Diy copper moonshine still drawings. Can copper be used in home brewing? Copper moonshine still: fad or necessity

Hello!

Today I will tell you how to make a refrigerator for a moonshine still with your own hands. Finally I sat down to write this article. He promised everything, promised to write it, but he constantly put it off. And yet I did it.

Most of the article is devoted to the direct-flow refrigerator, because I use it and I think it is more progressive or something. Why? Read below. I will also talk about how to make a coil for a moonshine still, but more briefly.

The refrigerator of the design I propose is assembled in about an hour. The cost of the parts will be about 650 rubles.

If you don't want to work with your hands, then you can immediately buy an inexpensive and good refrigerator here. here.

Types of refrigerators

In total, there are two types of refrigerators for the moonshine still - direct-flow and coil. No, of course our hobby implies a vast field for creativity, and for sure folk craftsmen have already made a great variety of refrigerators of various designs and shapes.

But we will only consider the classic options.

So, a direct-flow refrigerator is a straight tube made of copper or stainless steel, on which a casing is placed on top (for example, another pipe). Moonshine goes through the inner tube, and coolant (water) goes through the outer tube. A diagram of such a refrigerator is shown below.

The coil is the same tube, only twisted into a spiral, which is placed in a case with cooling water. Coil diagram:

Detailed drawings and manufacturing instructions are provided in the following sections.

Yes, I almost forgot. There is also a glass refrigerator available at laboratory supply stores. But I do not recommend using it, because this very fragile device tends to break at every opportunity.

This is especially very dangerous during distillation, because vapors and condensate of moonshine are highly flammable substances!

Which is better, a coil or a straight-through

As I said at the beginning of the article, I use a direct-flow refrigerator. I can highlight the following advantages:

Condensate plugs do not form in it, which lead to pressure fluctuations in the distillation cube. Pressure drops lead to a sharp boiling up of the wash and its release into the refrigerator (spray). When using a coil, this phenomenon occurs quite often, but in a direct flow line it is excluded.
In a direct-flow refrigerator, it is easy to regulate the temperature of sampling of moonshine. It responds instantly to changes in water flow. In the case of a coil, the reaction is very slow.
Its efficiency is higher. Consequently, water consumption and costs are lower.

Of the advantages of the coil, I can only name:

More compact size (not always).
With a certain design, you can do without running water.

Instructions for making a once-through refrigerator

I looked at many different designs and settled on a polypropylene pipe and fittings option. It is one of the cheapest materials that you can buy at almost any plumbing store or home improvement store.

My total costs were 678 rubles in one case (option No. 1) and 610 rubles in the other (option No. 2).

The very idea of using a polypropylene pipe does not belong to me, but I came up with the design and technological solutions proposed here myself and have already tested it many times. I offer two versions that are easy to make yourself.

We do not need special tools for manufacturing, and all the work will take no more than an hour.

Option number 1

So, I used:

I collected all this according to the drawing below. Looking ahead, I will immediately show you a photo of what happened.

Step-by-step instruction

Update from 09/14/16. After about 10 distillations, the straight-through began to pass in one place. Apparently the glue has dried out and a gap has appeared. As a result, he filled all the cracks with a sealant for the aquarium, which remained after the manufacture moonshine from a pressure cooker... It has already been successfully tested several times in combat conditions.

Update from 11/15/2019.

The revision of the cooler design was suggested by the blog reader Eugene. Below is its text:

I assembled mine from a stainless tube with a diameter of 10 mm and a wall thickness of 1 mm.

Sealing the end exits turned out to be a problem for me. None of the sealants investigated work with the polypropylene from which the refrigerator jacket is made. Literally enough for 1-1.5 times.

Then I bought a stainless steel collet with a ½ male thread and an end sleeve with a ½ female thread. And now nothing has been going on for more than a year!

I also wanted to say that when using a tube with an outer diameter of 10mm and a PVC pipe as a jacket with a diameter of 20mm, a plug on the path of water in the places where the pipe and tees are welded may result.

When these elements are soldered on the inside, a kind of sag is obtained, which tightly fits the tube and does not allow water to pass through. By at least it happened in my first refrigerator. I had to take PVC pipes and so on with a diameter of 25mm.

Option number 2

This option differs in that I used a copper pipe with a diameter of 10 mm and a polypropylene pipe Ø20 mm. In this case, transition couplings are excluded from the design, and the plugs are inserted directly into the tees. Photo below:

Due to this and the smaller diameters of the tubes, the straight-through is a little cheaper and lighter, but its throughput is also reduced. Recommendations for sizing the steam pipe and other dimensions are given in the next section.

I came to the conclusion that the following dimensions are the most optimal - the length of the water jacket (casing) is 50-60 cm, the one-sided gap between the tubes is 1-1.5 mm. In my first version, such a ratio is not maintained, but then I had not yet made definite conclusions.
When selecting, pay attention to the wall thickness of the polypropylene pipe in order to maintain the required gap. For example, for a pipe Ø20 mm, the wall is 3.4 mm and the inner diameter is 13.2 mm. And for Ø25 mm, the wall is 4.2 mm and the inner Ø16.6 mm.
The thinner the wall of the copper pipe, the better the heat is removed from the steam. It is better to use tubes with a wall thickness of less than 1 mm.
The cooling water must move towards the steam, therefore, its supply must be connected from the opposite side of the steam inlet. As shown in the diagram at the beginning of the article.
The normal operating position of a once-through refrigerator is a vertical arrangement, in which the condensed moonshine flows freely downward. This ensures its maximum efficiency and excludes the formation of condensate slugs.
The copper tube must be cleaned with a brush after each distillation. Or at least rinse with hot water. Otherwise, poisonous copper sulfate is formed.

Coil manufacturing instructions

The main steps for making a coil are as follows:

Take a tube made of copper or stainless steel with a diameter of 10-12 mm. Length from 1.2 to 1.5 meters. Wall thickness 0.8-1.0 mm. Less than 0.8 is easily damaged during manufacture. More than 1 mm is very difficult to bend and their thermal conductivity also deteriorates.

Copper tubes are sold in shops annealed and not annealed. A non-annealed tube cannot be bent, therefore it does not suit us.

That's all. This is where I end. Perhaps I will finalize the design of the refrigerator, there are some ideas. Subscribe to updates and I will keep you updated on all the changes. If you have any questions, ask in the comments. Also wondering which refrigerator do you use? Did you make it yourself or buy it?

Goodbye to everyone. Dorofeev Pavel.

Alcohol mashine- this is not an easy device, but necessary for everyone who loves an unusual taste homemade alcohol... A standard moonshine still consists of alembic, coil, refrigerator and sedimentation tanks. There are many such devices, they differ in price, shape, size, materials and components. The copper moonshine still is especially popular. It has a high coefficient of thermal conductivity and allows you to get maximum performance. Let's figure out how to design a copper moonshine still, drawings.

The most common material for making a moonshine still is stainless steel, intended for food products... However, many people prefer copper. What are the advantages of copper over stainless steel? The device from it will cost much more, but, besides this, it has other interesting properties:

Copper machines are used to make high quality drinks such as whiskey, cognac or brandy. The fact is that some compounds that appear in the mash, in particular, sulfur oxides - a product of sugar fermentation, give the drink a characteristic bitter smell and taste. This can be avoided by using a copper machine that kills these antioxidants. Thus, copper removes unwanted tastes and odors from food.
The most striking feature of copper is its high thermal conductivity, which affects not only the performance of the device, but also the taste of the product. This is due to the chemical processes of the components of the mixture with copper.
Copper moonshine still has high reliability.
In addition, an important characteristic of such a device is environmental friendliness and safety. This refers to a comparison with materials such as plastic or aluminum. Plastic is known to be able to release hazardous substances... And aluminum does have contraindications for use in the food industry, since, according to some reports, it is toxic to the human body and can cause Alzheimer's disease.
There is no doubt also that this device has a very attractive appearance.

But the copper apparatus has its own drawbacks, for example, copper oxidizes rather quickly. Therefore, after each home brewing, the device may be covered with a thin film that needs to be cleaned. This is done using lemon juice... In addition, such devices are not new, but have not yet spread, so it is rather difficult to buy them.

Only a few manufacturers of moonshine still offer copper options, but more often than not, they are quite expensive. Another advantage of the copper apparatus is the ability to accurately supply the water temperature, as well as turn off the latter. With a copper apparatus, you do not have to worry about the health of the coil, pipe, and subsequent filtration of the moonshine. The copper apparatus allows you to set a high-quality product without unnecessary hassle.

Diy moonshine still

Before you start making a copper moonshine still with your own hands, you need to understand how it works. The principle of operation of a moonshine still is as follows: it is located in a vessel, which is intended for it to boil in it. Then it passes through the tubes, where it cools and condenses, and then enters the vessel in a purified form.

It is in changing the physical state of the liquid that the principle of operation of any distiller or moonshine still lies. Having roughly understood how the equipment works, we begin to manufacture it. For this you will need:

A large diameter pipe that will be used to cool the steam.
A vessel for boiling the mash. The main requirement is the tightness of the card. Many people use a stainless steel or brass teapot for this purpose, as well as cans, beer kegs and more. But it is best that it also be made of copper. The container should not be too large, 10–20 liters.
Dishes for collecting moonshine. You can use a glass jar.

In addition, the construction will need rubber gaskets, clamps and wire. It is best to use a hose not made of rubber as pipes in a moonshine, but made of silicone.

Then there will be fewer foreign smells and tastes. The quality of the product will be much higher.

In order to work with all of these materials, you need to get a pair of pliers. After preparing all the tools and materials, we get to work. We start by taking a vessel for boiling the mash. We make a hole in the upper part of it and connect the copper pipes. Next, we begin to make a coil, which is a wound pipe. Separately, it should be said about the coil.

Many moonshiners believe that copper moonshine stills are not the most best idea... In their opinion, copper is toxic. But in reality, this is not at all the case. Moreover, in most moonshine stills, a coil can be made of copper from various materials. Although in order to make it, in principle, you can use both aluminum and stainless steel. But copper greatly benefits in comparison with these metals, first of all, in terms of thermal conductivity, but not only.

To make a coil, prepare a tube onto which a thinner copper tube will be twisted. To prevent the pipe from deforming, fill it with sand or other material. After that, you can start winding up. Secure one end of the pipe so that it does not slide and twist the coil to the desired distance. Then secure the other end of the pipe.

Finally, you can free the pipe from sand and heavy materials. Another important point: the refrigerator must represent cooling with running water, and the pipe must fit into it completely, for maximum performance and product quality.

After the coil is made, we connect the receiving container. During the manufacturing process, you need to pay attention to the fact that there are no traffic jams. Any obstruction to the movement of liquid through copper pipes can cause them to be severely damaged or even explode. It is very important to monitor the tightness of the container. If there is no way to close distillation cube completely, you must use a sealant.

In the process of making a copper still, it is important to keep an eye on the direction of the steam. It is correct that it goes from top to bottom, so the device will work more efficiently. For the accuracy of the calculation, it is best to draw an approximate diagram, where the location of pipes and containers will be indicated, so as not to make mistakes and not spoil the material. The distiller made is best tested with ordinary water. If the test passed without problems, you can start cleaning the mash.

Consider another option for making a moonshine still, which is even more effective in cleaning moonshine. It is a distillation column. A conventional moonshine still works on the principle of a distiller. Rectification is a slightly different process. It provides a constant interaction of the liquid and gaseous phases, as a result of which the separation of the liquid into components is obtained. Rectification makes it possible to obtain a high alcohol strength.

The best option for the manufacture of a rectification column is copper. It is an absolutely safe material for humans. The device must be made in such a way that the temperature in the upper part is 78 degrees, because alcohol is boiling with it. In this case, only temperature matters. If you are not well versed in this topic, do not make the drawing yourself, because you will make a lot of mistakes, it is preferable to take a ready-made one. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

Draw the components of the apparatus on a sheet of copper.
Give them shape.
Make holes for the desired diameter.
Solder the details. The soldering must be of very high quality so that there are no holes allowing vapor and liquid to pass through. It is best to use lead and silver soldering technology and appropriate solder.

Thus, the manufacture of an apparatus from copper does not present much difficulty and is quite feasible. Although, of course, the materials will be expensive, and the copper soldering process itself is difficult. But such a device is worth the money and time spent.

According to historians, the first were copper moonshine stills, and not because copper has special properties (we will talk about them later), but for a more prosaic reason. In the 15th century, when home brewing began to develop, copper was the most readily available metal.

Copper was used to make dishes for heating over a fire. Steel in the form in which we know it today (stainless) did not exist. Humanity was just learning how to process steel, products made from it were extremely expensive and were not used for cooking, much less -.

The first known copper moonshine still was called alambik... It was used as and received not only strong drinks, but also aromatic oils. Do not think that this device is now forgotten.

Improved alambrikas are made and sold online for homemade alcohol, and are also used for industrial production... Everyone knows, at least by hearsay, Hennessy, get it on alambik. Many national moonshines, including and, are driven on copper devices.

A real alambric is expensive, but there are other types of devices where this metal is partially used in various variations. For example, one of the most common options for moonshiners is copper tube... It is quite often used with the apparatus. But it could be bell, evaporator or cube.

Copper properties

Even if in modern industrial manufacturing alcohol, copper is used, which means there is a reason for this.

Unlike the one made of steel, the moonshine still is copper retains the maximum amount of aromatic oils contained in. That is, it is most suitable for distilling mash prepared using a fruit or berry component, as well as barley and malt.
Copper has high thermal conductivity, that is, it can be quickly heated and easily cooled. Therefore, if the cube is made of copper, then due to the rapid heating, the heavy fractions contained in any wash do not have time to rise, and the moonshine contains much less harmful substances than when using a conventional apparatus.
The device may contain copper column... It has been proven by practice that during rectification (for which the column is intended), moonshine loses the aroma inherent in those components that make up the mash. But copper, having catalytic properties, also binds carboxylic acids. Without going into the chemical jungle, let's say in a simple way: this retains the aroma of the final drink... With a copper column, or at least if copper sponges are used in the rectifier, the moonshine will not be "emasculated", but will retain the notes of the fruit that was used in the brew.
Still copper is capable of bind sulfur compounds, which also has the best effect on the smell.
If you buy or make your own moonshine coil from copper tube, then increase the amount of product obtained by distillation. Cooling will be faster and waste will be minimized.
Fruit acids do not react with this metal, so the copper parts will last you a long time.
If the task is to make not just moonshine, but homemade brandy, then a drink saturated with copper ions it will be more productive to insist in oak barrel and you will receive a quality drink faster.

Can a moonshine still be made from copper?

Completely make a moonshine still out of copper - difficult task, if only in view of high cost of material... But, as we have already found out, even individual parts of this metal can improve the future product.

Therefore, we will consider the option of making a copper coil, if only for the reason that getting a copper pipe is an easier task than a cube or a relatively large vessel for a column.

Diy copper coil

A coil made of copper will perfectly cope with the task of obtaining a fairly high-quality aromatic moonshine, which is especially important if you set yourself the task of preserving taste and a pleasant aftertaste of the additional component present in the brew.

Serpentine (it is also a component of the refrigerator) is an obligatory part of any moonshine still... It is designed so that the alcohol vapors coming from the mash heated in a cube are cooled by the cold water surrounding the coil. Here they condensed and flowed into a substituted vessel already in the form of a high-degree hop liquid.

For manufacturing you will need:

not less 1.5 or even 2 meters of copper tube with an inner diameter of at least 8, but not more than 12 mm. The thickness of the tube also plays an important role. Thin-walled is too fragile for the load that, on the one hand, is given by alcohol vapors, and on the other - cold water... Therefore, it is better if the thickness is close to 1 mm;
cooler housing... In this capacity a good option- plastic sewage pipe with a cross section of about 80 mm. To it you need to weld two pipes for the supply and drainage of water.

The best option if the refrigerator is mounted on the device in a vertical or inclined position and is operated from a water supply. Moreover, alcohol vapors must enter the coil from top to bottom, and water must be supplied from bottom to top (the lower branch pipe is for inlet, the upper one is for water drainage). Then the cooling will be the most effective.

Coil winding- the most important stage. To do this (so that the tube does not flatten during the winding process), it must be filled with sand or filled with water and frozen, closing the ends in any suitable way. They can, for example, be hammered in with wooden plugs, flattened, or even soldered.

The prepared tube is sequentially wound onto any object with a circular cross-section of approximately 35 mm in diameter (pipe, smooth log, etc.). The pitch between the turns must be maintained at about 12 mm so that the water circulates freely between them, ensuring reliable cooling.

For a detailed manufacturing scheme, see the figure below.

Summing up, we can say that the completely copper moonshine still you bought can serve as a wonderful gift for lovers of strong alcohol home production from fruits, compotes, jam, malt, wheat, barley and other components to preserve the taste of these products in the finished moonshine.

Of course, no one argues that everyone is pleased to have such a wonderful device as an alambrik in their arsenal.

However, it can be perfectly replaced by a self-brewed still equipped with home-made or purchased and adapted individual copper parts, which is no worse than a copper moonshine still. And if it is important for you to get just a pure product, an ordinary one made of stainless steel is enough.

The first known copper moonshine still was called alambik... It was used as and received not only strong drinks, but also aromatic oils. Do not think that this device is now forgotten.

Improved alambrikas are made and sold online for home alcohol production and are also used for industrial production. Everyone knows, at least by hearsay, Hennessy, get it on alambik. Many national moonshines, including and, are driven on copper devices.

Copper properties

Even if copper is used in the modern industrial production of alcohol, then there is a reason for this.

Unlike the one made of steel, the moonshine still is copper retains the maximum amount of aromatic oils contained in. That is, it is most suitable for distilling mash prepared using a fruit or berry component, as well as barley and malt.
Copper has high thermal conductivity, that is, it can be quickly heated and easily cooled. Therefore, if the cube is made of copper, then due to the rapid heating, the heavy fractions contained in any wash do not have time to rise, and the moonshine contains much less harmful substances than when using a conventional apparatus.
The device may contain copper column... It has been proven by practice that during rectification (for which the column is intended), moonshine loses the aroma inherent in those components that make up the mash. But copper, having catalytic properties, also binds carboxylic acids. Without going into the chemical jungle, let's say in a simple way: this retains the aroma of the final drink... With a copper column, or at least if copper sponges are used in the rectifier, the moonshine will not be "emasculated", but will retain the notes of the fruit that was used in the brew.
Still copper is capable of bind sulfur compounds, which also has the best effect on the smell.
If you buy or make your own moonshine coil from a copper tube, then increase the amount of product obtained by distillation. Cooling will be faster and waste will be minimized.
Fruit acids do not react with this metal, so the copper parts will last you a long time.
If the task is to make not just moonshine, but homemade brandy, then a drink saturated with copper ions it will be more productive to infuse in an oak barrel and you will receive a quality drink faster.

Can a moonshine still be made from copper?

Therefore, we will consider the option of making a copper coil, if only for the reason that getting a copper pipe is an easier task than a cube or a relatively large vessel for a column.

Diy copper coil

A coil made of copper will perfectly cope with the task of obtaining a fairly high-quality aromatic moonshine, which is especially important if you set yourself the task of preserving the taste and pleasant aftertaste of an additional component available in the brew.

For manufacturing you will need:

not less 1.5 or even 2 meters of copper tube with an inner diameter of at least 8, but not more than 12 mm. The thickness of the tube also plays an important role. Thin-walled is too fragile for the load, which, on the one hand, is given by alcohol vapors, and on the other, cold water. Therefore, it is better if the thickness is close to 1 mm;
cooler housing... In this capacity, a good option is a plastic sewer pipe with a cross section of about 80 mm. To it you need to weld two pipes for supplying and discharging water.

For a detailed manufacturing scheme, see the figure below.

Summing up, we can say that the completely copper moonshine still you bought can serve as a wonderful gift for lovers of strong alcoholic home-made production from fruits, compotes, jam, malt, wheat, barley and other components to preserve the taste of these products in the finished moonshine.

Of course, no one argues that everyone is pleased to have such a wonderful device as an alambrik in their arsenal.

Making moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!

After the end of the existence of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and an article banning the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law prohibiting you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - making alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ "On Administrative Liability of Legal Entities (Organizations) and Individual Entrepreneurs for Offenses in the Field of Production and Turnover of Ethyl Alcohol, Alcoholic and Alcohol-Containing Products" (Collected Legislation Russian Federation, 1999, N 28, art. 3476).

Excerpt from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:

"This Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) who produce products containing ethyl alcohol not for the purpose of marketing."

Home brewing in other countries:

In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Administrative Offenses of January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. So, according to article 335 "Manufacturing and marketing alcoholic beverages home production "illegal production for the sale of moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, home brew and other alcoholic beverages, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with the confiscation of alcoholic beverages, apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their production, and also received from their sale of money and other values. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal use.

In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten non-taxable minimum wages for the manufacture and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for storage without the purpose of selling devices * for its production.

Article 12.43 repeats this information almost word for word. "Making or purchasing strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash), storage of apparatus for their manufacture" in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Clause No. 1 informs: "The production of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine) by individuals, semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash), as well as the storage of devices * used for their manufacture, - entail a warning or a fine of up to five basic units with the confiscation of the specified drinks, semi-finished products and apparatus ".

* Purchase moonshine stills for home use it is still possible, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumery.

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