Today, you can find many different distillers on the market that allow you to make moonshine at home. However, such equipment is by no means cheap, so many people are wondering: "How to build such a unit on your own?" In our article, you will learn everything about how to make the simplest moonshine still with your own hands: what materials will be needed for this, what is the principle of operation of each of the elements, how to draw up a drawing, and so on.
What is moonshine?
Moonshine is a device for distillation of raw materials, which contains alcohol molecules in its composition. As an initial product, you can use almost any mixture containing ethyl - raw (alcohol with impurities), mash (low alcoholdrink) and the like. Each moonshiner has his own unique recipe that allows you to make the drink strong and rich.
The main goal of the moonshine still is to obtain a drink that contains from 60 to 70 percent ethyl alcohol. In addition, the final product should also be free of various impurities that impair the taste of the drink or give it an unpleasant odor. As a rule, a lot depends on the feedstock, however, if the design of the distiller is broken, this will also lead to an undesirable result.
What is the essence of the device?
Did you decide to make the simplest moonshine still for 20 liters with your own hands? We strongly recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the principle of operation of this device. It is based on the fact that alcohol evaporates at temperatures at which water retains its state of aggregation. As we know from the school physics course, in order to boil water, you must first heat it to a temperature equal to 100 ° C. Celsius. However, alcohol begins to evaporate already at 55-60 degrees. That is, if you can maintain the optimum temperature of the liquid, then evaporate only alcohol from the mash, and the water will remain inside the source material.
In order for the alcohol vapor to turn back into a liquid state, a special capacitor is used, which is based on the principle of contact of hot vapor with the cold walls of the device. The final stage of distillation is the purification of alcohol from harmful impurities. To do this, the liquid passes through a special filter and enters the container one drop at a time, but in a purified state.
The main parts of the moonshine still
To make the simplest moonshine with your own hands, you need to know the basic elements of its design. As a rule, the main parts of such a device are: an evaporator and a condenser. The first is a special container designed to heat the raw material to the desired temperature. To do this, you can use any pan or even make a moonshine from a beer keg. A condenser is a container that always has a cold surface, causing the alcohol vapor to return to a liquid state.
Most distillers also have additional elements responsible for removing alcohol from the evaporator, controlling the temperature of the mash, or designed to purify alcohol from various impurities. Devices can be very different, but we will return to this issue in the following sections. To begin with, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with what should be considered when designing a moonshine.
What is important to consider when making?
Compared to industrial alcohol production equipment that uses distillation columns and the principle of raw material separation into fractions, the home apparatus has a fairly simple design. However, only an amateur who has never de alt with the distillation process at home can think so. If you decide to dothe simplest do-it-yourself moonshine still, then you should consider its main characteristics, which will be presented in the following list.
- Volume of apparatus and productivity. To satisfy your own needs for an alcoholic drink, it will be enough to make a device that can process from 15 to 20 liters of raw materials at a time. If you want to create a larger production, you can increase the volume by 10-20 percent.
- Material for the apparatus. The most successful option for the manufacture of the case is stainless steel. It is best to use a sheet with a thickness of 1.5 to 2 millimeters. Copper is also a good alternative to stainless steel, but it costs an order of magnitude more expensive than steel. Some parts of the machine are made of glass.
- Cleansing abilities. The released product cannot be considered ready for use if it has not undergone several purification procedures to remove various impurities. For this purpose, a special device is specially installed in moonshine stills, which is called a steamer (or simply a filter). making a steamer for a moonshine with your own hands is very simple.
- Operating temperature. Steam extraction in the evaporator is provided at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees. However, during the distillation process, it should be set in the region from 68 to 82 degrees Celsius. A special device called a thermometer is responsible for monitoring the temperature. It is usually attached to the lid of the alembic.
Perhaps they wereall the features that should be considered in the manufacture of moonshine at home. Now you should take a closer look at the main structural elements and their principle of operation.
Constructive elements
If you do not know what you need for a moonshine still, then you have come to the right place. The following list will present the structural elements of such a device, as well as their purpose.
- A distillation cube or an evaporator is a container that is designed to heat the feedstock. A similar element can be made from almost any improvised means - a large flask, a saucepan, a can, a beer keg and the like.
- A condenser or refrigerator is a fundamental element needed to convert ethyl alcohol vapor back into a liquid state. This part of the moonshine must be constantly cooled in order for the condensation process to occur.
- Coil - a part necessary for the removal of alcohol vapors from the distillation cube. A kind of connecting element that is located between the condenser and the evaporator. Usually the serpentine looks like a tube, curved in a spiral.
- Primary filter for cleaning or sukhoparnik - designed to purify alcohol vapor from various impurities. As a rule, it is installed at the entrance to the distillation cube. Passing through the steamer, most of the harmful substances remain inside it.
- Bubbler is an optional element of a moonshine still designed forimproving the taste of the original product. It is quite similar to a purification filter, however, the fundamental difference between these two elements is the presence of a shock absorber, which gives the drink an aftertaste.
Also, one should not forget about such an important element as hoses for a moonshine still, without which no device can do. Temperature sensors, a container for collecting alcohol are also important components of any distiller that simplify the production process.
What to make a vaporizer from?
Did you decide to make a column-type moonshine still at home? To do this, you will have to get a suitable evaporator, which should be made (preferably) of stainless steel. As a rule, the volume of such a container is from 15 to 30 liters. Below are only the main types of moonshine stills that are found in modern moonshiners.
- From an old aluminum can. If you have preserved a 20-liter can from Soviet times, then you can use it as an evaporator for a future distiller. However, do not forget that this metal enters into a chemical reaction with ethyl alcohol, which gives the original product a sour taste.
- From a large enamel pot. The life of a moonshine still with such an evaporator will be from 4 to 6 years. An important condition for the container is its integrity, since any scratch inside the pan will become a hotbed for the occurrence of various oxidative reactions, whichwill give moonshine an unpleasant taste.
- From a glass bottle. This option is considered one of the most dangerous, since such containers very often burst with strong heat. However, if the bottle is made of heat-resistant glass, then no problems should arise. In addition, you can get a thermometer and control the temperature of the evaporator.
Three of these options are quite possible, but it is best to find a special stainless steel container or purchase a special glass alembic that is not afraid of high temperatures. In this case, you will be able to observe the process of fermentation and evaporation through a transparent material.
Step-by-step process for making a vaporizer
A stainless steel moonshine must be made with great care, because in addition to high temperature, it will also have to withstand a fairly high overpressure, which reaches from 0.5 to 0.7 atm. Therefore, all welding work must be done conscientiously. To make an alembic, follow the steps below.
- We take a ready-made container or weld it from metal of the required volume.
- Make the bottom as flat as possible so that it easily fits on the burner.
- Install a lid with a special hole on top of the distillation cube.
- Cut in-pipe threads with diameters of 22 mm (coil 13 mm).
- Install the lid on the tank and seal the joint.
If you also want to control the temperature of the mash, then you should additionallydrill another hole in the lid, through which the vapors will reach directly to the thermometer.
By the way, a pretty good option for a distillation cube is a pressure cooker, which has one significant advantage over other containers - it has a fairly good tightness. In this case, you only have to modify the distillation cube by making holes in its lid for the coil and thermometer. Well, a multicooker will be an absolutely ideal option, in which optimal temperature maintenance is ensured using the program.
Production of a capacitor
Moonshine for home cannot be made without a capacitor, which plays a huge role in the production process. It will not be difficult to make it even for a novice moonshiner. To do this, you can use the following materials:
- copper tube is the best option, which cools very quickly, has low heat capacity and chemical inertness.
- aluminum pipe is also a good option, but the alcohol will react with the metal, giving the drink a sour taste;
- glass serpentine - quite difficult to make at home, but its payback will occur in the shortest possible time.
The step by step process for making a refrigerator looks something like this:
- We take a metal tube of the required diameter and fill it with sand.
- Deform the tube to make a spiral.
- Make the body of the cooling compartment using a plastic pipe.
- We pass the end of the coil into the section with a compartment and close up the ends.
To cool the moonshine still, you can use ordinary running water, which enters the walls of the condenser through special tubes. Or, you can completely dip the refrigerator in ice water and regularly change it if it gets hot.
What to make a steamer from?
If you decide to make a steamer for a moonshine still with your own hands, we recommend that you use some kind of metal tube for this, installing fittings on its ends for connecting to the coil and the evaporator cover.
The bubbler from the upper end must also be connected to the coil, but the lower end should be lowered through the hole in the cube lid so that the tube does not reach the bottom of the container, and the gap is from 25 to 30 millimeters.
As for the faucet for the moonshine, it is better to buy it in the store. Such a little thing costs mere pennies, but to make it at home, you may need a lot of tools. It is also best to purchase hoses for moonshine still in advance.
How to keep the mash warm?
After you manage to create a distiller with your own hands, you will need to take care of heating the starting material in the distillation cube. This can be done in a variety of ways, which will be described below.
- Open source. The most commonly used method is an open fire from a fire, a gas stove or a separate firebox. The disadvantage of this method of heating is the high complexity of the regulation of inertia and heating. It is also necessary to take care of the fire safety rules in advance.
- Electric heater. Heating is provided by means of an electric stove with the help of elements built into it. It should be taken into account in advance that the purchase of such a heater will be quite expensive, but it will be very easy for a moonshiner to control the temperature regime.
- Steam generator. To heat the distillation cube, it will be enough to provide hot steam with the help of special equipment. You can control the heat supply with the help of special screws located on the equipment.
- Inductive heating. To heat a container with mash, you can use an electric spiral. The main disadvantage is the rather high energy consumption, so you should prepare in advance for a large amount on your utility bill.
These are far from all the ways in which you can heat a container of moonshine. Some craftsmen even use special diesel guns that run on cheap fuel for this. Or you can just place the container on top of the wood stove, but it will be quite difficult to maintain the optimum temperature, especially without using a thermometer in the distiller.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you learn a little more about the process of making a column-type moonshine still at home. If this information seemed not enough to you, or something is still not clear to you, then you can watch a short video in which a man talks in detail about each stage of making a distiller at home. In addition, a good example will allow you to better understand the progress of work, which is very important for creating high-quality equipment.
As you can see, making a moonshine is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. You can use a variety of improvised means for this, however, keep in mind the fact that some metals react chemically with ethyl alcohol and change its taste properties. However, if you manage to do everything right, guided by our advice, then you can create a delicious traditional drink with your own hands.
