Distillation cube: purpose and features of making it yourself. Do-it-yourself moonshine still from a saucepan Moonshine still from a basin and pan

It’s difficult for a novice moonshiner to immediately decide to buy a good one, but he needs to learn the basics of distilling something.

We will tell you how to make a moonshine still from a saucepan with a minimum.

Even if you don’t have a large saucepan and you have to buy one, it will cost you 5–10 times less.

To create a simple distiller you will need:

• a saucepan with a volume of 7 to 40 liters, always with a lid;
• a stainless steel or copper tube 2 meters long - for the coil;

Peculiarities. A copper tube can be used from an old broken refrigerator. A copper coil will ensure the release of a tasty, aromatic distillate, especially when using mash.

• line segment plumbing pipe about 45 mm in diameter for the refrigerator and two plugs for it;
• . This is not a necessary thing, but very important for a moonshiner. It is the thermometer that allows you to qualitatively divide the distillate into fractions and take for consumption only the one that contains the minimum of harmful additives.
• fittings, couplings, fum tape, epoxy glue;
• materials for fastening the cover. They are selected based on the specific situation. This could be a pair of anchors and a piece of aluminum profile (if the lid is flat and you can remove the nozzle from it), small clamps or strong clothespins, a specially cut holder (if the handles of the pan rise above the lid), etc.

Reference. The most harmful substances are contained in the distillate, which drips very first, at a temperature of 60 to 75 ° C.

It contains poisonous methyl alcohol, acetaldehyde, ethers and acetone. This liquid is called heads and is poured out mercilessly. There is no drinking alcohol in it at all, since ethyl alcohol begins to evaporate at 76°C.

And at temperatures above 85°C, “tails” rich in . They are collected separately and used during the next distillation. Added to, they will increase the yield of high-quality strong moonshine.

Making a refrigerator

You don’t have to “spoil” the pan itself, but only remake the lid, so that in the future it can be used for its intended purpose.

But sometimes it makes more sense to connect the steam pipe to the side in the upper quarter of the pan. Here it’s the moonshiner’s choice. Let's consider the sequence of actions.

Regardless of whether the tube for removing alcohol vapor is in the wall of the pan or in the lid, you need a hole for it. Here are some options:

• There are homemade devices where a ready-made hole in the lid (usually glass) is used for the steam line, to which a handle is screwed. In its place they put a fitting on which a silicone tube is placed leading to the refrigerator. There is no need for a distiller - just put the handle in place. Glass lids almost always have an additional hole for steam to escape. There are two options - either seal it (for example, with epoxy glue), or expand it a little, equip it with a capsule and put a thermometer;
• drill a separate hole in the lid and also install a fitting;
• a hole is made in the wall of the pan, retreating 3 - 4 cm from the top, and a connecting fitting is installed.

Attention. It is extremely important to seal all connections so that alcohol vapor enters only into the tube provided for it, and does not break through the cracks. Not only does this result in a loss of the final product, but it also poses a risk of fire.

Assembly

If everything is done correctly, there should be no problems. But the most important thing in ensuring tightness is to secure the lid. Here - who will come up with what:

• if the handles are welded in metal, located on the sides of the container and do not protrude upward, the lid of the pan can be tightly and securely fastened using anchors and a strong strip ( aluminum profile, a strip of thick metal, a strong board, etc.) with corresponding holes on the sides. In this case, the anchors are hooked onto the handles of the pan and tightened with nuts until they are firmly connected. And the top of the pan with mash already poured in 3-4 layers is wrapped with fum tape, which will ensure tightness;

Advice. If you cannot remove the handle from the lid, you will have to make a cutout for it in the upper clamping profile you are using.

• the raised metal handles of the pan make it possible to firmly press the lid with any durable material, threading the clamp through the handles. Moreover, these can be two clamps on both sides, and the presence of a handle on the lid in this case is not a hindrance. Don't forget about fum tape;
• often the pans have plastic handles, therefore it is better not to use the option with anchors - the handles can break at the very most inopportune moment. When the lid is seated deeply, try to press it at least with clothespins (better - small clamps) and coat it together with the clamps regular test. This ancient method of sealing a moonshine still works well today.

The creation of a moonshine still from a saucepan is not limited to the described methods. Many people even add columns to the structure and come up with their own ways of attaching the handle.

How do you feel about making a moonshine still from a pot? Are you ready for such creativity? Tell us in the comments. Like and share the article with your friends.

High prices for alcoholic beverages hit the pockets of lovers of strong drinks, and purchasing inexpensive booze of questionable quality can lead to dire consequences for health. In such a situation, a good solution is to make a moonshine still from a saucepan with your own hands. With careful adherence to the technology for the production of home-made moonshine, double distillation of the resulting product, infusion with aromatic herbs and oak chips, a worthy alternative to store-bought vodka is obtained.

The preparation of moonshine is based on the distillation (separation) of various fractions of mash in order to purify alcohol vapors from fusel oils and other toxic substances. It is carried out in a special device - a distiller. It is not difficult to make such a device, but it must be assembled very carefully, since insufficient tightness of the joints of the parts will inevitably worsen the performance.

The design of the distiller includes the following components:

1. Distillation cube. IN homemade device We use a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid instead.
2. Coil - a copper or glass tube for removing alcohol vapor.
3. Cooler - PVC or silicone pipe with a diameter of 45 mm. Running cold water will circulate through it, cooling the evaporation entering the coil.
4. A dry steam tank is a container for discharging fusel oils; a two-liter bottle can be adapted for it. glass jar with a hermetically sealed lid.

Pour mash into the distillation cube and place the container on the fire. When the temperature of the solution increases to 76 °C, ethyl alcohol vapor begins to be released from it. They pass along the coil through the dry steam tank, where a significant part of the harmful impurities settles. Due to cooling, the vapor condenses on the walls of the tube. Repeated distillation will allow you to increase the concentration of alcohol in the distillate.

The first batch of moonshine, the so-called head (about 100 ml), obtained by heating the mash to 60–75 °C, is maximally saturated harmful substances and is poison, so it is poured out. The “tails” released when the temperature rises to 85 °C are also collected in a separate container. They include a significant amount of fusel oils, but can increase the strength of moonshine when added to the next portion of distilled mash.

Selection of pans

For still equipment suitable container made of stainless steel or enamel coated. Aluminum pan It is not advisable to use it in a moonshine still: when oxidized, this material forms harmful compounds, and the finished product may have an unpleasant aftertaste. It is equally important to choose the right volume of dishes. When using a small five-liter container, the yield will be small - from one to 1.2 liters of alcohol.

If you need to distill a significant volume of mash, it is better to make a cube from a saucepan, can or food boiler with a capacity of 10–30 liters. For a more hermetically sealed connection between the lid and bottom Its products are compacted around the perimeter with dough, mixing flour with water. For this purpose, you can also use a silicone gasket: purchase a ready-made one or make it yourself from a tube used in disposable medical droppers.

Making a refrigerator

To install a cooler, just take a piece of plastic pipe 30 cm long. Holes are drilled in the wall for installing the coil, and slots are drilled in the plugs for cold water supply. Nipples are attached to them. The caps can be made from the tin used to make beer cans. Then the coil is made. It is more convenient to use a segment for this copper tube 2 m long. You can give it a spiral shape by winding it onto a pipe with a diameter of 30 mm.

The ends of the coil should be flat sections 20 cm long. One of them will be connected to the steam tank, the second to the outlet hose. The coil is installed in the cooler cavity. To seal the joints with the cube, steam tank and water supply, a mixture of epoxy glue and silver paint is used. The joint surfaces are pre-polished sandpaper and wiped with alcohol to remove greasy stains. After processing the joints, they should be allowed to dry for 12 hours.

Avoid deformation or damage to integrity copper pipe you can by filling it tightly with dry sand. To prevent the filler from spilling out, the ends are pinched. The recommended gap between the walls of the coil and the cooler is 5–10 mm. The sand is removed after attaching the ends of the coil to the holes in the steam chamber and the distillation cube.

Making a steamer

Holes are drilled in the lid of the jar to install the coupling. The coil tube will be connected to one of them, and the hose leading to the pan will be attached to the second. Before screwing the nuts onto the threads, fluoroplastic tape is wound. If necessary, the gaps between the coupling wall and the surface of the lid are sealed with superglue (you can add baking soda to give greater density and strength).

Alembic from a pot

When remaking a pan, it is necessary to provide a hole for steam to escape into the coil. Products with glass lids already have such a hole. It can be enlarged, a capsule can be installed inside, and additionally equipped with a thermometer to control the heating of the mash. In pans with an enamel or steel lid, a hole can be made in the upper part of the wall, 5–30 mm from the edge of the container.

After installing the tube, the gaps must be carefully filled with epoxy glue. Insufficient tightness of the connections of the distillation cube from the pan not only leads to the loss of some of the alcohol vapor, but also threatens them with fire under the influence of high air temperature in close proximity to the fire source.

A special holder will ensure a strong fixation of the tank lid. It is made from a section of channel with drilled holes for attaching anchors around the handles of the pan. Pre-wrapping enamel parts with electrical tape or plastic will help protect the fragile coating from destruction. It is recommended to glue pieces of cork in places where the metal holder comes into contact with the lid.

Let's move on to assembly

After manufacturing the individual elements of the device, they begin to assemble the device. It is convenient to use to connect the distillation cube with a steamer and a coil. Additionally, it is advisable to strengthen the fixation of parts with rigid wire or pieces of tin. All joints are sealed with adhesives. Rubber gaskets should not be used to secure parts: this may cause the moonshine to develop a specific odor.

Before use, equipment for distilling moonshine must be thoroughly washed to remove metal parts contaminants and lubricants. Once the assembly of the device is completed, its operation is tested. When you first start the distiller, water is poured into the tank. Its vapors will clean the internal surfaces of all elements of the device. At the output you will receive distilled water. Then you can begin distilling the first batch of moonshine.

If you assemble a moonshine still from a saucepan correctly, you will get at least as much alcohol. good quality than when using an industrially produced unit.

sia Associate Professor Vladimir 1450 532

Good day to all.

I use homemade stills made from saucepans. For a volume of 13.5 liters, the solution is optimal in terms of price and ease of manufacture. Steel 18/10, thick multi-layer bottom, during induction heating there was never any burning on either sugar, grain or fruit mashes. Of course, clarified and filtered.

After a year or two of operation, I noticed pockets of pitting corrosion on the inner surface of the cube. The steel is of high quality, the same pan used for making syrups and porridges for mash, still like new both inside and out. Apparently the issue is the high humidity that remains in the cube after finishing work and washing. It had to be dried somehow.

Boiling an aqueous solution of citric acid did not produce a noticeable positive effect. Of course you can just unsolder it. Clean everything with sandpaper or steel wool and solder it. But maybe someone knows an easier way? What else can be boiled in it to remove corrosion? I think many people use cubes with a narrow filler neck. share folk wisdom))

The advice from Samovarius turned out to be effective, for which I thank him very much. Quote:

I pour about 0.5 liters of soda into the cube, pour in 2-3 liters of hot water, put it on fire, connect the def and refrigerator. I run the system until there are mins in the receiving tank. 250 ml. I drain the liquid from the cube, rinse it with hot water, and fill it clean water, I'm running the system again.

The distillation cube is the basis of a moonshine still

An essential part of a moonshine still is a distillation cube; it is in it that the main evaporation of the alcohol solution takes place. This element can not only have different volumes, but also differ in the material used and manufacturing method. This is especially true for options when the device is designed with your own hands.

How does a distillation tank or cube work?

The element is made exclusively of metal and can be of different volumes.

In the upper part or lid, often in the form of a dome, a special steam outlet is installed. When the solution boils, alcohol-containing vapors rise and flow through the adapter into the refrigerator, where they condense into an alcoholic product. Almost every day, a valve is provided to allow the remnants of used mash to escape.

For those who do not like experiments and value high quality and their time, it is better to give preference to finished product. The distillation cube and accompanying paraphernalia can be purchased in a specialized store, including on the Internet resource.

The use of a stainless steel moonshine still is considered especially valuable, which affects not only the average cost of such equipment, but also its practicality and fairly long service life.

What can a distillation cube be made from?

Various dishes, containers and the operating time of such a moonshine still are adapted to the distillation container, and its functionality depends on the knowledge of the inventor and the skills of the manufacturer.

Most often, steel products are used for this, either made by hand or purchased ready-made. It is steel that is highly resistant to long-term temperature loads and does not react with chemical compounds contained in the mash. For high-quality alcoholic drinks, not only strength is important, but also the absence of extraneous flavors, and using steel surfaces, this can be achieved quite realistically. The ingress of compounds harmful to the body when using steel is also excluded, which cannot be stated with certainty for aluminum tanks.

Steel cube and is it possible to make it yourself?

If you decide to make a device for making alcohol with your own hands, then you can use several options for this. One of the most difficult is the use of stainless steel sheets, which, after quite complex manipulations, are converted into a cube for distillation. The step-by-step process is as follows:

This whole process seems simple only upon superficial study, but in fact, making a moonshine still with your own hands, in particular, a steel distillation cube, is only possible for real professionals. In order not to waste time, and also to avoid emergency situations during distillation, spoilage of the product or receipt of it Low quality, it is better to purchase ready-made equipment.

Sometimes you can find specialists who specialize in the manufacture of steel cubes, but then the guarantee of the moonshine still will also be questionable. You can only trust such a task to real professionals; it is better if they are trusted people, since the pleasure of producing a container for home brewing from stainless steel is relatively expensive.

In addition to compliance with the production technology itself metal product, it is important to carry out the calculations correctly. They are needed not only to determine the amount of material needed and plan material costs, but in order not to miscalculate the volumes. With a compact distillation cube, there will be the lowest productivity, which will significantly prolong the preparation of alcoholic beverages.

Purchasing a device made by professionals helps to facilitate the process of moonshine brewing, since the kit already contains everything necessary to carry out distillation and control it.

Other ways to invent a still

If you plan to make alcohol in small quantities, then you can simply use a pressure cooker, choosing a product with a maximum volume. If you unscrew the drain valve, you can install an adapter to supply steam to the refrigerator. The tightness of the lid is ensured initially, as this is provided for by the manufacturing technology of such utensils. It is quite difficult to get a good product yield with a regular pressure cooker, so one of the alternatives is flasks, but not those that contain aluminum. This metal has long been no longer recommended for producing alcohol, although several decades ago it was especially popular.

Some craftsmen adapt ordinary stainless steel pans for distillation, which are first subjected to partial modification. In other words, they make almost the same pressure cookers. Holes are made in the lids to allow steam to escape; the lid is supplemented with a special fastener to ensure tightness during the distillation process. Since pots can be of different sizes, containers can also be selected according to volumetric requirements.

Despite the numerous inventions of people trying to reduce the cost of producing a moonshine still without sacrificing quality, not everyone is able to do this with their own hands. In order not to take risks and actually get an alcoholic product with the desired strength, pleasant aroma and planned yield, you need to choose systems developed by professionals. Conditional savings or a desire for experimentation can negatively affect the level of alcohol production.

Not everyone can make a sealed, easy-to-use distillation cube made of stainless steel with their own hands, but choose best option in terms of cost and functionality, everyone can do it. There are companies that organize the delivery of all the necessary attributes. The kit already includes a container for distillation, a cooler, a steamer, a thermometer, connecting elements and everything you need to make not only moonshine, but also cognac, whiskey and any other drink.

Moonshine cube

Somehow I missed this topic. I must say - completely undeservedly. In principle, many will say that the structural design of the cube, as they say, does not affect speed. However, the design of the cube sometimes has a very significant impact on the ease of use. And in some processes (for example, when working with grain mash) it can also affect the overall speed of the process.

Let's look at the main variations of cubes, their strengths and weaknesses. Of course, I will not disassemble non-standard homemade products. Let's talk only about the most common options, built on standard components. The first in the row will rightfully be the well-deserved

Milk flask (can, container from a milking machine). Perhaps the most affordable option as a basis for cube construction.
I myself have two pieces of 40 liters, both bought used for 1000 rubles apiece (the price for them was quite stable before the crisis, for example, I bought mine several months apart, and I also tinkered - I chose the cleaner and more even one ). It is irrational to take a smaller volume, since the price differs only slightly, but the benefit of a larger one is much greater. It’s better to buy used ones, since most of them are old, Soviet-era vessels - I like them better. The new ones are somehow flimsier, thinner. Aluminum is perfectly processed; any necessary holes can be made with improvised means. The fittings used are standard brass or bronze (available at any plumbing store for a reasonable price). You can use original rubber gaskets under the lid, wrapping them with plumbing foam. If the gasket does not hold or is not there at all (a reason to negotiate the price - a new one costs from 50 to 400 rubles, depending on the greed of the sale), it does not matter either. On one of my flasks, the gasket, after working for several months, began to corrode and I replaced it with a piece of silicone hose (11 by 16 mm), joining it with a piece of silicone hose smaller diameter(8 by 10). Works great.

The disadvantages include:

1. Does not like alkaline environments. There is no need to wash with any moles or other alkaline-based products. Very rapid failure is ensured - the surface becomes ulcerated and holes form.

2. Doesn't like cold water. The result is the same as from the action of alkali, the process is just slower.

3. You have to fasten the connecting elements with threads and without welding, they all sooner or later begin to unscrew, and soldering aluminum is tricky (at least that’s how I learned it - the ease of assembly is fascinating and it’s easier to give up on future difficulties - it will do, but from time to time you have to pull up). For me this is perhaps the biggest drawback.

Pressure cooker. This version of the cube is good for everyone, except for one thing - the volume of pressure cookers is usually no more than 12 liters (usually 9-10 liters, or even 5-6). Because of this, it is not rational to put heating elements in a pressure cooker; you have to purchase an induction one (increasing the price of an already not very profitable device due to the small volume) or heat it with gas (impossibility of insulation, which, however, is compensated by the small volume) and often encounter height restrictions ( does not pass under the hood, etc.). It is usually used as a starting cube for deciding whether to develop. I use a 9L stainless steel OKA pressure cooker. I removed the standard valves from it, installed a 1/2 adapter in the hole of one of them (on a thread with a nut and a Teflon gasket), and a thermometer in the hole of the other. There are aluminum pressure cookers - they are easier to modify. I chose stainless steel because of its durability and ability to adapt to distillery needs without damaging it. At any time, you can remove the distiller and thermometer, replace the valves and use the pressure cooker for its intended purpose. Quite often I use it to make gin (less often absinthe and other drinks based on essential oils plants). This is much more convenient than driving a large cube.

Cooking pots and cauldrons. Of course you need to purchase it to build a cube stainless steel pans, but aluminum ones are now difficult to find, and enameled ones are not suitable. When choosing such a base, you need to pay attention to the thickness of the material and, especially, the rigidity of the lid - you will often place a very heavy device on it. If you are going to use induction, then pay attention to the material of the bottom (not all pans are suitable for use with induction cookers, this, by the way, general comment for any cube).
The main problem when constructing pot cubes is sealing the lid. Sometimes you can find a gasket from some silicone baking mold or silicone mat (appeared in Lately, you can buy it on ebay in the required size), sometimes you have to weld the lid and equip it with a welded flange (or even replace the lid with a suitable circle made of a 3mm thick sheet). In general, the saucepan option is not suitable for home cube construction due to the initial cost of the saucepan itself, the need welding work(in a good way, or soldering in a bad way). And most importantly, due to the presence of a very strong alternative in the form

Stainless steel beer keg. Definitely a great capacity. Thick wall, stiffeners, convenient volume (20, 30 and 50 liters). It can be used without modification, installing the device on a standard neck mount 2 (preferably with a three-clamp, then no welding or other methods are needed at all). Easily amenable to deep modification, after which you will get a truly convenient cube for all occasions. The illustration shows a cube from a 50 liter keg with a welded pressure cooker, resolving issues sealed neck. The disadvantages include the need for argon welding, or, at worst, hard soldering.

Today, I consider the steam-water boiler (SWB) to be the pinnacle of amateur cube building. Structurally, it consists of two nested containers. The inner container is actually the cube, and the outer one plays the role of a shirt for it. A certain amount of water is poured into the shirt, which is heated using heating elements. It turns out to be a kind of steam-water bath for the cube. This achieves good uniform heating of its entire surface with a very small temperature gradient at the boundary between the cube wall and stillage. No local overheating, burning, etc. In addition to heating, you can also cool the contents of the cube by running cold water through the jacket. This alternation of heating and cooling is necessary when preparing grain (starch) mash, where you first need to heat for boiling, then cool for saccharification and then for the actual fermentation. It is also very convenient for brewing beer. Of course, such a version of the cube is, to put it mildly, inexpensive and you need to acquire it with a clear understanding of why you actually need all this.

Recently, stainless torque converters have been used as the basis for the cube, but I don’t particularly like this option. They are not cheap and require as much work as a keg. In addition, containers with a volume of less than 80 liters have a horizontal orientation and a hatch at the end. It turns out not very convenient to work with.

Summary. At the very beginning of distillery activity, you should not purchase an expensive still or bother with making a complex container yourself. It is still unknown how much you will really need all this later. It makes sense to get a milk flask or even a pressure cooker. It won’t be a shame to throw out the first one, but the second one will come in handy even if you have advanced cubes. In any case, remember - the cube is just part of your distillation system and its volume must be combined with the volume of the fermentation tank, the amount of finished product you desire and other indicators. It’s quite funny, for example, to try to fill a 35-liter barrel with distillate using a pressure cooker as a distillation cube.

When acquiring a cube, pay attention to the following points. the possibility of insulation (if it is without insulation), the presence of a wide neck to ensure convenient maintenance and the possibility of subsequent modification (often you don’t know today what you want tomorrow), the presence of the necessary connecting elements (pipes), sufficient overall strength of the structure.

Ask a Question

DIY moonshine still

In our country, moonshine stills are not new products; they are old, familiar units for preparing drinks own production with a variety of additives. In Russia, they began making moonshine stills with their own hands during the period of strict Prohibition, when people were forced to look for other ways to obtain alcoholic beverages for the holidays.

Standard design Moonshine stills were known to both children and adults. Even those who did not have such devices at home understood the structure of these home helpers. Today, legislation is favorable to those who make alcoholic beverages for their own use. For selling, of course, there is a penalty. For many people, moonshine is now a hobby. He managed not only to preserve a unique tradition. Modern manufacturers of moonshine stills use advanced technologies, they choose materials High Quality, constantly improve the design.

Stylish, laconic and multifunctional units are a source of pride. They are happily presented to friends and used to make a wide variety of drinks, which are practically not inferior to store-bought ones in quality and taste. Many beginners have a lot of questions when starting moonshine business. Encyclopedias, for example, Wikipedia, do not write about diagrams, drawings and photos of moonshine stills. And various forums and portals of folk craftsmen contain a lot of both useful and very dubious information. If you have firmly decided to create the structure yourself, then this guide and expert advice will come in handy.

Do-it-yourself moonshine still – it’s real!

Some people are afraid of it just by looking at the distiller. complex system. Despite the menacing appearance and many details, the diagram of the moonshine still, when analyzed in detail, is quite simple. The standard design consists of:

Distillation cube. This is the main container into which the raw materials are placed. The tank is installed on the burner hob or on a stone stove, it heats up, during which the mash boils, releasing vapors containing alcohol. Fridge. A cooling unit must be present in the circuit of any moonshine still. It is necessary to create condensation. When passing through the cooler, the vapor turns back into liquid and enters the collection container. It is very important to support optimal temperature, as in a distillation cube. In the simplest designs, cooling occurs due to the presence of this element in a container with water, which is replaced regularly when heated by the room temperature. Coil. An element of the refrigerator, which is represented by a curved tube, it is ideally made of a thin-walled stainless steel rod. The quality of the moonshine at the outlet directly depends on the length of the tube. It is recommended to use a workpiece of about 2 meters. Connecting tubes or hoses. They are an intermediate link between the distillation tank and the cooler. Water is supplied through silicone hoses and distillate flows out. Additional equipment. This includes all kinds of bimetallic thermometers, measuring containers, sealing gaskets, heating elements.

Obviously, anyone can make a moonshine still at home if they have a great desire and the necessary parts at hand. You can use a regular pressure cooker as a distillation cube. It is initially equipped with a hermetically sealed lid, which simplifies the task. In the absence of such a pan in the house, you can use a metal flask, can or even a beer keg. It is important to observe the following condition: the container must have a tight-fitting lid.

You can also use aluminum flasks, stainless steel cans and other containers with a tight-fitting lid as a distillation cube. Below are the options that can be purchased from Alkopribor.

To save money, you can regular saucepan make a full-fledged distillation cube, which will be the basis for a moonshine still. This is not difficult to do, just spend an hour of your time and have basic skills in using a screwdriver. This instruction was shared by the author of the Youtube channel Spy Gates, the video of which we will definitely show in this publication.

The quality of the device will leave much to be desired, since achieving perfect tightness and selecting good metal it will be hard. After following all the tips, you will receive a very average moonshine still, on which You will definitely need to distill the mash twice to clean it as much as possible from all harmful fractions.

To fully create a moonshine still, we will need:

Ready-made apparatus from a saucepan.

• Stainless steel pan with a lid (enamel is also suitable).
• Aquarium silicone hose - 2–3 meters.
• Paper clips - 6 pieces.
• A coil with a steam steamer - bought in specialized stores (about 2.5 thousand rubles).
• Nuts for securing the coil.
• Screwdriver.
• Drill.

Although a coil with a steam steamer costs some money, if you make them yourself, they will cost more.

Step-by-step instructions for making a moonshine still from a saucepan

A coil with a steam steamer costs around 2.5 thousand rubles.

1. We cut the silicone hose and put it on the entire diameter of the pan. This is necessary to ensure that the lid closes tightly.
2. We drill a hole in the lid for your coil, usually the diameter is about 12 mm.
3. We secure the coil in the lid using nuts. For reliability, coat with thermal sealant.
4. Close the lid of the pan and secure it with paper clips.
5. We connect the steamer and hoses for the refrigerator.
6. The moonshine still is ready!

When heating a pan of mash, you need to ensure that it boils strongly.

In any case, the length of the coil will be small and your moonshine will not be protected from splashing. If boiled mash gets into the final product, then its taste will no longer be the same and you will have to start distillation again.

As promised, we present to you a video from Spy Gates with visual production. The video lasts about 16 minutes and during this time the author manages to tell and show all the technology by which a moonshine still is made from a pan.

This short article clearly shows the main stages of making a cube from available and popular materials, used in everyday life, namely from pots. I had the opportunity to buy the notorious kegs, but after thinking about it, I decided against purchasing them.

There are several reasons, the most important for me were aesthetics and the possibility of heating on an induction stove (in the very near future).
Because I checked the pans with a magnet, I found that they were simply excellent magnets.
The price of the issue here turned out to be secondary, because the cost of a 30-liter keg and two pans of similar capacity turned out to be approximately the same, but with pans I gain some advantages.

After some hesitation, I purchased two 18 liter pans.
The price of one is about 1200 rubles (prices as of March 2011).
Initially, the idea was to simply join them by tinning their flat edge edge, on which the lid rests.
At first glance, it’s a gain in time and ease of implementation, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t like it.
What I didn't like the most were the handles, they stuck out ugly and if you removed them, there were 8 holes that would be left behind.

An important factor is the height of the cube.
Two pots with a total height of about 55 centimeters did not inspire me either.
There was an idea to place them horizontally, like a railway tank, for example.
This could be suitable for a distillation option, but I didn’t immediately like attaching a column to the side of the pan. Purely technically feasible, but completely irrational.
However, such an option for a keg would be quite acceptable; its walls are much thicker.
The mass of the column is quite considerable and gradually the junction of the cube and the column will become a big problem in terms of the strength of the walls of the pan.
That's why I settled on a vertical arrangement.

Trying to achieve optimal efficiency in using the volume of pots and the height of the column, I drew large-scale sketches of a cube with a column.
With full height (with handles), and in the version where I shorten the pans a little at the place where the handles are attached.
The drawing was cropped, showing only the cube, but I drew it in full scale with the column and reflux condenser.
This way it immediately becomes clear where a tactical design error was made.
I liked the second option better. The height of the cube decreased to a reasonable 40 centimeters, and the height of the column increased to 200 centimeters.
I don’t lose much in the volume of the cube, but I eliminate the problem of possible leakage at the rivets of the handles.
The result should be a cube with a total volume of about 28 liters.
In my opinion, a very reasonable volume in terms of possible movement and duration of rectification.
Personally for me optimal time no more than 2 days.
When sampling within 500 grams, I load about 10-15 liters of concentrated CC into the cube.
The rest is water.
Why 15 liters? Yes, it’s just that the stainless steel receiving pan has such a volume.
I immediately see what and how much, how much I poured, that’s about what I got, minus the volume of heads.

Having decided on the requests, we begin to eliminate the handles.
When dismantling the handles, I praised myself many times for deciding to remove them.
The handle itself is welded (quite efficiently) to the reinforcing plate, and then the structure is riveted to the pan.
Despite quite high quality appearance The rivets turned out to be the most common clad aluminum!
Imagining the consequences if I decided to leave these rivets on the cube, I shuddered at the thought of the consequences and potential problems, such as dismantling the soldered cube and fixing leaks.
When you would have to cut all this shit off, rivet it again, solder it, having first disassembled the cube!
And again, leaving after this 8 potentially dangerous soldering of new rivets.
Therefore, I decided to completely close the issue by completely removing the holes for the rivets, cutting the pans to the bottom edges of the rivet holes.
The pens themselves remained idle.
I'm thinking about making a removable metal hoop and riveting handles to it.
Then put this ring on the cube using a locking latch, it will be practical and safe.
But after three months of using the cube, somehow there was no need to drag it somewhere and gradually I abandoned this idea, although maybe I’ll make these handles when using it in an apartment.

Close-up of rivets.
Aluminum is pressed between two decorative washers.
For scales home cooking this method is justified.
For the needs of rectification, especially with alkalis, this is a time bomb.
The alkali will inevitably seep into the aluminum, it’s just a matter of time, the destruction of the rivets, followed by depressurization of the cube, is inevitable.

So, the pans are shortened, but you can’t just fit them into each other, these are not beer cans, but alloy steel.
We need a way to make the edge of one of the pans expand.
The most accessible method is the metal riveting method.
All you need is a massive piece of metal, preferably round and, if possible, soft iron, although with practice you can use steel.
The soft metal reduces the possibility of a crack occurring if you hit it hard with a hammer.
Under no circumstances should you rush - it will take a decent amount of time and requires patience.
We wrap some kind of stop for restriction, knock in the place indicated by the red arrow.
The process stretches over several turns, first we hit the very edge of the pan, slowly turning it.
Traces of impacts are clearly visible. With
With each turn we increase the distance from the edge of the pan.
For those who don’t have the skills, try experimenting with large beer cans.

As a result, you should get a smooth expansion of the edge of the pan (indicated by the arrow).
Next, we carefully polish everything and service it.
The pans should fit into each other to a depth of approximately 8-10 mm.

Making holes in the bottom - no problem. The edges can be easily processed with a fine file for sharpening electric saw chains.
The large hole was made by drilling small holes along the contour of the circle and removing the middle.
The threads for the taps were cut using a 1 kW drill connected through a powerful LATR.
The whole thing took about an hour and a half.

The end result should look something like this.

Directly at the edges of the thread, the stainless steel metal peels off a little.
This doesn’t bother me; it will be clamped between the threads of the adapter sleeve and the nut.
There will be no access for liquid to the aluminum; all threads are taped with FUM.
IMHO, carving is purely my personal whim.
Don’t bother, it’s not at all necessary, since I additionally pressed it from the bottom with a nut with a FUM winding.
Everything will be fine without thread. I just had the opportunity to cut and I took it.

To clamp the large bronze clamping nut, a locking device had to be invented.
Made one at a time from scrap materials.

Carefully wrap the nut tightly around the FUM and insert it tightly into the hole.
The winding is made in the form of a cone, from top to bottom, so that from below the winding density continuously increases.
We scroll all this with effort, passing it through the hole.
From above, also in the form of a cone, expanding at the cube, we wrap the FUM.
There was an idea - to lubricate it with silicone, then I thought it was a whim and abandoned this idea.

We screw on the adapter coupling, pressing the FUM into the gap.
Remove the coupling and repeat the winding again.
I had to repeat it 3 or 4 times because the tape got caught in the space between the nut and the edges of the hole.
Below, near the surface of the pan, the FUM was wound in the form of a twisted cord, purely to press in the gap.
Having made sure that everything worked out as it should, we wind another FUM, take the powerful gas key and tighten everything to the maximum.
Very tight - but within the limits of reasonable effort, without being foolish, thread also has limits.
Then, after heating the bottom over a saucepan of boiling water (to shrink the tape), we pull all the connections one more time.

We collect top part Cuba.
Two transition pipes (under the taps) are threaded and tightened in the same way.
Taps can be easily twisted and screwed on, say, a tee for expansion technical capabilities(pressostat, pressure gauge).
One faucet (horizontal) is purely drain; there is a tinned copper tube running through it to the very bottom of the cube.
This allows, without disassembling the column, to supply some air into the filling valve (vertical) and displace the bottom residue into the sewer.
The atmospheric opening of the reflux condenser is plugged at this point.
This also strengthens the body structure. Because the taps are located at the top, in the strongest part of the cube.
And they don’t stick out with an ugly pussy, causing disgust with their monstrous appearance.
If necessary, I remove the filling valve and screw in a measuring tube (adapter), which does not reach the filling level of the heating element by about a couple of centimeters. This allows you to operate in steam generator mode without any problems without the risk of exposing the heating elements.
The tube begins to gurgle intensely, causing the temperature sensor to trigger.
The operation of the steam generator has been stopped, the heating elements have been saved from exposure.

Let us separately dwell on the acquisition and preparation of heating elements. I will need several stages of regulation for the column.
Having decided on the power and number of heaters, we think about their service life (more on this below).
For my cube, I settled on Aristons, removed from the mounting unit. I've been using them for a long time and overall I'm happy with them.
Let's go buy, armed measuring instrument. We need to measure the coil resistance and insulation.
Having selected two heaters with the most identical resistances, we measure the insulation.
I bought those whose resistance was higher than 20 megohms.
A device with such a measuring range could not measure insulation resistance.
After servicing the heating elements (I have copper ones), we tin the terminal tips, having previously wrapped the outlet area with FUM tape.
Since you have to use liquid soldering fluxes, you need to take care to preserve the insulation.
However, after unwinding the tape, I discovered with extreme annoyance that the insulation began to leak, and the acid flux had done its dirty work.
We take a metal blade in our hands and carefully file the edges of the heater - cutting off the tube to a length of about 5 mm from the edge.
I measure the insulation, noting with pleasure that it has been completely restored.
Let me note in passing that the heater leads are immersed inside to a depth of about 70 mm.
I discovered this during servicing, when I applied a voltage of 70 volts to heat the surface and ensure high-quality soldering.
So, without any damage to the health of the heater, you can saw off within a centimeter.
After tinning, I briefly applied 100 volts and when the heating element warmed up above the melting point of tin, I carefully wiped them with a cloth.
It turned out very clean and neat.

When installing the heaters, I was surprised to find that one was longer. Well, the costs of buying products from different batches.
After installing the heaters, I noticed that they were somehow not very firmly fixed; the walls of the cube were a bit thin.
I strengthened them by soldering them together using 2 mm copper wire, just before soldering the halves of the cube.
Painted it in red. After soldering, the heaters turned into a monolithic, durable structure.
A logical question arises here: how to change the heaters if it burns out? As it should be - in a set, since they are selected, there is no point in replacing one. Since the neck diameter is 50 mm, there are no difficulties in installing new heating elements soldered together.
Well, you can take both out and, replacing one, solder them in again.

I will specifically focus on selecting the power of heating elements.
The column is such a thing that does not tolerate neglect in terms of power selection.
Therefore, when planning to make a column, think about optimal coordination with the heating power of the cube. It is very important.
For those who don’t want to think or whose ingenuity has been damaged as a result of drunken falls, contact Goodwin - he will help.

In short, for typical columns with a diameter of 30-40 mm, power is required in the range of 0.9 - 1.5 kW.
Let's start in order. I chose two heaters because of the very wide range of power control and the very long service life of the heating element.
I'm too lazy to read the basics of electrical engineering, so take my word for it.
I will almost constantly work with the column in two modes.

1. With fixed power. (this is for the lazy, like me).
2. With power adjustment, for example for working with a pressure regulator (pressostat).

I don’t want to use it in steam generator mode at maximum power, but I drew it for supporters of universalism.

In the first mode, I connect both heaters in series, and the power will be 4 times less than the total power of the heating elements (if they are equal).
This achieves several positive points.

1. The resource of the heating element increases sharply, since it operates at a voltage of 110 volts.
2. The specific heat load per 1 square centimeter of surface is sharply reduced (by 4 times).
   For those who are afraid of toasted yeast, this is it.

It was smooth on paper. But what should those who have a somewhat non-standard column diameter do and need power, say, in the range of 1.5 - 1.8 kW, and ironically, they only have heating elements like mine - 2 kW each. I can already hear the cries of those who are confused about electronics - a “power regulator” is needed. Brilliant!!
Gee, (Chukchi: - but a tractor is needed!!). But no, however, a tractor.
And even with thyristor (triac) regulators, those who understand the essence of the process are hemorrhoids.
Our task is to provide the column with a consistent heating power for its performance.

I cannot address all the nuances of regulation. Let's omit the options with PWM and so on - this is a whim.
I propose to focus on the most typical option for adjusting power (by pressure in the cube) - with a pressure switch.
How most available option, which does not require large financial costs and in-depth knowledge of electronics.
There are two available options here:

1. providing a given power control range from 1 to 2 kW. For example, in the first option.
2. not so universal, but it allows you to achieve the most convenient control limit from minimum (by selecting the throttle) to maximum.
   Those. The limits of power fluctuations can be significantly narrowed - and the power can be selected within, say, 1600 - 2000 watts.

This greatly facilitates the operation of the column when the control limits are precisely limited to its needs, from minimum to maximum.
Diodes must have a voltage of at least 400 volts (preferably 600) and a current of at least 10 A. Such diodes are not very expensive - within 30-50 rubles.

Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here you can choose for yourself what suits you.
In the version with a choke, the main advantage is a uniform load on the heating elements, low currents on the contacts of the pressure switch.
By adjusting the number of throttle turns, you can match the heating power specifically to your column, which will ensure the most optimal performance.

We have roughly decided on regulation and power. We solder the halves of the cube into each other - with the expanding part facing up.
We coat it with liquid rosin and, heating it with a small burner (quickly and evenly heating the seam along the length), fill the seam.
The task is completely ridiculous, since the tin simply spreads evenly inside the tinned edges.
It should look something like this.

View from above. Please note that the taps are located away from the location of the heating elements.
The drain valve (on the right) has a tube running inside it all the way to the bottom of the cube.
Through the filling valve (on the left), I supply air with a pump for inflating mattresses (manual 2 liters), 4 pumps - and water came out of the drain valve.
Let's say 5 liters of still residue fly out in about 40 seconds.
If the column is removed, I pour it through the neck; if there is a lot of water, I press the neck with a slipper and blow air - all the work is to empty it.