What I Did Today

[Blue_Duck]

Well my little r2d2 unit (airstill)has worked it's socks off the last couple of
days, orange vodka...same principal as making limoncello or sambucca. infuse in
clean peel in 94+% nuetral, i use a bag of 4-6 oranges depending on the size of the
bag from lidle, strain and re-distill, i personally take 650ml for keeps and
200ml tails for feints to add to next run. When diluted to 40%, it will look like
a jug of milk, but two filters through cotton it clears to a nice tasting product.
I use this method as an essence, as it can be adjusted by adding nuetral to taste.
cheers B_D

[Easydrinker]

That one sounds good.
I should have racked a couple of washes, but got involved in a tasting session with a friend instead.
I guess the racking happens today.
Hakuna matata as they say.

Robert.

[Icefever]

Well yesterday actually... I managed to strip a sugar wash that's taken about 7 weeks.. to finish.

I've never had a wash take so long, but it got there in the end....so to all the new guys out there starting this hobby...don't worry if a wash takes a little..(in this cash a smegging lot longer).

Flat out strip with the pothead....finished up with about 4/4.5 liters in the DJ.
Took it down to about 35% and was very happy with the results.

Out today but will bang it through the reflux tomorrow...."O happy days..O happy days" all together now...

[Seagull]

I've had a wash on the go that's been taking an absolute age. That gives me some hope it might eventually ferment out!

Left it for a couple of weeks while I've been on holiday so hoping that it might have finished when I get back but having turned off the heating plates and belts it might have just gone to sleep in this cold weather.

[Seagull]

Mind you I did drop a roll of Sellotape into the bloody fermenter. Maybe the yeasties objected.

[Easydrinker]

Mind you I did drop a roll of Sellotape into the bloody fermenter. Maybe the yeasties objected.

Sorry mate, you walked right into this......

THAT WILL BE A STUCK WASH THEN?

Robert.

[Seagull]

Mind you I did drop a roll of Sellotape into the bloody fermenter. Maybe the yeasties objected.

Sorry mate, you walked right into this......

THAT WILL BE A STUCK WASH THEN?

Robert.

Love it! That was a genuine LOL

[Benoit]

Today I...ok this isn't really something I did but these came in the post after only a week from China! I'll drill & solder a thermowell into these for good measure first, then they will be soldered to both my pot & thumper lid to give me some clearance to get the triclamp on easily. If I can get some stayclean flux then I may even attempt a soft solder & share that. It might be an easier option considering the conversation going on in the parrot thread


Looks like Madonna stayed over last night

[Icefever]

I'll drill & solder a thermowell into these for good measure first, then they will be soldered to both my pot & thumper lid to give me some clearance to get the triclamp on easily. If I can get some stayclean flux then I may even attempt a soft solder & share that. It might be an easier option considering the conversation going on in the parrot thread

What size are they??? 2"x 4"?...but I need a drawing of what your doing as my old brain can't see it. Your putting one on the boiler and t'other on a thumper?
Maybe it's because it's 0400 and I'm still a sleep..

Any photos please post on what your doing I'm waiting on Mr Wong to deliver a load of shiney then I can start my new column...

[Benoit]

Ice, if you check out the pics in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3809
You can see how the lid makes its own recess, I wanted to weld a normal 2" ferrule into it after cutting the handle out but it didn't leave much clearance to get the triclamp on. So instead I welded the ferrule to some 2" stainless pipe to lift it above the edge & when I went to weld it to the lid disaster struck & I burned through the lid. I rescued an airtight seal with some stainless plate & way too much silver solder (my wallet cried that day) but it's ugly as hell so I'm going to cut the whole lot off & solder the 4" end directly to the lid & use the 2" end with a triclamp.
It just means I can cut all the ugliness off & have those reducers as permanent attachments on the lids, the idea to add the thermowell to the reducer is most definitely poached from a popular stilling equipment site.

[Easydrinker]

Not only applauding your tenacity, but ingenuity too.

Robert.

[Anavrin]

Just ordered some bits from Chinaland off of eBay, never ordered anything for my still from there before but I'm not in a rush, the postage was free and the price was less than half that I could find anywhere else.

Only ordered a 90° 2" tri clamp bend and a 200ml long Steel bar with a 1" BSP thread on each end, not big or anything fancy but they will allow me to go back to a VM setup for my next spirit run.

[Easydrinker]

Today, yesterday now, I did some scruffy soldering of a new column for my still,
Soaked it's innards in citric acid,and in theory it is almost ready to play with.
If it behaves I will clean it's outsides and post a pic.

Robert.

[Phantom]

My ferment bucket has been waiting since last weekend for its clean out.

Was getting nagged to sort the dishwasher, so did that, rinsed the bucket, made another 2ltr of 10% k-meta solution (bought a new spray the other week), sanitised and refilled bucket with the usual 21 ltr of water and 6kg of sugar (given up poncing around with correct temps years ago).

The vodka star is out the fridge and sitting on top of the bucket to come up to room temp while the sugar/water cools.

Then I'll just pitch the yeast later and start the twice daily aerations until the ferment is well underway.......

[Benoit]

Today I got royally jobbed in the garden & everything brew related that I had planned went out the window. I'm sure if she drank whiskey I wouldn't have half these problems!
Old fashioned council 3x2 slabs weigh a ton & I've only had to lay 6 of them but my back sure knows about it now! Let's hope tomorrow is a little more relaxed!