StillSmart

Hi Guys

I was passing through liverpool a few weeks back and popped into love brewing, I got talking to the owner (the guy who makes the YouTube videos), I remember he said they sell 200-300 T500's a year!

They are the official importer so I'm not sure if that number includes wholesale sales to other shops.

I said wow I'm supprised, I commented about this forum saying we don't get anywhere near that many new active members each year, he said most people probably just stay under the radar, so it got me thinking, just how big is underground stillin in the UK??

There are loads of other shops selling T500's and Airstill's so it wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect over 1000 T500's and AirStill are sold every year, plus all those who build their own or buy some Polish contraption off of eBay.

If you look at our members there are loads joining every month but who never say a word, what do you guys think, is the UK on the brink of a craft distilling revolution?? There's certainly potentially a massive silent community out there. What you guys think?

Love brewing have their own forum...nothing happens there at all...they have over
3,900 members and nothing is going on.
I think your analysis of it all is spot on....loads of folks doing sugar wash's and don't want to join a forum in case the fuzz find out..

I was very wary about posting, despite the fact that I only use my equipment for distilling water.

I own a T500, but i don't think its a secret anymore, i have a
hunch it's to do with this artisan gin craze thats sweeping the
country at the moment. Iv'e never heard so much people talking
about gin as much. There's gin bars opening up all over the toon.

I think the secrets of our hobby has been discovered. we have to
hide or go deeper underground.

no cheers here B_D

It's been said before, the cops are not interested in spending time & money on taking a guy to court who's making a bottle or two.

The only time you read anything in the papers is when some Richard cranium starts to sell. That's when you will get pulled...and lets face it we're all on the net...it's all here for anyone to see..if the "revenuers" come a calling you just jump in your Model T ford and race away...

I get people parking in front of my house all the time doing small time drug deals. The police are not interested unless violence or children are involved. They have more pressing things to do than catch me making a bottle of gin in my basement.

I have to drive two miles South or three miles North to find people selling drugs near my rural location, or dogging or gay dogging.

I do not expect a knock on the door soon from a police officer with a good nose.
As long as we stay off the roads having consumed our products, we may be left alone.

Robert.

Easydrinker wrote:I have to drive two miles South or three miles North to find people selling drugs near my rural location, or dogging or gay dogging.
Robert.

You live in a very interesting part of this Sceptred Isle of ours Robert..

I mentioned on a previous topic that I think the days of the 2" column are numbered, so I thougnt I would expand on this here as it is relevant to T500's

In my opinion the best part of the T500 is the boiler.

If you use a T500 it is inevitable that you are at some point, going to keep the boiler and upgrade everything else.

My recommendatins would be:

1. Get a power controller.
2. Insert a copper plate between the element and the base of the boiler. This is just to even out the power distribution as there have been some reports of hot spots in the boiler.
3. Open out the lid hole from the 48 mm diameter to something a bit bigger.
4. Fit a 54 mm connector or a 2" triclamp connector to the lid. There are many ways to do this.
5. Throw away the column.
6. Build a 76 mm packed column.

Yes I did say 76 mm. Start with a 54 mm or 2" tri clamp connection and expand to a 76 mm column. The current boiler is I believe an 1800 watt version although some folks upgrade this.

If you look at the power charts you will see that 1800 watt is often quoted for a 1.5 inch column. What isn't often mentioned is that this is the MAXIMUM power level for that size column.

In reality a comfortable power level is a lot lower. Running any packed column at its maximum power level is a very risky proposition and you need strong nerves to do it. It is much nicer to just cruise along at lower power rather than going flat out on the edge of flooding the column.

So back to the 76 mm column. Running that on a T500 at or close to its max power level is a real option.

Choice of packing material and power level used depend on the product you wish to make. Most efficient packing combined with lower power levels is a combination for neutral. Less efficient packing and higher power works for more flavoured white rum, grappa, or fruit brandies.

For whisky use a 54 mm pot head reducing down to your condenser of choice.

For gin my personal choice is to add a thumper with a botanical basket, but if you don't mind cleaning the boiler, just build an inline 76 mm basket as an alternative pot still head.

As an alternative for flavoured product consider a 67 mm or 76 mm plated column.

However this is just my opinion and all of the mentioned options will later transfer to a 50 litre keg boiler if you decide to go down that route and increase to 3 kW or a bit more.

Thanks for an interesting write-up Myles...only yesterday I was thinking that I have the pothead that I've made a couple of years back....I have some copper floating about and I was looking at the 500 column thinking, it's time to build my own reflux.

Now you've really got me wanting to have a go.

Nice one. Really good. Food for thought as I am still thinking through my BM20 conversion to take a column and this has thrown all that in the air I have 2000w so about the same.

Back to the drawing board....

PS where are you getting SS 205l from pls ? UK?

The best price that I have found is from Smiths of the forest of Deane.

They sometimes have recycled ones but not at the moment. You can get stainless pots a bit cheaper, but the drums come with good lids and a ring clamp system. More cost effective in the long run.

Thanks. I know the clamp lid - v good. I have a similar on my 205 steel drums full of apple paste & molasses.

Stainless is quite a find - thanks.

While not owning a T500, that was quite an interesting read Myles..

Robert.

I found this on the net...the guy is using a T500..



The question I have is about the column..why have this shape??? could this be just for stripping??