. not good.

Other folks in this group regularly use the method you are planning
on using.  I think I remember a post that someone had adopted the
design to a large capacity, I guess you could even use a 50 gal drum
if you wanted to.  The problem you may want to think about is the
wattage of your heater.  A larger volume seems to me would need a
higher watt heating element.  Aquarium heaters increase the wattage
to serve larger tanks.

> am only producing about 1/4L a day. Why is the? Is it because I am

Thats not too bad.  The whole deal with the Amazing still is let it
sit and do its thing.  That said taking any opportunity to let cool
air into the area that you have your AS in will increase the yield.
Using the AS during the winter with the window open really increased
the yield.  Basically keep it in the coolest place you can manage or
exposed to cool evening air.

dont know that this is the problem but it wouldn't hurt to check the
voltage that your pluging your heater into. Sometimes ,if your using
a long dropcord , you could have voltage drop. That would keep your
element from opperating at full capasity. If your plugging directly
into a house outlet it still wouldn't hurt to check the voltage just
in case. once again not sure if this is the problem but just a
thought.

I'm ready to start wiring the elements on my boiler.  I want the
larger element to be simply on/off for startup and have variable
control of the smaller element(not the on surges associated with a
temperature sensing device).


Would everyone please throw out all the buzz words I might use for a
search of the archives?  I want to read up before I get started.

voltage shouldnt be a problem unless it is a 240V unit running at
110V.
the heaters usually have a bimetallic thermostat inside which turns
off at 50C so it could be 3kW and it would still only get to 41C.
unless your wash bucket is huge then power is not the issue, the
thermostat is. These are usually a bit dodgy. you may have to open it
and bend it a bit more out. 41C should be fine though you actually
will get less fusels at 41C so some prefer it.
it will work far better in a cold room or shed, temp difference is
key to how it works. the surface area of your heated wash is also
important, if it is in a very narrow diameter bucket you wont get
much distillate as there is not much room for it to evaporate. which
will evaporate faster, a pint of water in a pint glass or a pint of
water thrown into a bath tub?
there are a few more tricks like using fans and baffles in the still
which raise the % a little but lower the output.

Peter



--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "robotguy666" <robotguy666@y...>
wrote:
> Can anybody help me with my problem? my amazing still will only get
up
> to 41C. I bought the still form www.brewhaus.com. i dont know what
is
> wrong with the heater. It says it can go up to 50C but i cannot get
> near that temp.also do i totaly put the whole heater in the water?
I
> am only producing about 1/4L a day. Why is the? Is it because I am
> only heating the mash up to 41C or what. also is it better to have a
> cooler room to us the amazing still. like will it run better if the
> room is cooler. Also is there any othere "tricks" for the amazing
still?
>
> thank you,
>          Mark

these 2 links make searching far easier than yahoo's pathetic search
feature.

try words like "burst fired", controller, series

www.taet.com.au/distillers.nsf
www.taet.com.au/ndistillers.nsf

when using this search you can go by author or search and just pick
certain authors Mike Nixon made some great posts about power control.
I have a burst fired controller which is a great tool but costed
50euro.
you can have 2 elements and link them in series to reduce power. if
you have 2 2kW elements you can heat up at 4kW and link inseries to
get 1kW. if you have a particular power in mind you can work out the
2 elements you need. this may be cheaper

1/pa+1/pb=1/p
from my example
1/2kW+1/2kW=1/p

Peter



-- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "Grayson Stewart"
<grayson_stewart66@y...> wrote:
> I'm ready to start wiring the elements on my boiler.  I want the
> larger element to be simply on/off for startup and have variable
> control of the smaller element(not the on surges associated with a
> temperature sensing device).
>
>
> Would everyone please throw out all the buzz words I might use for
a
> search of the archives?  I want to read up before I get started.

I think that is pretty much to be expected unless the wash is (1) keep airtight
and (2) stored in the refrigerator

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

how much alcohol is made by the spiral still? lets say we  have 25
liter at 15% and what will be the proof? when i was looking at a pdf
about it it says. "92-95%" Does this mean proof or % alcohol????
Because after that it says " not that bad" or something to those regards.

thanks alot,
          Mark

i was doing my own little experimnet for the last couple of days and
what i found out was pritty cool. I has two of the say bottle with a
mix of my mash and put them in the freezer, but with one of then I
adds starch thinking it would help make ice form faster. Well it did.
i dont realy know why but i have like 1/3 the amount of liquid in the
bottle with the starch. I still have not measured the % of Alcohol yet
but i think it will be in the ball park of 25-30%. tell you more about
it when i get a new alcometer.

mark
robotguy@...
robotguy666@...