DIY Still for recycling alcohol

[LouDog420]

Hey wolf man!!

Got the still up and running. Tried to run it without the large o ring in the asparagus steamer and using some cheap clamps, but had leaks. Still ended up recollecting a decent amount of solvent, but lost a lot between the steamer and the top.

Everything else was sealed up nice. Just gotta make my worm a little nicer. I had low pockets where alcohol pooled and didn't make it all the way out.

But I got my giant neoprene o ring on the way now, and should be good to go here in a few days.

Cheers brother

 

[mofeta]

Nice still!

If you want to make your ethanol even cleaner, you can build a reflux column and run what you got out of your pot still through it.

DIY Reflux Still Tutorial

 

[Gray Wolf]

Nice still!

If you want to make your ethanol even cleaner, you can build a reflux column and run what you got out of your pot still through it.

DIY Reflux Still Tutorial

Thanks for the picture bro!

I would love to build a compound refluxing still, but have held back thus far.

I have picked up The Compleat Distiller by Nixon & McCaw and Designing and Building Automatic Stills, by Riku, for their nice designs and am just dying to mix and match.

I heartily recommend them both to anyone who would like to do so.

 

[eloquentsoution]

wow, nice! makes ours look back woods, graywolf!!! where'd you say you were born???

 

[pontiac]

I don't know what I'm looking at, but it has the arousing stink of DIY. Good job!

 

[synax]

Great info as always Gray! More stuff to purchase

I've got a buddy providing me with some trim to run soon. I picked up 3 1.75l bottles of ever clear when I was in Montana the other week and I am getting ready to do my first batch. I'll probably run a few without a recovery system but at $40 per bottle I want to reuse as much as possible.

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Bump!

Wicked cool stuff! Thanks again Gray Wolf

Stay Safe!

 

[gholladay]

So I found this older thread using the search feature and I'd like to rehash it.

I'm looking to build an alcohol reclaim still out of some existing parts I have. I'd like to use a 6" spool and end cap as the heating apparatus and then a build a condensing coil out of a 1/2" x 25' coil I have.

Does anyone know of a company that makes a 6" x 2" tri-clamp "hopper"? I saw a 10" x 4" hopper on glacier tanks and it's the perfect the piece to make a still out of.

http://www.glaciertanks.com/TriClamp_Product_304_316-Hopper_TriClamp.html

My design is to this 6" x 2" cone shaped piece on top of a 6" spool and then add a 2" triclamp x 3/8" npt adapter to the top and then an elbow that goes to a hose and down to the coil.

Has anyone built an apparatus like this that would willing to share their experience?

Also, what is the best type of fitting to attach to my coil and then penetrate the bottom of an aluminum bucket to make the condensing apparatus?

Thanks as always ICMAG!

GH

 

[Gray Wolf]

So I found this older thread using the search feature and I'd like to rehash it.

I'm looking to build an alcohol reclaim still out of some existing parts I have. I'd like to use a 6" spool and end cap as the heating apparatus and then a build a condensing coil out of a 1/2" x 25' coil I have.

Does anyone know of a company that makes a 6" x 2" tri-clamp "hopper"? I saw a 10" x 4" hopper on glacier tanks and it's the perfect the piece to make a still out of.

http://www.glaciertanks.com/TriClamp_Product_304_316-Hopper_TriClamp.html

My design is to this 6" x 2" cone shaped piece on top of a 6" spool and then add a 2" triclamp x 3/8" npt adapter to the top and then an elbow that goes to a hose and down to the coil.

Has anyone built an apparatus like this that would willing to share their experience?

Also, what is the best type of fitting to attach to my coil and then penetrate the bottom of an aluminum bucket to make the condensing apparatus?

Thanks as always ICMAG!

GH

http://skunkpharmresearch.com/enabler-alcohol-fractionating-still/

 

[gholladay]

http://skunkpharmresearch.com/enabler-alcohol-fractionating-still/

Thanks for the link GW! So i gather that you made that set up to get a finer grade alcohol. So if my only goal is to reclaim the alcohol to use it 2, maybe 3 times, could I just add the cross to the top of my 6" spool and add a valve to one of the horizontal sides? Then just use a hose to go down to my coil?

Maybe the 1/2" x 25' coil is the wrong thing for this application.. I know it's overkill, but I wanted to use it because I already purchased it and it didn't fit for its initial use.

The liebig condensers are pretty cheap, looks like $30-$50 depending on the quality.

GW, do you have a recommendation for a small pump and hose set that I could use to circulate the cooling water in the liebig?

I'm trying to make this still happen for pretty cheap because it's just a work around for about a month while we get our BHO lab completely outfitted. We are going to make some ethanol extractions for edible oil in the mean time, so I thought it would be a good idea to make a quick still. The tri-clamp cross would be a pretty cheap method though. How do you attach the liebig condenser to your tri-clamp radius elbow in your design?

Many thanks,

GH

 

[Gray Wolf]

Thanks for the link GW! So i gather that you made that set up to get a finer grade alcohol. So if my only goal is to reclaim the alcohol to use it 2, maybe 3 times, could I just add the cross to the top of my 6" spool and add a valve to one of the horizontal sides? Then just use a hose to go down to my coil?

If you are going to use it only two or three times winterizing, you aren't going to pick up a great deal of water, so a simple pot still should work fine.

25' of 1/2" stainless is overkill, but you can always shorten it.

The key to a refluxing still, is the stainless ribbon in the column, which continues to repeatedly chill and condense the alcohol and water vapors, so that it is the lowest boiling point ones that make it to the top of the column.

Maybe the 1/2" x 25' coil is the wrong thing for this application.. I know it's overkill, but I wanted to use it because I already purchased it and it didn't fit for its initial use.

The liebig condensers are pretty cheap, looks like $30-$50 depending on the quality.

GW, do you have a recommendation for a small pump and hose set that I could use to circulate the cooling water in the liebig?

Our first was a submersible aquarium pump that Joe picked up somewhere. I currently use a liquid refrigeration pump that I scavenged, and is overkill.

I'm trying to make this still happen for pretty cheap because it's just a work around for about a month while we get our BHO lab completely outfitted. We are going to make some ethanol extractions for edible oil in the mean time, so I thought it would be a good idea to make a quick still. The tri-clamp cross would be a pretty cheap method though. How do you attach the liebig condenser to your tri-clamp radius elbow in your design?

Barb and tube.

Many thanks,

GH

In blue

 

[gholladay]

Here is what I ended up making. The Skunk Pharm way prevails again!!

 

[gholladay]

Can anyone tell me how to rotate my photos on IC Mag? They all upload sideways...

GH

 

[Gray Wolf]

Can anyone tell me how to rotate my photos on IC Mag? They all upload sideways...

GH

I rotate my ahead of time using Photo Shop.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Here is what I ended up making. The Skunk Pharm way prevails again!!

View Image

Hee, hee, hee, that oughta work...........

Check your plastic hose compatibility.

 

[gholladay]

Thanks GW. I doubt this hose is up to spec. Got a suggestion for a better material?

GH

 

[Gray Wolf]

Thanks GW. I doubt this hose is up to spec. Got a suggestion for a better material?

GH

We used a nitrile fuel hose.

 

[pusbag]

reclaim still vs. rorovape

reclaim still vs. rorovape

So I personally use in my lab a reclaim still just like on skunkpharmresearch.com, I have also used a buchi rotovape at another lab. After using them both I prefer the still but I also don't have lots of experience on the rotovape. It seemed to me that the rotovape was slower and used more equipment and power too. Would love to hear what other say the pros and cons are vs. the two. I believe the roto vape is better at preserving terpenes if your making a dabbable product and the still doesn't preserve them as well. What the word ?

 

[SquattingBull]

Nice build G, oddly familiar concepts there ha.

The rotovape is definitely going to be slower than just a plain still (you can crank up the heat on). The roto allows recovery at a vacuum and utilizes a thin film via rotation to assist in the process as well. The still pictured is used for edible oil only. The roto will be used on all winterized product destined for inhalation to improve not only shelf appeal but maximize terp prestervation as well.