Today in the Shed

punkin

No worries @rossco, thanks. I ended up tasting tails there and just switched out, it was well after i switched out that i saw some real slight fogging in the edge of the bottom window, i went to pot mode and collected five litres down to 60% before it just got too skanky for me.
How much should i be looking for in tails generally in that ratio of 32 litres total in a percentage roughly?

rossco

Last run UJSSM two 70L strips (40-5 liters) + balance of wash to 70L approx 30%ish.
Output 18L @ 91% ave + 3L 84% for flavor.
Total heads cut for 3 runs approx 3.2L.

Spirit run - Heads 1.6L + approx 3L smelly tails (we were having a full on family party so we left it on).

Total usable was 41L @ 50%+

I recon your numbers are about right you should have got close to 30L at 88% plus. But difficult to know because I only check the ABV of the wash to make sure its under 50% and don't record it. You should be able to get usable spirit until the top plate fogs, this will happen progressively.

If you work on extra 20% boiler capacity and assume the strip runs were similar the numbers seem approx right, you should get nearly 10L more hearts 30-32L, and your tails will be approx 3.5L depending on the decisions you make?

Hope this helps Rossco

punkin

Yes thanks @rossco, I'll lay around with the power levels and output rate a bit further next run.

Thinking i may have had too much flame under it and dragged tails through, hence the tailsy flavor with no real fog. I had pumped the heat input up the next morning watching the reflux rate from the top downcomer and trying to estimate a 2:1 reflux. Amazing how easy it is to sit and watch the CD rather than my other still with the 3" windows you really need a torch and a craned neck to see each plate and DC.

Reckon i tipped a fair bit of alcohol out.

cunnyfunt

Update- my fermenter experiment is working well. Fermenter temp is 25-26C at full fermentation. Ambient is 5-7C above. Chilling liquid keeps around 15-17C with the aquarium chillier only kicking in occasionally. I'm still unsure if this is necessary :)

cunnyfunt

punkin

Installing my new mill in the shed today. I was going to crush the grain for a brew day tomorrow but the parcel from the chromers has just turned up, so i'd say I'll be working on the bike this arvo or in the morning and going for a long awaited ride \m/ ^:)^

Haven't been on it since before surgery in November, I'm bloody keen.

punkin

Looking at those pics i can see i've put the template round the wrong way before drilling the holes.

DumbBastardIAmPunkin

Drunkas

@punkin said: Looking at those pics i can see i've put the template round the wrong way before drilling the holes.

DumbBastardIAmPunkin

Hahahaha silly Bastard. Enjoy the ride bro

Lloyd

Didn't spot it til you mentioned it. Makes me dumb too?

punkin

I got it all fitted up, but the drill still doesn't sit right. It undoes itself and the chuck slips and burrs the shaft. I'm gunna have to rig a dedicated motor up.

captainshooch

Hey @punkin , you were supposed to be riding that Harley today, whats up with that?

punkin

Took it for a ride around the town yesterday. I have a mate coming round later in the morning (it's 5:20 am here) to sikaflex the new chrome to the back mudguard for me, so there'll be no riding today.

Photos to come.

FullySilenced

Sikaflex is just a single component moisture cure urethane caulk ... you could do it ... clean up and neatness is the key ....

Good Luck Punkin

FS

punkin

... clean up and neatness is the key ....

That there is the 'sticking' point (so to speak). I have a mate who is careful, patient and neat and loves my rum.

jonno

Not started yet but planning on doing a run tonight and maybe start a few wash.

captainshooch

Well, not today, but Wednesday evening. Transfered +/- 100 gallons of rye beer into large fermenter, added 100 Lbs dextrose and 100 lbs Rye to star a quasi UJSM for Rye whiskey...all an experiment and hoping it works out. Today, washed and assembled the components for my newest version of my CD and ready to do a couple runs tomorrow, first a cleaning run then a spirit run with hearts from previous strippings from the Dash 2. Busy day tomorrow and I am looking forward to it.

EdInNH

My keg is back from the welder.

I started with a 15 gallon beer keg. I turned it upside down and cut off the flange on the (new) top. (I used an angle grinder and a cut off disk followed by flap disks to grind down the weld line.

I cleaned up the exterior of the keg with the angle grinder and cut the holes. I experimented with silver soldering and decided not to silver solder the keg.

A friend introduced me to a friend of his who welds and would weld the ferrules to the keg

I have:

• two Thermowells (one each for vapor and liquid).
• two 2 inch heater ports (for element adapters and Camco 5500 W elements)
• a 3 inch view port (just above the heater level)
• a 4 inch fill port covered by a 4 to 3 cap style reducer with another 3 inch view port.
• a 6 inch output and cleanout with a 6 to 4 inch cap style reducer.
• a bottom drain.
• three legs made from 5/8 threaded rod

The welds looked great on the outside and like crap on the inside of the keg. I have spent time over the last two days grinding the welds inside the keg. They are now mostly looking good inside as well as outside.

I could not find an affordable 6" to 4" cap style reducer so I drilled out (hole sawed) a 6 inch cap plate and had a 4" ferrule welded into the hole.

Shown in the photos is my steam injection head. A torpedo reducer, Tri Clamp cross with a 10 psi safety valve, vent valve, and steam output. The steam will feed to a 3/4" ID silicone tube to the copper downtube which I can place in my fermenter barrels. I plan to mash in the fermentation barrel. My plan is to use 14 and 30 gallon HDPE barrels. A 14 should have enough room for one keg run of mash (allowing for grain and head space) and a 30 should handle two keg runs.

fadge

Not bad at all. Legs look a little skinny but as long as they don't move and is stable should be ok.

cunnyfunt

First time using EC1118 and DAP and I just had my first stuck ferment ever!! (15years fermenting shit) I thought I would check on my chiller /wheat dextrose wash to distill and it is still sitting on 1.70 lol. Its been 3 weeks.

So I ditched the chiller, gave it an O2 injection and some more 1118. Should be ok.

EdInNH

I had a bad day this Thursday.

I ignored a small defect and hurt myself. It could have been much worse.

Like most accidents there were multiple mistakes (all mine).

I did a vinegar cleaning run on my new dash successfully and was eager to get some mash fermenting.

I set up my boiler for steam injection mashing.

I ground corn, rye, and malted barley. The corn and rye were in a 14 gallon blue drum. My keg boiler was filled with water and heated quickly (two 5500 W elements can do wonders).

I added some cold water to the grain and mixed with my drill powered mixer.

I could have added more cold water and allowed my steamer to bring the temperature up. I wanted to get the temperature up quick so I used the drain butterfly valve on the boiler draw off 3 gallons of boiling water into a 3.5 gallon pail. This was my first mistake.

I noticed that the plastic grip on the wire handle was cracked but didn’t think it was an issue. This was my second and more serious mistake. I could have washed out another pail or taped the handle in a few minutes.

When I picked up the pail the plastic grip slipped sideways and I splashed boiling water on the back of my right hand.

I shut down the power to the heater elements.

The result was the back of my hand was bright red, and pain. Blisters developed by the next day and split on Saturday. The back of my hand now has several oozing areas.

After cold water, ice, and Vicodin I returned to my mash and got it ready for fermentation. I was not going to throw out a couple dollars of grain.

When I returned the water level in my barrel was much lower. I had not opened the vent valve (the next mistake) so as the boiler cooled it sucked some of my wort into the boiler.

I added water back to the mash, finished cooking the corn and added the barley and liquid enzymes.

As finished it failed the iodine test but did taste sweet. I didn’t filter the test sample so the problem could have been corn particles in the test sample. At the time I just didn't care.

It is now bubbling away with DADY yeast.

punkin

No good mate. I have heavy duty graduated buckets with good wire handles for moving hot water and stainless ones for moving low wines.

EdInNH

Here are some photos of the bad handle.

Smaug

Can pull the wire loose from the bucket and replace the little plastic spool with a piece of copper or emt conduit,,,,, or the like.

fadge

I would have chucked the fkin bucket to the shit house as soon as it burnt my hand. Perhaps looked at fixing it later...doubt that either.

punkin

Had a very productive day in the shed yesterday. I've been wanting to get in and do a ujsm run but i can't because the last run is still on the cutting bench. I can't cut and fill the barrel with the last run because all the empty beer cubes and buckets are in front of the barrel shelves.

I can't move the cubes because the malt buckets and drums have spread so far across the other side of the room that i have nowhere to put the mash tun except in the last little walkway.

So the shed is effectively gridlocked. 8-X

Well, i got in there and dragged everything out and started putting up the shelving i had planned when i built the distillery 5 or 6 years ago. I used shelves and brackets i already had and bought some wall mount strips from the hardware store.

I started rationalizing the specialty grains into the 30l drums i had and the base malts into the larger drums. Came up pretty well..

Then i switched my attention to the other side of the shed and the empty cubes. 1 more shelf got most of them either up on the wall or under the fermenter shelf.

I now have a stack of room to walk around, i can do my cuts today and charge for a run in the next few days. Yippee. =D>

Philter

Bloody hell @Punkin, I wish my stuff was as organised as yours.

Thanks, you've given me an idea to store my malts in 20L plastic cubes. L-)

olddog

I had a bit of a clean up in the workshop, don't make wine any more so I filled the recycle bin with empty bottles, just use 4lt jars and my keg for spirit, so the bottles had to go. Lloyd's panel is finished and shipped so it gave me a chance to clear all of the workbench space. Finally I got to fill the boiler and get my UJSSM on the boil, which I had been waiting for a week torun.

Lloyd

You're going to feel so much better @olddog, clearing and cleaning the workbench and getting a relaxing run under your belt. It just seems to put everything back into balance.
Looking forward to my new panel, old friend. Did you remember to put the can opener and knife sharpener attachments on it??

olddog

Yep, run completed, bench and workshop cleaned and cleared. Just waiting for another project to get my teeth into.

Lloyd

@olddog said: Yep, run completed, bench and workshop cleaned and cleared. Just waiting for another project to get my teeth into.

I have more than I can say grace over @olddog and you can take your pick. Vacuum distillation, sealed parrot, split column, etc... the door is wide open.

I'm consumed at the moment with the 5" column and its new plate design but, like you, will probably be wanting to sink teeth into something new after then (betting it will be the new panel that you made).