This article discusses the schematic diagrams of the simplest moonshine stills that you can do yourself in a short time. The constructions are home-made, productive and, most importantly, safe to use. All materials for the manufacture of devices are sold in stores at an affordable price.

The design of any moonshine still is based on the process of distillation - purification, separation of a mixture of liquids of different density and chemical composition into fractions. Our fraction, which we are going to get at home, is called moonshine, or raw alcohol, with a strength of 60 to 90 degrees.

The raw material for the manufacture of alcohol in the classic form is a fermented mixture of sugar and alcohol yeast - mash. The alcohol content in the initial solution reaches 14%. It is theoretically impossible to get more, a further increase in the concentration of ethyl alcohol inhibits the activity of yeast fungi and fermentation stops naturally.

All the recommendations of experts on prolonging fermentation by adding various chemical and biological substances to the mash - from the evil one. In no case should they be used in practice. The optimal composition of the mash is not just canonized, but it has been tested a thousand times in practice - water, sugar, yeast. Old jam, expired caramel or syrups are sometimes used as sugar-containing components. This is not forbidden. In addition to imparting a specific smell to moonshine, they will not bring any more harm.

How does a moonshine still work

The scheme of a moonshine still is very simple and does not differ in any way from a laboratory distiller. Its device is described in detail in any textbook on chemistry or reference book on laboratory equipment, there are also the necessary drawings. It consists:

1. from a container for raw materials (wash);
2. refrigerator;
3. pipelines.

More advanced designs are equipped with a variety of devices - dry steamers (reflux condensers), bubblers, charcoal or wood filters. Their structure and purpose will be described below. A home-made moonshine still can be easily turned into a full-fledged professional equipment for the production of high-quality alcohol, which does not differ in purity from a distilled product.

Sad statistics speaks about the advantage of using moonshine stills at home in the production of home-made alcoholic beverages - most of all alcohol poisoning occurs when drinking vodka from stores. The fact is that the production of counterfeit vodka is on an industrial basis. As raw materials for it, alcohols of unknown origin are used, most often synthetic, which have nothing to do with wheat or yeast alcohol.

They affect the human body in a completely different way than good food grade distillation alcohol, and can threaten not only health, but also life, even with moderate use. Not too high-quality moonshine can only lead to a severe hangover. Therefore, let's talk about how you can brew high-quality moonshine at home, which you can drink without any special consequences (if in moderation).

The simplest moonshine still from a pan

The design of the most primitive distillation apparatus is simple, like everything ingenious. At the same time, it works perfectly fine, efficiently and safely. A do-it-yourself moonshine is made from an ordinary five-liter pan (you can take larger dishes), a plastic bottle of 5-10 liters and a meter-long piece of copper tube with a diameter of 4-5 mm.

The simplest moonshine still from a saucepan

The handle is unscrewed from the lid of the pan and a fitting is screwed into the hole formed, which is secured from the inside with a nut. These fittings can be purchased at any hardware store. The diameter of the nozzle is selected according to the diameter of the hole for the handle. If it is too small - less than 4 mm in diameter, then you will have to ream. After using the lid as a part of the moonshine still, the fitting can be removed and the handle replaced.

We use a silicone tube of a suitable size for the steam line. It is quite flexible and durable, especially since it does not interact with alcohol vapors and is resistant to high temperatures. The smell and taste of moonshine does not change when passing through the silicone pipeline. This is confirmed by the fact that some industrial manufacturers of moonshine still actively use silicone as seals and pipelines.

The refrigerator is made from a piece of copper tube twisted into a coil with a diameter of about 8-10 cm. It is inserted into a plastic bottle with a cut-off bottom, installed "upside down" and exits through a hole in the lid. Water is poured into a bottle, a mash is poured into a pan, everything is assembled into one structure and the moonshine still is ready to work.

To seal, the lid is pressed against the sides of the pan with clothespins, and the entire perimeter is coated with flour dough of medium density. When heated, it hardens to form an effective sealant. Small carpentry clamps can be used as clamps, and a lengthwise cut silicone hose with a diameter of up to 1 cm can be used for the sealant.

A self-made moonshine is notable for its cheapness, assembly speed and safety of work. Inconveniences arise from the need for frequent replacement of water in the refrigerator - at least after 20-25 minutes of operation, and the quality of the product. The moonshine obtained in this way will need to be distilled again. The productivity of the device is quite high - up to 1.5 l / h. From 5 liters of mash, you should get up to 1.5 liters of strong moonshine.

A do-it-yourself moonshine of a more perfect design can be made in a few hours, if you do not take into account the time for purchasing purchased components - fittings, nuts, silicone and copper tubes. If there is no suitable saucepan for 30-40 liters, you will have to buy one too.

It is advisable to use a pan made of stainless steel or enamel. Aluminum is not suitable for various reasons. The pot lid has two holes for a ¾ ”threaded nipple and for a pin thermometer. It is imperative to install a thermometer - only by fully controlling the temperature in the still, you can get a quality product.

Distillation temperature

The peculiarities of home brewing are that, in addition to alcohol, a number of accompanying substances with very unpleasant properties are formed in the mash, which worsen not only the taste and smell of moonshine, but also have a toxic effect on the human body. These "additives" account for the lion's share of the hangover.

Subject to the temperature regime of distillation, most of them can be eliminated. From the very beginning of the process, at a mash temperature of up to 60C, about 0.5 liters of the resulting liquid is taken (it cannot be called moonshine) and poured into the sewer. It consists of compounds with a boiling point below alcohol. It includes:

1. methyl alcohol;
2. acetone;
3. acetaldehyde;
4. ethers.

The selection of alcohol for consumption begins at a temperature of 65C and occurs in the range of 70-83C, which is maintained throughout the distillation.

Agree, it will be very difficult to work here without a thermometer.

Dephlegmator and bubbler

The lid of the pan is pressed against it with clamps along the perimeter. You will need 5-6 pieces. To increase the holding force and distribute it correctly, a pressure ring cut from plywood or durable plastic 0.5-1 cm thick is installed on the cover.

The lid is pressed with clamps

The outer diameter corresponds to the diameter of the pot collar, and the inner diameter depends on the configuration of the lid and the location of the steam pipe connection and thermometer. The cover is installed on a silicone hose seal.

The reflux condenser is a inch vertical piece of copper tube about 40 cm long. Its role is to separate the heavy fractions of the steam and condense them before entering the main steam line. The essence of the work is that the tube heats up unevenly and its upper part is colder than the lower one.

As the steam rises, substances with a high boiling point ("fusel oils") condense and flow down, back into the wash. By its action, the column of the reflux condenser is similar to a dry filter, which is not used in this design of the apparatus. But here it is very appropriate to install a bubbler.

Bubbler design

Bubbling (bubbling) - mixing a liquid with gas or vapor bubbles. At the same time, the level of vaporization increases due to an increase in the evaporation surface and the chemical composition of the liquid is leveled. In the moonshine still, the bubbler is used as a filter, flavoring agent and process accelerator.

Its design is quite simple, and its manufacture does not present any problems even for a novice master. The base is a glass jar with a capacity of 2-3 liters with a screw cap. For devices with a cube capacity of up to 25 liters, a can of 1-1.5 liters is enough. Two holes are cut in the lid for pipes with a diameter of 0.5-1 cm, which are inserted with silicone seals or a screw connection with a lock nut. The device must be sealed.

Glass jar bubbler

The tube from the side of the entrance is made long, it does not reach the bottom of the vessel by 1.5-2 mm. The outlet is 1–2 cm below the cover. The lid is tightly screwed onto the jar and connected to the steam line. A silicone hose of a suitable diameter or a corrugated stainless steel tube is used as a steam line. The second option is better for technical and hygienic reasons.

A long tube connects to the outlet of the cube, the short one leads to the refrigerator. Reverse connection may result in explosion. The bubbler is a one-way device.

The bubbler works like this - the vapors entering through a long tube condense and settle to the bottom in the form of a liquid. This happens until the tube cut is immersed in the liquid. The escaping vapors form bubbles, and the liquid begins to "boil", although its temperature is much lower than 100C. Bubbling occurs due to gas pressure.

Alcohol vapors rise up and enter the refrigerator, while the heavy fractions of the "booze" remain in the jar. They are unsuitable for further processing and are poured down the drain. They are mainly composed of poisons.

Several sequential bubblers can be installed on the device - the alcohol yield will only improve from this. The number of bubblers does not affect the distillation rate. You can pour aromatic herbs or other substances into the bubbler - orange or tangerine peels, mint, lemon balm, St. John's wort, oak bark. In this case, it will also perform the functions of a flavoring agent. This simple device allows you to purify moonshine by 50 percent or more.

Refrigerator

The device of this design is suitable for working with a refrigerator for running water, and for any other modification. A cooler for running water can be made of a plastic tap or a piece of stainless pipe with a diameter of 100 mm and a length of up to 1 m. The ends of the pipe are closed with plugs, two fittings are welded or glued into the walls - inlet and outlet, to fit the diameter of the water supply hose. The movement of water is reversed - the inlet is at the bottom, the outlet is at the top.

In the absence of plumbing, any open container of 50-70 liters and a copper or stainless steel coil can be used as a refrigerator. Such a refrigerator works efficiently, only it is rather bulky and requires a large area for maintenance during operation.

All-metal device of block construction

Making such an installation at home is quite problematic. You will need an argon welder and the ability to work with stainless steel. Otherwise, its design is simple and the scheme of operation does not differ from an industrial distiller. Drawings of such an installation can be found on the Internet at the sales sites of industrial moonshine stills.

The apparatus consists of:

1. containers for wash, at the same time serving as a body on which all other parts are mounted;
2. reflux condenser columns with Panchenkov packing;
3. bubbler;
4. flow-through refrigerator.

The entire "hinge" is assembled in the form of one block, located above the body of the apparatus. The lid with the column and the refrigerator is screwed to the neck of the body with 5-6 bolts through a silicone gasket. The lid contains a thermometer and an explosive valve.

The column diameter of the reflux condenser is 40-50 mm. It is welded to the cover, or screwed onto a ¾ ”nipple. The second option is more technological and easy to use. Practice shows that threaded connections are much more convenient than welded ones. Homemade moonshine stills are constantly being improved in the process. It is much easier to attach or remove any knot if it is threaded.

Several coiled stainless steel wire meshes, pieces of glass tubes or stainless stamping waste are installed in the column. It is difficult to buy a real Panchenkov's nozzle, and its imitation works quite effectively.

From the column, the vapor is fed to a collapsible bubbler equipped with a drain valve, then to a flow-through refrigerator. The capacity of the cube can be varied from 10 to 30 liters. For easy portability, handles are welded on both sides. The productivity of such an installation is about 2 l / h. When using a beer keg as a cube, you get another very interesting design.

To make a moonshine still with your own hands, you need a container, a 25 liter flask is suitable, a hole is drilled in the flask lid for a certain length for an adapter that will connect the tube to the flask lid. As an adapter, use brass adapters for metal-plastic pipes (sold in every Hozier). Select the adapter according to the size of the tube, it is better if you take it with you when you buy it, so as not to be mistaken.

Then you simply drill a hole in the lid of the flask, and assemble the apparatus according to the diagram shown above. You will also need 2 hoses for cooling mash vapors, in which moonshine is formed. The size is selected depending on the distance between the sink and the gas stove, it is better to take with a margin of 1-1.5 meters.

We will need:

Fig. 1 Diagram of a distiller for a moonshine still.

Rice. 2 Flask or other container for moonshine still.

Fig. 3 Hose for supplying and leaving water from the distiller of the moonshine still.

Moonshine still assembly diagram

And here are photos of this moonshine still:

Alternatively: instead of a flask, you can use a saucepan, but in this case, the yield of finished moonshine in 1 time will be less.

Launching the moonshine still

After assembling the moonshine apparatus according to the above scheme and connecting it through the 1st hose to the water tap, the end of the second hose can be put directly into the sink to drain the water. The flask is placed on a strong fire. (Previously, raw materials are placed in a flask, how to prepare it will be discussed below.). Approximately 30 minutes later, alcohol will drip from the alcohol outlet. As soon as this happens, the fire must be reduced to medium and so on until the end. From the prepared raw materials, placed in a flask (25 liters), up to 6 or more liters of moonshine is obtained. Further distillation of raw materials up to 7-8 liters of moonshine output is possible, but then the last batch will be less than 40 degrees strong, people call such moonshine kayage.

For instance:

Batch of moonshine No. 1 -3L with a strength of 70-80 degrees;

Batch of moonshine No. 2 - 3 liters with a strength of 40-50 degrees;

Batch of moonshine No. 3 - 1-2 liters with a strength of 30-39 degrees, in other words kayage.

During the preparation of alcohol, you need to periodically monitor the device.

Methods for preparing raw materials for moonshine

1) 20 - 22 liters of water are poured into a separate flask, and 1 kg of yeast and 6 kg of sugar are dissolved in it, and 1 liter of milk is also added. You can add sour jam, or compote. The left mixture is covered with a lid and left to ferment in a warm place for 6 days. Then the raw material is ready for use. Below are the methods for preparing raw materials without sugar and yeast.

Bonus. 150 recipes for moonshine

The highest quality moonshine - the so-called. bread. It used to be very popular in Ukraine. Strong, with a mild taste and a slight hangover. Then, with the use of sugar and the transition to primitive apparatus, I began to forget. Nowadays there is a return to the production of such moonshine.

BREAD
Rye, wheat, barley, millet, corn, peas to germinate. To do this, soak in warm water, spread in a thin (up to 2 cm) layer. Make sure that the grain does not turn sour. Dry the sprouted grain, grind it into flour. Boil water and add this flour to the still boiling place. Stir until liquid jelly. Cover and let stand for 10 - 12 hours. Pour into bowls and cool to room temperature. Add yeast. For 12 buckets of sourdough - half a kilo. It wanders for 5-6 days. Distill on a steam apparatus. Of all types of moonshine, it is the best. If yeast is not available, add a kilogram of dry peas. The fermentation process will increase up to 10 days.
BREAD WITH POTATO
Make malt as in the first recipe (sprout grain, dry, grind). Boil potatoes, pound with the water that remained during cooking. Upload to balia. Top with malt flour. Pound again until even jelly-like consistency. This should all be very hot. Sprinkle the rest of the flour on top again and leave overnight. After 10-12 hours, stir, pour into a barrel, add a pound of yeast. Let it wander for 5-6 days. For 2 buckets of malt, 4-5 buckets of potatoes.
BREAD ON Hops
Sprout wheat or rye in a wooden trough, stirring occasionally. Then boil the potatoes, mash them. We still need to brew the hops. Then you need to prepare the so-called. zattered - add boiled hops (3 l) to the wash, which remained from the last time (1.5-2 l). Then everything is mixed together - wheat or rye, potatoes and mashed. The grain can be ground or minced. Put in a warm place. It stands until it stops wandering and making noise. For one bucket of grain there are 2 cast iron of boiled potatoes (2 buckets).
Exit - 2 liters of bread moonshine.
BREAD WITH BAKED BREAD
Everything is the same as in the previous recipe, but instead of potatoes - rye or wheat bread soaked in boiling water. For 2 buckets of malt, 15-20 loaves of bread.
ANOTHER BREAD METHOD
Sprout half a bucket of rye, wheat, or barley. Pound. Soak 10-12 loaves of black bread in 15 liters of water. Mix. Add 750 gr of yeast. If there is not enough bread (8 loaves), boil the potato cast iron. Mash, mix with grain and bread. Fermentation in a warm place - a week.
AND FURTHER
Sprout wheat, grind in a meat grinder, coffee grinder (you can crush). Add water, yeast and place in a warm place. For 10 kg of wheat, 30 liters of water and 0.5 kg of yeast.
* * *
The last two methods are technologically simpler, but the best product is obtained using the previous recipes.
SUGAR
Dissolve 6 kg of sugar in 30 liters of warm water and add 200 g of yeast. Put in a warm place. For the scent, you can add currant or cherry branches, or dry dill. After 6-7 days, the leaven is ready. Output 6 liters. It is widely believed that a liter of vodka is obtained from a kilogram of sugar. When using the "Zavodka" steam apparatus, 10 liters of a good product is obtained from 7 kg of sugar. That is, you do not need to make the mash too concentrated in sugar. It "burns out" and goes to waste.
BEET
Grate sugar beets, boil in the oven, squeeze. Add 200 g of yeast to 30 liters of beet juice. Put the starter culture in a warm place. It will be ready in 5-6 days. You don't need to add sugar. Exit - 5 liters.
SECOND METHOD
Grate and bake sugar beets - 10-15 liter cast iron. Leave to cool, but keep the beets warm. Add 5-6 kg of sugar and 10 liters of water to it at a temperature of 24-25 grams. Add yeast diluted in a little water. Take 500 g of yeast. Cover the mixture. Put in a warm place. Let it play for 3-4 days. Mix. Readiness is determined by the time when the beets sink to the bottom of the dish and a crust forms on top.
FROM JAM
Take six liters of spoiled jam, dilute it with 30 liters of warm water, add 200 g of yeast. To have a greater yield of moonshine, add another 3 kg of sugar. Put the leaven in a warm place for 3-5 days. The yield is 6 liters, and with the addition of sugar - 9 liters.
FROM PATOKA
Molasses is a waste product from the production of sugar from beets. Add 200-250 g of yeast and 25 liters of water to one bucket of molasses. Put in a warm place for a week. Exit 6-7 liters. It is very desirable to overtake the obtained one again, tk. at a time, moonshine is obtained with a bad smell.
FROM APPLE JUICE
Grate and chop apples, squeeze out the juice. Add 3 kg of sugar and 200 g of yeast to 35 liters of juice. Stands in a warm place and is ready in a week. Exit 6-7 liters.
SYRUP (ANY)
Dilute 6 liters of syrup in 30 liters of water and add 200 g of yeast. Ready in a week. Output of 7 liters of moonshine.

FROM WILD PEARS
Collect the wilds, pour them into a wooden tub or barrel to half the capacity. Let them rot there. Then mash them with a wooden crumb and let them stand for 2-3 weeks. Add absolutely nothing. Exit - 3 liters.
FROM DRAINS
Mash three buckets of draining and leave to ferment for 2 weeks. Do not add water. Output 3 liters. If sugar is added, the yield will naturally be higher.
FROM PEARS
Add 5 buckets of spoiled garden pears (boiled), 2 kg of sugar and 200 g of yeast to 5 liters of water. Put in a warm place for a week. Output - 8 liters of moonshine.
STARCH
Add 10 kg of starch to two buckets of water and brew like jelly. Then add 500 g of yeast and 1 kg of sugar. Standing for 3-5 days. The output is 11 liters of vodka.
FROM CANDY
Dissolve 5 kg of sweets (with filling) in 2 buckets of warm water. Standing for 4-5 days. The output is 5 liters.
FROM HALVA
Dilute 10 kg of halva in 15-20 liters of warm water. Standing for 8 days. The yield is 10 liters of moonshine, but the smell of sunflower oil remains. To remove it, you can add a sprig of mint to the vodka.
FROM DRY
Brew 2 kg of dry apples or pears in a bucket of water. Add 3 kg of sugar and 300 g of yeast. Close all this tightly, leaving a small hole. Let it stand in a warm place for a week. Add a bunch of dry thyme to this starter culture before production. Output 3.5 liters of moonshine.
GRAPE
Squeeze the juice onto the wine, and add 100 g of yeast and 5 kg of sugar to the bucket of what remains. Dilute in 30 liters of water. Standing for 1 week. Exit - 7 liters of very light vodka.
COMBINED
20 glasses of wheat, 3 liters of water, 1 kg of sugar. Mix. Let it stand warm for 5 days. Then add 5 kg of sugar and 18 liters of water. It wanders for 7-8 days. Braga should taste bitter. Strain. If you add 5 kg of sugar and 8 liters of warm water to the remaining cake, stand for 8-10 days, you can again get 12-15 liters of moonshine.
WITH TOMATO PASTE, SUGAR AND BEER
For 30 liters of water - one can of tomato paste, one bottle of beer, 10 kg of sugar. Stir, let win in a warm place, overtake. Output 7-8 liters.
WITHOUT YEAST AND SUGAR
In this recipe, yeast and sugar are replaced by steaming and malt. Steaming: in 2 liters of water, brew one handful of fresh hops (two dry), let it brew a little, strain the broth, stir a handful of flour while still warm. After a short storage period (30-40 minutes), the parking is ready. Malt: germinate rye, dry and grind. The main product (beets, potatoes, apples, pears, etc.)
add steaming and malt, dilute with water to a semi-liquid state, let it win in a warm place, overtake. Consumption: for a given amount of steaming - 3 kg of malt and half
buckets (5-6 liters) of the main product. Exit - 3 liters.
"HONEY"
4 cans (700 grams) of honey, 1 can (3 liters) of syrup, 27 liters of water, 300 g of yeast. Stands in a warm place for a week. Output 7 liters.
READY IN DAY
For 1 kg of peas, you need 5 kg of sugar, 500 g of yeast and 15 liters of warm water. Add 1 liter of fresh milk. It's worth a day. Exit - 5 liters of vodka.
READY IN DAY
(2nd method) 5 kg of sugar, 25 liters of boiled water, 500 g of yeast, 25 medium raw potatoes, 3 glasses of milk, 4 loaves of bread. Mix all. Ferments in 24 hours.
... AND IN 2 HOURS 10 kg of sugar, a pack of yeast, 3 liters of milk, 3-4 buckets of water, pour into the washing machine. Spin for 2 hours. Let it settle, and you can distill.

The most common design of a moonshine still was invented several centuries ago and is still popular today. Making a moonshine still is not particularly difficult, but this will require four components.

Distillation cube

The first element of the moonshine still is the evaporator, commonly referred to as the cube. It is an enameled or stainless steel container with a hermetically sealed lid and a hole in it. You can equip an ordinary large-volume pot for the evaporator by first applying a soft seal to the rim of the lid and drilling a hole in it for connecting the tube. You should also consider a clamping mechanism for the lid, which ensures complete tightness. Very often, steam pressure cookers are converted to a distillation cube, which have overhead clips for the lid and a steam release valve. This valve is twisted and a fitting is installed in its place for connecting a tube or flexible hose.

Sukhoparnik (dephlegmator)

A sedimentation tank for fusel oils is necessary to ensure maximum purity of the distillation product. It is a small container with inlet and outlet openings in the upper part of it. The task of the reflux condenser is the physical purification of alcohol vapors from the evaporated liquid containing fusel oils. The boiling point of alcohol is slightly lower than that of impurities, and therefore they are deposited in a dry chamber in the form of a yellow precipitate with an unpleasant odor. For this part of the moonshine, you can use a regular glass jar with a tightly screwed lid, in which two holes should be made and the fittings for connecting pipes or hoses should be hermetically fixed in them. You can also attach a small tube to the inlet, which will drop below the middle of the can, which will prevent drops of evaporated mash from entering the cooler.

Refrigerator

A cooler, also called a distiller, has the function of cooling the alcohol vapors into a liquid. Usually it is a coil of heat-conducting metal immersed in a container of cold water. The liquid heats up over time and needs to be changed, for which the refrigerator is connected to a water tap, making a supply of cold water at the bottom of the tank. Also, the water in the cooler can be changed manually, but the container should be several times larger.

Connection of elements and additional devices

To connect fittings to various elements of the apparatus, it is best to use a solid-threaded tube, onto which two locknuts with silicone gaskets are screwed, between which the tank wall is clamped. Any plumbing transition or brush fitting can be screwed onto the ends of the tube. It is better to connect the elements of the moonshine still with rigid metal pipes, although recently silicone hoses with a diameter of 10 mm or more are often used. At the joints, ensure maximum tightness so that alcohol does not leak into the room - this can lead to a fire and even an explosion. To control the distillation process, instrumentation can be included in the system of the moonshine still: manometers, thermometers and others.

Hello everyone! Long ago I promised to write this article, but I kept putting it off. It's time to keep the promise. Today I will tell you how to make a moonshine still from a pressure cooker with your own hands.

What does a moonshine still consist of?

Let me start by briefly recalling what a home brew still consists of and how it works. The simplest design includes a distillation cube (a container for boiling the mash) and a refrigerator (straight-through or coil). The diagram is shown in the figure below.

Making a distillation cube

I will be making a distillation cube from an old Soviet 6 liter aluminum pressure cooker. She is almost perfect for this.

I say almost, because it has a significant drawback - its volume. You can pour no more than 5 liters of mash into such a container, from which about 1 liter of 45% moonshine will turn out.

I’ll tell you not a lot, but quite enough to start making moonshine and understand if you want to do this business. And the lesson is very exciting, believe me.

So, we have just such a pressure cooker.

I got it from my parents, but it won't be difficult to buy it either. I just found the exact same one on Avito for only 400 rubles.

The first step is to cut a nipple into the lid to connect the distillation cube to the refrigerator. I will insert like this, with a ½ ”thread.

There are already two holes in the lid for the pressure relief valves, we will not touch them. Let them fulfill their function. Let's make a new hole with a wood drill, size 20.

Why wood? Yes, it's just much cheaper than a drill for metal, and aluminum cuts very well.

First you need to mark the center and drill a hole for centering with a small drill.

And then drill it out with a large drill.

If you get sloppy edges, then they must be cleaned with a file with a fine notch. The nipple can now be inserted.

After drilling the size 20, the hole fits well for the ½ ”nipple, I even had to use a wrench to screw it in. It is seated so tightly that no additional spacers or seals are needed.

From the inside, tighten the nipple with a nut.

A fitting for fastening a Ø12 mm hose is screwed onto it.

If your pressure cooker still has the gasket, then the distillation cube for your home brew is ready. I didn't have it. Therefore, we will make it.

Making a gasket to seal the cube

Any kind of rubber will not work here; upon contact with vapors of moonshine, it will give off a smell and spoil the whole product for us. This requires silicone, and not simple, but food grade.

You can buy a ready-made spacer, or if you can't find the right size, buy a sheet and cut the spacer yourself. They are sold in moonshiner stores and laboratory equipment stores.

I will make a liquid silicone gasket for aquariums. You can buy it at pet stores, home improvement stores, and plumbing stores.

Needed specifically for aquariums, it is definitely safe and does not give off odors.

Fill with a small slide the groove for the gasket on the lid and let the silicone dry. After a day, you can already start distillation.

Let's move on to the next step.

Making a refrigerator

How to connect parts

Now all that remains is to connect the distillation cube and the refrigerator. For this I use a silicone hose with an inner diameter of 12 mm. The hose must also be made of food grade silicone. No rubber or PVC!

The moonshine still is now ready. This is enough to prepare your first drink.

That's all. The process is very simple and not long. If you have any ideas or comments, then leave them in the comments. I am always happy with constructive criticism. Also subscribe to the news, soon I plan to add mash recipes.

Goodbye to everyone. Dorofeev Pavel.

The moonshine still is designed to produce a strong alcoholic drink from a liquid with a small amount of ethyl alcohol (mash). This uses a distillation (distillation) process.

To make a moonshine still with our own hands, we need to know its main components:

• Distillation cube;
• Serpentine or refrigerator;
• Connecting hoses;
• Dephlegmator or dry steam generator.

Distillation cube (distillation capacity)

For a distillation pot at home, it's best to use a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker is readily available. Many people already have it at home, and if not, it is easy to buy it. The second advantage of the pressure cooker is its excellent tightness. To get rid of unnecessary pressure, the pressure cookers are equipped with a special fitting. If you remove the valve from this fitting, you will get a ready-made hole for the exit of alcohol vapors. The fitting is connected to a coil (refrigerator). For this, a metal tube (stainless steel or copper) is used. A hose can also be used for this purpose.

In addition to the pressure cooker, many other distillation vessel options can be used. They can be copper, aluminum, stainless steel or glass. The main requirement is that the container must be hermetically closed.

Serpentine (refrigerator)

If moonshine is planned to be made in small quantities, then a laboratory refrigerator (straight-through or ball-type) is a good fit for home conditions. You can buy such a refrigerator anywhere where laboratory equipment is sold. By the way, it is possible to assemble a completely finished distillation apparatus from laboratory equipment (the distillation still will also be made of glass). True, at home, such a design will not be very practical. After all, glass is a rather fragile thing.

A coil refrigerator is more reliable than a glass refrigerator. Plus, it's cheaper. It is made from a metal tube, such as copper. You can buy such a tube at any hardware store or market. To make a coil out of the tube, you have to work a little with your hands - wind it several times around a pipe of a suitable diameter. To prevent the tube from bursting, sand should be poured into it before the procedure.

The coil is inserted into some container. The main thing is that it should be easy to process. For example, it could be a plastic bottle. The place where the coil enters and the place where it leaves the container must be well sealed. Then 2 more holes are made in the container. Coolant (water) is supplied to one of them, and it leaves in the other. The coolant is supplied from below.

Connection hoses

As already noted, the distillation cube and refrigerator can be connected to each other either with a metal tube or with a hose.

The hose must be made of silicone only. Silicone is a chemically inert material. It does not react with heated alcohol vapors. Accordingly, the finished product will not have any foreign smell and taste. If you use a rubber hose, then the moonshine will turn out to be terribly smelly. Silicone hoses are sold in the same place as all laboratory equipment.

Moonshine still with reflux condenser

The above-described scheme for making a moonshine still at home has only one drawback - fusel oils and other unnecessary substances get into the moonshine. Because of this, its qualities, including taste, are reduced.

Why is this happening? When the mash boils, the components with a low boiling point (low-boiling) evaporate first. The longer the boiling process lasts, the more the concentration of heavy-boiling components in the finished product increases, and these are fusel oils and other elements that are absolutely unnecessary for us.

To combat this negative phenomenon, the do-it-yourself moonshine still is supplemented with another device. It is called a dephlegmator (or dry steam generator). The dephlegmator is placed between the distillation tank and the refrigerator. By itself, it is a container, from 1 to 3 liters in volume. The heaviest boiling components are condensed in the reflux condenser. Dangerous substances are the first to enter the dephlegmator, where they condense and no longer boil.

For the manufacture of a reflux condenser, in addition to a can with a metal lid (must be tightly closed), you need 2 fittings with an external thread, 2 nuts, an awl, a felt-tip pen and heat-resistant glue. The dephlegmator is made like this:

• Attach the fitting to the lid of the can and circle it with a felt-tip pen;
• Use an awl to make holes. To do this, you need to drive an awl along the drawn lines until the metal is frayed;
• Insert and secure with union nuts, sealing on both sides with heat-resistant glue or cold welding;
• Connect the reflux condenser with a distillation vessel and a refrigerator, also hermetically. In this case, the tube entering the dephlegmator should be one and a half centimeters lower than the one leaving.

The most primitive moonshine still

At home, the easiest way is to make a moonshine still without using a dephlegmator or even a coil. But ease of manufacture will be its only advantage.

A large saucepan is taken (up to 50 liters, or even more) and mash is poured into it. A container is placed on the surface of the wash to collect the finished product. Also, this container can be installed on some kind of stand so that it is above the surface of the wash.
Then a bowl of cold water is placed on top of an open pan. Then the structure is sealed with clay or dough. Thus, a bowl of cold water performs 2 functions at the same time: a condenser-cooler and a lid.

It works like this. The saucepan is put on the fire, the mash begins to boil and its vapors touch the cold bottom of the bowl. Then condensate drips into a container installed above the wash. The quality of moonshine with this method of its production is extremely low, because there can be no question of any separation of vapors. Most likely, it is impossible to assemble a more primitive apparatus than this one at home.

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