StillSmart

This is a surge boil. Nuclearation is not the issue.

Is any of your copper flat?

I started off with an Airstill years back, maybe I was lucky I never had a boilover.

I never turned my AS on & off, maybe this was the cause?? this is the first time I've read of anybody doing so. I can't remember Still Spirits saying that one had to do this at all.

You say you've used baking soda, I've never done this either.

ICE,
I reckon Baking soda and carbon are a red herring.
Powering on and off is new to me too.

IMO One word. Coinage!

+ 1 Mash, I have to concur with you sir.

Would the copper pipe pieces the original poster said he used not have the same effect as coinage?

There are enough reports of similar happening on this forum to have me worried but usually it's due to lack of boil pieces or some kind of antifoam.

NightEye, firstly welcome.
You go into great detail with your problem, and that is good, it gives those of us that think we know something the best chance of helping you!
If you decide to leave it a while, then that is your call.
A few bullet style points with my views:

My air still fan is powered from the boiler, without serious wiring extensions I cannot run the fan without the boiler running, I do not understand this point.
You say your air still is aged, if under-used, -the silicon seal may be buggered, and is replaceable.
Don't switch off unless you have to,or are finished.
Turbo or any wash that takes your fancy.
Adjust your sugar quantity to get a wash not much higher than 10-12%
The shape of your copper doesn't matter.
The copper supersedes the ceramic beads.
You can get a good neutral Vodka from an air still, you may need to Carbon filter it, I do. With any wash.(Mash do not mention Kale here!)
Don't use Carbon except to filter, if you wish to filter.
Don't use Bi-carb except to raise Ph of a wash.
These days I have issues with Mozr's instructions regarding re-use of heads and tails, as an analogy try this: Boil a chicken carcass to make stock, remove stock, boil another carcass to make stock, adding the bones from the first boil,remove stock,Boil another carcass to make stock, add the bones from the first two boils. Do you get my drift? It is kind of different, but how many times do you wish to distill the same spirit, unless you are doing it for flavour,as in Whisky?
It is allowable to run an air still in a shower or bathtub,to cope with possible boil overs.
And finally, everyone with an air still cannot resist the urge to try higher % low wines to see just how high they can produce hearts. I recall getting around 80% before giving that game up and building a reflux still.

Hope some of that helps.

Robert.

For me, you have confirmed the issue is coinage, by confirming the shape of the copper you use.

Don't overfill it. And you rightly said don't exceed 30%

28? I cover the bottom of the still with some overlapping. They will bounce around and rattle....THAT is their job.

There is not a magic wand / one size fits all set of instructions. Learning, experience and experimentation is want this hobby is about.... Ooo and a bunch of guys on this forum

You can make some stunning products, once you learn how to fly it. I use the weird 'fly' intentionally as opposed to just 'using' it.

Please let me know how it goes.

NightEye wrote:The baking soda is supposed to convert some of the heady substances that have a close boiling point to ethanol into ethanol and another substance that has a boiling point further away from ethanol thus making it easier to keep out of the hearts. The chemistry and discussion I have read about it sounds reasonable so I thought I would give it a try. I am fairly sure I read someone else using this technique on an air still as it made the cuts "sharper".

In order to achieve this, the bicarbonate is added to the low wines after a stripping run, not to the wash.

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT BUNGEE

The odd puke is a pain in the arse. A 4.5 litre boiling alcohol bomb is something else. If it needs to escape - let it.

.... Unless of course you are also replacing the mains fuse with a nail as well


New seal. £7 here on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390727853703

Why should it take months to get to you? Where abouts are you?

You had me worried enough that today's stripping runs on a questionable rum wash are being done in the garden, where if it did go would cause no mess or injuries. Has the benefit I can monitor it from my hammock as I type.

I looked into the bicarb soda thing yesterday and came across a claim that it will react with copper to cause ammonia, how true this is I don't know but I'm going to leave it out when I start processing my nuetral, maybe do an extra distill if I feel it necessary.

Even if it is illegal to still where you are I doubt customs would recognise it? Is that your concern?

I find "all hell broke loose" a bit dramatic.

I am guessing it burped. So was it foamy or was there boiling alcohol drenching the walls for miles around

I am all for a bit of experimenting, but also heed the phrase "learn to walk.... Etc"

I have earlier responded to one,or even two of your posts.
This one is a prime example of how you seem to rub people up.
Here, I am the referee, and I can send you off the pitch, forever.
Dissent is one thing, it got me where I am today, disrespect is another entirely.
I am watching your posts, I wish you distilling joy.


Robert.

An observation I have made is that fledgling or uninitiated distillers do indeed attempt to run before they have learnt to walk. Not necessarily a bad thing, but impatience is not a good trait in this arena.

I have suggested on multiple occasions that an ideal first few attempts should be on a relatively easy product such as rum. With rum you have a lot of latitude in your end product and still have a drinkable result. Not so with gin and vodka. It takes far more skill to get a “good“ gin or vodka. Whiskey should not be taken on too early in the game.

A distiller needs to learn and understand, not only his wash, but also his equipment. There are all kinds of variables. Starting out with a rum can build your confidence while you produce a reasonable product.

There is plenty of time to experiment. Knowing what you are doing and how your equipment works will save a lot of time and heartache in the long run.

It is easy to make good alcohol, but even easier to make bad.