Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: moonshine still  (Read 51795 times)

Offline Countryboy

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 239
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2011, 11:48:41 pm »
When I was a young boy, I knew of a Mennonite man who had a still and distilled alcohol to use in his tractor.  Dad told me the man had to add something to the alcohol to poison it to make sure that it couldn't be used for human consumption...or maybe the guy just didn't separate out the poisonous alcohols since it was just used for fuel.

I do not know if it was legal or not.  (And back then, the law often turned a blind eye to Amish/Mennonite activities as long as they weren't causing problems, or if the church agreed to correct the problems in the Amish/Mennonite community.)

Offline beee farmer

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 387
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #21 on: March 05, 2011, 01:16:02 am »
Many years back I worked as an Animal Control Officer. One day we got a call from some people about a raccoon in the house. Went to the house, it was a big old three story with a full unfinished basement, The man who owned it was in a nursing home(terminal illness) and his relatives had hired the church he belonged to too sell all the stuff in the house so the house could be torn down and the lot sold. Anyway, While looking around in the basement for raccoon access I went into the "unused" coal bunker/furnace room. I was awestruck, in the room behind the old coal furnace/boiler was an absolutly beautiful 10 gal copper still along with alot of very old mason jars and long rotted away sugar bags. The church people had no idea what it was I made an offer for it and bought it for $20.
I havent tried making anything in it but it sure looks cool in the back of my barn! Maybe someday when I aint feared of revenuers!
BTW never did find the raccoon

Found your coon!
"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do"  Benjamin Franklin

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #22 on: March 05, 2011, 02:45:29 pm »
When I was a young boy, I knew of a Mennonite man who had a still and distilled alcohol to use in his tractor.  Dad told me the man had to add something to the alcohol to poison it to make sure that it couldn't be used for human consumption...or maybe the guy just didn't separate out the poisonous alcohols since it was just used for fuel.

I do not know if it was legal or not.  (And back then, the law often turned a blind eye to Amish/Mennonite activities as long as they weren't causing problems, or if the church agreed to correct the problems in the Amish/Mennonite community.)
you are supposed to add methanol to the ethanol to make it unfit for human consumption.... why do I know this?

Offline buzzbee

  • Ken
  • Global Moderator
  • Galactic Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 5930
  • Gender: Male
    • N Central Pa Beekeepers Facebook Page
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #23 on: March 09, 2011, 12:41:30 am »
I think it's legal to distill essential oils. If you look at some of the "essential oil" stills they have a link for people who live in New Zealand. It is instructions on distilling alcohol with this still,while specifying it is illegal to do such things in the US.


  http://www.moonshine-still.info/Turbo%20500%20manual.pdf

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #24 on: March 10, 2011, 10:23:33 am »
you are right, an essential oil extractor is legal, i think we just need a real good definition on essential oils LOL , maybe if we stretch it enough it could include ethanol????  then again maybe not LOL

Offline kingbee

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1083
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #25 on: March 17, 2011, 03:33:43 am »
recently I saw a still on a TV show,

My questions are....

is it legal to have one? NO!

operate one? NO!

Can you produce moonshine for home use? Not legaly!

Anybody have details they pass along?
Yes, remember that from here on the humble spider is your only friend.  When you're going to your still early in the morning if you're not feeling spider webs on your face someone else went down that forest path ahead of you.  Likely a FED or a T-man!

I expect that your water will prove to high in iron to use to make good whiskey.

I would like to build my own.  Lock yourself up... I mean knock yourself out!

Don't ask me how I know this but it is even illegal to grind sprouted grain without a  ATF permit.  Try to get a grist mill owner to grind malted or sprouted grain for you if you think I am lying and see how fast they show you the door.


Offline Bee Happy

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1656
  • Gender: Male
  • that's me - setting a phoenix free
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #26 on: March 17, 2011, 03:41:32 am »
you are right, an essential oil extractor is legal, i think we just need a real good definition on essential oils LOL , maybe if we stretch it enough it could include ethanol????  then again maybe not LOL

When Socrates was faced with banishment from Athens (the only society he knew) or death - he chose death and drank the hemlock (tea?)
Socrates already proved that a social life can have a very high value, and can be essential to a full life.
Given that...
Social life='essential',
 Oil = lubricant;
Alcohol = 'social lubricant':Alcohol = essential oil.
be happy and make others happy.

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #27 on: March 17, 2011, 08:20:09 pm »
see that is why I need philosophy for dummies book... lol

Offline wayne

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 345
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #28 on: April 09, 2011, 12:06:16 pm »
  I once got asked to help a friend clean up his father in law's property so it could be rented out. Out in the barn, up in the loft, was the cone off a still that was huge. That thing would have fit over a 55 gallon drum.
  I talked myself blue trying to get it, but all he could see was $1 a pound copper.
I was born about 100 years too early, or to late.

Offline hankdog1

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 849
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #29 on: April 09, 2011, 12:53:52 pm »
The hard part about doing it would be finding a place.  Not exactly something you wanna do in the backyard of the subdivision.  You need somewhere out in the middle of nowhere as running it gives off a odor.  You also need lots of cool water.  Today there aren't too many ATF agents out there busting small time folks your more likely to get caught by the local police department (know a feller that let a guy fire his up to run some shine and got caught that way).  As for making mead liquor and messing up the taste give me a bottle of Remy Martain any day as to a bottle of Champagne.
Take me to the land of milk and honey!!!

Offline Shanevrr

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 507
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #30 on: April 09, 2011, 09:35:51 pm »
is there any threads on making mead?
www.Valleybeesupply.com
"A responsible beekeeper is a successful one"
Shane C.

Offline AllenF

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 8192
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #31 on: April 10, 2011, 03:36:24 pm »
Put "making mead" in the search box.   There are quite a few here.

Offline scrapiron

  • New Bee
  • *
  • Posts: 40
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #32 on: July 05, 2011, 08:03:49 pm »
Word to the wise... When purchasing a still, make sure the solder is not LEAD. Here is a picture of my $300.00 E-Bay mistake.

« Last Edit: July 05, 2011, 08:19:22 pm by buzzbee »
Matt

Offline divemaster1963

  • Heavenly Beekeeper
  • Queen Bee
  • ********
  • Posts: 1354
  • Gender: Male
  • God Protect and watch over our sons and daughters.
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #33 on: July 05, 2011, 11:41:05 pm »
when I was a little guy visiting a uncle. He took us for a ride down a old rail line to cavedin tunnel. we walked up the creek along side the tunnel to a buch of braires. walked Thur to a opening that went into the hill side. it came out inside the tunnel. there stood a old steam engine train that he and his friend turned into the mother of all stills :shock:. the smoke ran Thur a cooling jacket of water then into a off tunnel. they produce allot.(he had every toy that a man would want and never had a job.) I think people knew about it but were reward for silence :-X. homebrewed right is the best medicine for the common cold. (haven't had one in 20+ years :-D.he pasted away in the 80's at the age of 92. never sick a day in his life. die of a fall ( hit his head and had a aneurysm.)

Offline kingfisherfd2

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 55
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #34 on: July 08, 2011, 05:49:50 pm »
Mile High Distilling has lots of NICE Stills.

www. milehighdistilling. com

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #35 on: July 08, 2011, 09:49:21 pm »
Word to the wise... When purchasing a still, make sure the solder is not LEAD. Here is a picture of my $300.00 E-Bay mistake.



you could still make some fuel in that still........

Offline kingbee

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1083
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #36 on: August 15, 2011, 06:22:00 am »
... When purchasing a still, make sure the solder is not LEAD.


Well Slacker361, you asked for it so I will give it to you. 

For something as small as what I saw in the photo use a large stainless steel pressure cooker for you still pot.  Make a hammered copper capper and thumper combo and fit it down stream, above and not to far from the lid.  It may be necessary to drill and tap a larger hole in the lid. Remember we are dealing with spent yeast and maybe grain residue here.  You must keep these residues out of the worm if you intend to keep your still trucking.  When heat hit’s the mash, the CO2 starts cooking off and bubbling.  The yeast residue can heave then and plug the worm.  Finally add a long clean pure copper condensing worm. 

Set the cooker upstairs and run the worm downward and into one side of your family freezer, then around and around and around and out the bottom or the other side.  Or route the worm through a large plastic drink cooler filled with ice.  A coffee brew basket, or a stainless steel honey strainer and a cloth coffee filter large enough to hold a hand full of homemade charcoal and you are ready to rock and roll.  Don’t forget you need a glass quart jar or two to catch the run, a heat source, and someway to monitor and fine tune the temperature and pressure.  You will also need some primary fermenting vessels.  You can cut down on pouring or flushing spent mash down the Lou if you make Sour Mash squeezing since you recycle 20% of your spent mash to sweeten (Sour) up your new beer. 

The above setup will runoff a fifth or two of 100 proof a day, and more if you work everything just right.  If you are able to drink more than that, then you can have my share! 

Next week I will teach you how to char or turn ever clear into chartered whiskey while your customer waits.

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #37 on: August 15, 2011, 05:47:00 pm »
... When purchasing a still, make sure the solder is not LEAD.


Well Slacker361, you asked for it so I will give it to you. 

For something as small as what I saw in the photo use a large stainless steel pressure cooker for you still pot.  Make a hammered copper capper and thumper combo and fit it down stream, above and not to far from the lid.  It may be necessary to drill and tap a larger hole in the lid. Remember we are dealing with spent yeast and maybe grain residue here.  You must keep these residues out of the worm if you intend to keep your still trucking.  When heat hit’s the mash, the CO2 starts cooking off and bubbling.  The yeast residue can heave then and plug the worm.  Finally add a long clean pure copper condensing worm. 

Set the cooker upstairs and run the worm downward and into one side of your family freezer, then around and around and around and out the bottom or the other side.  Or route the worm through a large plastic drink cooler filled with ice.  A coffee brew basket, or a stainless steel honey strainer and a cloth coffee filter large enough to hold a hand full of homemade charcoal and you are ready to rock and roll.  Don’t forget you need a glass quart jar or two to catch the run, a heat source, and someway to monitor and fine tune the temperature and pressure.  You will also need some primary fermenting vessels.  You can cut down on pouring or flushing spent mash down the Lou if you make Sour Mash squeezing since you recycle 20% of your spent mash to sweeten (Sour) up your new beer. 

The above setup will runoff a fifth or two of 100 proof a day, and more if you work everything just right.  If you are able to drink more than that, then you can have my share! 

Next week I will teach you how to char or turn ever clear into chartered whiskey while your customer waits.





Ummmmmmm.........WHAT????????????????? :roll: :roll:

Offline kingbee

  • Queen Bee
  • ****
  • Posts: 1083
  • Gender: Male
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #38 on: August 28, 2011, 05:01:37 pm »
 :roll: Aren't we speaking here about making a moonshine still?  If we are then my previous post tells you how to make a moonshine still that is capable of distilling all the hooch you can drink.  Well maybe not all the hooch you can drink since I don't know how much hooch you can put away.  :-D

Do be careful with you still's temperature however, because to hot and you will be distilling paint thinner and not moonshine.  Also to hot and you may saturate the air around you still with alcohol fumes.  In this case you may get your 15 minutes of fame.   

With a little luck, a good still hand can make 1.5 gal of shine from 10 gal of beer (mash).

Offline slacker361

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 772
  • Gender: Male
    • Thank You Honey
Re: moonshine still
« Reply #39 on: August 28, 2011, 08:55:56 pm »
nah all i said was that the still that was made with lead solder , could still make some fuel....since we should really be drinking lead.....