Are you running a whiskey still?

[farmerjim]

check out this link. the guy is very knowledgable and has some very nice handmade goods.
COPPER MOONSHINE STILLS

 

[Reg]

As I understand it the first 10% or so that boils off is very volatile and somehow BAD for human consumption. The last 15% or so also has Badness, though I don't know specifically what.
Fusil oils are in one of those parts, I seem to remember reading something about those doing harm, maybe blindness. Anyway, point is your friend would need to accept that some fairly large portion of what comes out needs to be discarded, or at least not consumed. Use it as paint thinner or something (-:

In the US (& this board is probably read world wide) it is my understanding that distilling almost anything is illegal.

 

[Chuck52]

I worked in a hospital laboratory for a while in the 70's. It was a University hospital, so we got lots of interesting samples to work on. I remember some shine being submitted for lead analysis once. It turned out to be some of the cleanest liquor any of us had ever analyzed, plus it had a really nice strong strawberry aroma. It sure was hard returning that stuff to the law.

Chuck

 

[Chuck52]

You East Tennessee boys are probably familiar with the Tellico road that goes up the river through the national forest and ends at the North Carolina line. If you keep going up that road, it comes to some private property that was owned by a one-armed ex-moonshiner by the name of Bass Dockery when I was a boy. The story was that Bass had actually home-steaded his land, which would have been unusual for land east of the Mississippi, but that was the story. He was said to have lost his arm in a shootout with revenooers. He must have still been making some shine up into the 50's because my dad knocked the door off his car once trying to drive up that road to buy some.

Chuck

 

[N80]

Moonshining and bootlegging are loaded with romance and fantasy. Most of it is just that, fantasy.

The local guy making a little moonshine for himself, firends and family was never the target of the feds in any real way. They might bust up one of those or charge the guy with what amounts to a misdemeanor if they found it in his home or barn. Usually the local or travelling magistrates were very lenient with these folks. (read Andy Taylor). Small fine. Done deal.

But as soon as you get to the level where people are making money doing it, it is no different from the drug scene of today. Low life, dangerous people with little regard for any laws and usually involved in other illegal activity. And usually the 'owners' stayed far from the still and 'hired' hands usually were the one's that got caught. Often these were women and children.

These folks had little regard for their customers as well. Not only did they use lead containing radiators etc, they were well known for 'cutting' the stuff, not with water, but other volitale and or toxic substances on hand.

Dad has reports of days when people were dying daily in handfulls from moonshine, again, not from lead, but stuff they'd added to make a shipment when they were short.

So funny stories aside (from both sides) the reality was often pretty ugly.

 

[bearhawk]

I guess it depends on which ones you know. I have a friend that regularly smoked pot with a police officer. So yes, there are those that would drink a little shine with you. BTW, my friend hasn't smoked any rope in about 25 years, but that police officer may still be at it for all we know

I remember a Police Chief friend that used to say "I get paid to enforce the law, not uphold it"

 

[Bill Barrett]

Try here great old reprinted books.
Lindsay's Technical Books

Secrets of Building an
Alcohol Producing Still

by Vince Gingery

An intelligent person knows that hoarding gasoline is not a solution to fuel shortages. An intelligent person finds alternative solutions, and this machine is just such a solution.

Instead of trying to stockpile gasoline, you can make your own substitute out of sugar, corn, potatoes, or almost anything you can ferment into alcohol. This still will remove the water, creating almost pure alcohol, nearly 200 proof, so you can burn it in just about any type of engine.

Here Vince will teach you how to take common plumbing parts, copper sheeting, and standard electrical parts and build a 6 gallon capacity still. He'll show you how to malt, mash, and ferment corn into fuel and turn it into fuel. And Vince will show you how easy it is to get a license and do all this with the blessing of authorities. The still heats the wash with a water jacket in which is immersed a 120 volt water heater element. Temperature is controlled with a continuous thermostat. Eventually vapors boil through the rectifying column to the condenser. If you carefully maintain the precise temperature, you'll get almost pure alcohol.

The fuel you produce is not going to be cheaper than gasoline unless you have a low cost source of fermentables and want to make a version you can fire with scrap wood or coal. But if you can't buy gasoline at any price, even alcohol at three or four dollars a gallon is a bargain.

I'm sure you could use the still to make whiskey and brandy. But I'll tell you up front, that's against the law whether you sell it or not. The Feds want their taxes. If you're going to make moonshine, don't tell me about it.

Great book! Be independent. Thumb your nose at the corner gas station. Build a still, and make fuel. Order a copy. 8 1/2 x 11 softcover 76 pages

No. 6060 ... $12.95



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[Reg]

Fines are one thing, jail time another.
What I think is FAR more serious is the very real probability of making a bad batch and suffering serious health consequences.
Whatever whoever's old gran'pappy did and survived to 97, illegal hooch ain't worth losing your eyesight for.

Do PLEASE do the homework on "how to" - - both technical and legal.

 

[PineRidge]

Fines are one thing, jail time another.
What I think is FAR more serious is the very real probability of making a bad batch and suffering serious health consequences.
Whatever whoever's old gran'pappy did and survived to 97, illegal hooch ain't worth losing your eyesight for.

Do PLEASE do the homework on "how to" - - both technical and legal.

May be wrong but I think loss of eyesight was tied to the lead leaching that was used in old car radiators being used for condensers.

 

[PineRidge]

Try here great old reprinted books.
Lindsay's Technical Books

Secrets of Building an
Alcohol Producing Still

by Vince Gingery

An intelligent person knows that hoarding gasoline is not a solution to fuel shortages. An intelligent person finds alternative solutions, and this machine is just such a solution.

Instead of trying to stockpile gasoline, you can make your own substitute out of sugar, corn, potatoes, or almost anything you can ferment into alcohol. This still will remove the water, creating almost pure alcohol, nearly 200 proof, so you can burn it in just about any type of engine.

Here Vince will teach you how to take common plumbing parts, copper sheeting, and standard electrical parts and build a 6 gallon capacity still. He'll show you how to malt, mash, and ferment corn into fuel and turn it into fuel. And Vince will show you how easy it is to get a license and do all this with the blessing of authorities. The still heats the wash with a water jacket in which is immersed a 120 volt water heater element. Temperature is controlled with a continuous thermostat. Eventually vapors boil through the rectifying column to the condenser. If you carefully maintain the precise temperature, you'll get almost pure alcohol.

The fuel you produce is not going to be cheaper than gasoline unless you have a low cost source of fermentables and want to make a version you can fire with scrap wood or coal. But if you can't buy gasoline at any price, even alcohol at three or four dollars a gallon is a bargain.

I'm sure you could use the still to make whiskey and brandy. But I'll tell you up front, that's against the law whether you sell it or not. The Feds want their taxes. If you're going to make moonshine, don't tell me about it.

Great book! Be independent. Thumb your nose at the corner gas station. Build a still, and make fuel. Order a copy. 8 1/2 x 11 softcover 76 pages

No. 6060 ... $12.95

Bill thanks for that info, it has already been passed on.