Moonshine– this is a whole wonderful world. You only have to try a drink made with your own hands once and you will understand that store-bought drinks do not evoke virtually any emotions. But, as in any business, without some knowledge in the area, not even the first pancake can come out lumpy.

Beginners who are just starting to take the first step in making their own alcohol ask themselves a thousand and one questions:

1. alcohol mashine?
2. What's happened ?
3. Why in moonshine?
4. How to make it yourself?
5. How to do it at home?
6. What should it be?

What's better - purchased or homemade? Which device will work smoothly for decades, and which will require constant attention and constant maintenance?

Device, types and rating of the best

We have prepared a number of articles for you, after reading which you will become a real ace. Everything related to the design of moonshine stills, a description of physical and chemical processes, technologies and, of course, detailed information.

Try to start small - by reading an article about. The simple and intelligible language in which our authors write is aimed at ensuring that all the nuances of moonshine brewing are easily understood by people far from the technologist profession. Following tips and tricks In this section, in a few days you will understand all the important nuances of production.

This section will also be useful to relatives of people who are passionate about moonshine brewing. We will help you choose exactly the right one gift a moonshine still that your loved one will appreciate.

And, believe me, the most difficult thing is take the first step. But we have done everything to make this step a little easier for you.

Distilled water has quite a lot of uses in everyday life, which I personally did not know about. I only used distilled water to fill the battery. Although its use is by no means limited to this.

Distilled water is used:

• - For topping up the battery, preparing electrolyte.
• - In home cosmetology, to cleanse the skin.
• - For refilling irons with a steam generator, which extends their service life and does not leave white marks on clothes when ironing.
• - For oral administration - cleansing the body. Some people like to make tea. The issue of benefit is of course very controversial, so we will not dwell on it.
• - There are other applications, write your examples in the comments.

Distilled water is actually pure “H2O” without impurities and salts, viruses and bacteria. And water itself is the best solvent on planet Earth, in which a huge number of chemical elements dissolve.
Distilled water can only be obtained by evaporation; no filter elements can help here. Therefore, to obtain this miracle, you need a device such as a distiller. It consists of a heating vessel containing liquid, in which evaporation occurs, and a refrigerator, in which condensation of vapor into liquid occurs. Anyone who has ever seen a device for making “moonshine” will understand me.
All this, of course, is not very difficult, but it requires preparation and production of equipment.

Simple DIY distiller

I will show you a simple way to make a primitive distiller from a saucepan in 5 minutes to obtain distilled water at home. No modifications to the pan will be required and after use it will continue to serve its intended purpose.

What is needed to obtain distilled water?

A saucepan with a lid. It would be great if the lid was transparent, but this is not essential. The main thing is that it is convex and not straight.
The size of the pot depends on your distilled water needs. Next we need a deep plate that will fit into the pan.

You will also need ice, which can be obtained using the refrigerator and plain water.

The process of obtaining distilled water at home

Pour water into the pan. Such an amount that you could put a plate on it without it tipping over. About one third.

If you are using running water, leave the pan open to allow excess chlorine to ventilate.
After this, put the pans on the fire.

Place a deep plate on this water inside.

Distilled water will collect in it. And we’ll close the lid on top, just not as usual, but turn it inside.

As soon as the water starts to boil in the pan, put ice on top of the lid.

What's happening?

Under the influence of temperature, water will begin to turn into steam. The steam, in turn, will condense on the ice-cooled lid. And since the lid is convex inward, droplets of condensation will flow down and drip into the floating plate.

Storage

Once you have collected a full plate of distilled water, you can pour it into a clean jar for further storage.
Since water is absolutely “empty”, it is stored for a very, very long time in a container with a tight lid.
But before pouring the water into the vessel, I recommend rinsing it twice: once with plain water and detergent, and a second time with a small amount of distilled water, which you then need to discard. And then add water for storage.
The second rinse is needed to remove any remaining non-distilled water from the surface.

Testing

Checking the quality of distilled water is very simple. To do this, take a 220 V strap with a power of 15-40 watts. Connect it to a 220 V network and open the circuit, connect the electrodes, which are immersed in distilled water.
Pure distilled water does not conduct current, and if there are no unnecessary impurities, the light bulb will not light up. But if you violated the technology during the distillation process (you didn’t wash the vessel or plate, or perhaps non-distilled water got in), the lamp’s filament will be red, which in turn will mean the presence of salts in the water.

Conclusion

So, friends, if you urgently need to get a small amount of distilled water, then this method will definitely help you out, requiring very little effort and time from you. And most importantly - no costs!

Anyone who has once tasted good moonshine will no longer be fooled by the various “cognac” or “cognac” liqueurs displayed in wide rows in the liquor departments. By “good” we mean a product with the following qualities:

1. Clean as a tear.

2. There is no headache after it.

3. Pleasant and easy to drink (well, up to a certain point, of course).

To drink homemade alcohol with these characteristics you need: a little experience, reading the theory (it doesn’t hurt) and (most importantly) - having a means of producing it. This is where the age-old question arises: how to make a moonshine still?

It all started with a traditional still and refrigerator. And, based on the above three points, at all stages of human development, various elements were added to them, developing the technology of alcohol production.

If you want to do it well, do it yourself

Store-bought models are good until you start using them. We do not criticize the manufacturers of ready-made moonshine stills - there are very worthy manufacturers on the market. But if you take the matter seriously, then it is better to make both moonshine and the apparatus yourself.

Advantages of this approach:

1. You will know the independently developed device “in person” - all its shortcomings and best sides.
2. By understanding the design, you can easily repair it, understanding what leads to breakage or malfunction.
3. Purchased models are difficult to upgrade to suit your needs. For example, it is made of some kind of stainless steel, a piece of which is easier to cut from a new one than to find in your area of ​​residence. In cities this is easier, of course, but in the outback you won’t find good metal during the day with fire. And a welder capable of welding it, or a competent mechanic - even more so.

Magic cauldron: alembic made from improvised means

Anyone can make a moonshine still with their own hands. The heart of any distiller is the still. Essentially, it’s a container where the mash boils, evaporating that very valuable substance. First, decide on the volumes: how much finished product you need and how often you will produce it.

Also, the choice of container depends on the production conditions: if you have your own garage or cottage, you can even go for a 40-liter can. This is very convenient: I take out 10-20 liters every three months and it’s enough for myself and for guests, and the product goes well as a gift.

For home production in an apartment, you need a smaller container - up to 10 liters will be enough. This is the optimal cube size for small kitchens located in cramped high-rise buildings. Now you understand that before you make a moonshine still, you need to understand all aspects: how the moonshine still will work, where, what is your experience and all other points. And then we move on to the selection of materials and components.

Container material:

1. Aluminum: good quality material, capable of working for a long time without significant damage or deformation, almost eternal material for the cube.
2. Enameled containers– quite common, but really doesn’t like aggressive environments, withstands on average 3-5 years, then problems with repairs begin: from the effects of temperature and impacts, the enamel first comes off, and then rust eats away at the metal. It is repaired with wooden “chopics” (insert made of wood chips) for another 2-3 years, and then thrown away. This container wears out especially quickly when it is used together for “winning” mash and for further distillation.
3. Stainless steel. This, of course, is aerobatics. But a completely stainless alloy is expensive. Often, under the guise of “stainless steel,” they sell galvanized steel, nickel-plated steel, and anything else. When installing the structure, you will need to disturb this coating (drill a hole, weld something, etc.). And in places where the coating is damaged, rust will form over time, which will destroy the container. This option is enough for different periods: from 2 years (if it’s just a “stainless steel” alloy) to eternal use with the right to inherit it to grandchildren (very expensive).
4. Glass cauldron. This is a very rare “laboratory version” for everyday use. Beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, but impractical. For moonshine aesthetes.

Type of container:

1. Aluminum milk can– an excellent, time-tested container for a still. Your task: replace rubber gaskets with silicone ones for food products. This will be safer for health, moonshine will not smell like rubber. This is the most popular cube when referring to a homemade moonshine still.
2. Pressure cookers– a favorite type of cube container for urban small-sized kitchens. You don't need to change anything, just add a fitting for the coil. The downside is low productivity, the design is ineffective for full-scale production.
3. Enamel pan: if there is no other container, you can use that too. You will have to tinker with the tightness of the lid thoroughly. The best reliable option: make a gasket; install hinges with holes on the lid and walls of the pan, through which the entire structure is connected with studs and wing nuts. Cheap, cheerful, reliable. All hinge attachment points are also sealed with food-grade silicone.
4. Full cube made of real stainless steel: you can buy it ready-made (but only in trusted places), you can find it in the bins of acquaintances and friends who not only come from the USSR, but also lived in it most of their lives. The volume should be 30 liters at a minimum, otherwise there is no point in talking about mass production to meet the needs of one cell of society.

Important note! When choosing a container, pay attention to the neck: at least your hand should fit into it so that you can wash the device after use.

Coil: transport artery of the system

Let's move on to the component parts: a coil comes out of the distillation cube onto the refrigerator. It is in the coil that the magic of condensation happens: alcohol vapor turns into liquid. But not right away: before that they must go into the refrigerator.

The coil is made of stainless or copper tube. Here the choice of material is at your discretion: copper transfers heat better, but is more expensive. There are also concerns that copper, as a very active element, reacts with alcohols, after which aldehydes and other harmful substances are formed. But these concentrations are extremely small: to get poisoned by aldehydes, you need to drink at least 100 liters of moonshine. (But you will die before the concentration of aldehydes from the alcohol you drink becomes lethal). Copper is ideal as the most technologically advanced material.

Food grade stainless steel is also expensive, but still more affordable and safer. However, there is another problem with it: the quality may be “lame” even if you purchased the handset at a high price.

Select fittings of the required size for the selected tubes. This is often a ¾ pipe, so use that as a guide.

Last thing: it is prohibited to use non-metallic hoses under the alcohol line. Any PVC or rubber tubes react very actively with alcohol, break down and contaminate the moonshine.

The line must be sealed!

It is important to note that the fewer coil connections in your design, the better. Simple devices without a steamer with a bulk refrigerator can even be made with a coil from one tube: it is connected to the cube through an American nut.

For a device with a steam steamer, the coil must be divided into at least two parts. In the steam tank, the incoming pipe should go lower, and the outgoing pipe should be located at the very top - in the lid.

The fact that your moonshine still is homemade does not exempt you from carefully working on it: its design must be hermetically sealed, at the level of industrial designs. Otherwise, there is no point in undertaking the entire process of making it.

Steamer: if you need quality

A very useful item. This is an intermediate container between the cube and the cooler, through which the coil passes. The purpose of using the element is to reduce the amount of fusel oils in alcohol vapors.

“Sivukha” is an additional by-product of moonshine brewing. It is from them – fusel oils – that your headaches arise the next day, even if you only drank 100-200 grams. They are heavy in all respects: both for the body and in terms of weight - alcohol vapor is much lighter.

A dry steamer is an empty container. All the steam from the cube enters it already slightly cooled. This temperature difference is enough for the fusel to condense and the glass to condense, and the alcohol vapors then travel along the coil to the refrigerator. Usually, for 40 liters of mash, up to half a liter of yellow-brown oily liquid with a disgusting odor condenses in the steamer: this is something that is bad for health.

A steamer can be made from either a glass jar or a small metal container up to 2 liters. The structure must be sealed. They place it closer to the cube - so that the module is warm and the alcohol vapors have time to leave the steam chamber further along the coil.

But on the other hand: the efficiency of the reflux condenser (this is the scientific name of the steam vaporizer) increases with the temperature difference: the greater it is at the outlet of the tank and at the entrance to the module itself. Then condensation occurs better: more fusel oils remain at the bottom. But this reduces the yield of moonshine. In the absence of experience, losses can be large. In this direction, it is necessary to experiment and identify the most optimal distances to the cube and the volume of the steam tank.

Dry steamers can be made of different designs, and several steam steamers can be installed to obtain a purer product. You can also add various dried fruits, aromatic oils, and berries to enrich the moonshine with a pleasant aroma.

It is more difficult to make a moonshine still with a steamer yourself, but this simple device improves the quality of the finished product by several orders of magnitude. Moonshine after steaming does not need to be further purified using chemical methods. Simple mechanical filtration through cotton wool or filter paper will suffice.

More details about the steamer in the video:

Refrigerator: the last stage of the moonshine still

There are two options: flow-through (more often found in urban environments) and non-flow-through (proven rural option). A coil passes through the refrigerator container, where alcohol vapors cool and condense and become moonshine.

Both schemes must be considered both in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. A flow-through refrigerator is smaller in volume and cools more efficiently, but it has a high water consumption and a more complex design. “Protochnik” requires high-quality materials, it is more expensive.

A traditional static cooler takes up more space, requires constant monitoring to change the water on time, but is simple in design. Can be made from any tank, pan or bucket and coil. Without running water, there is no other option available to you other than this.

The refrigerator is very important: the yield of the finished product and the normal operation of the moonshine still as a whole depend on its correct settings. You need to experimentally determine how often you need to change/supply water, how to heat the cube, so that the device works as efficiently as possible.

The only advice that definitely won’t hurt you: the larger the container and the cooler the water in it, the better. If you brew moonshine in a 40 liter cube, then the refrigerator should be sufficient. For example, a bulk refrigerator requires a volume of no less than 1:2 of the heating tank. Water must be monitored every 30-40 minutes and changed on time.

Instead of a toast to the horse

A moonshine still with a steamer is the most progressive method of producing home-made moonshine. It is assembled with your own hands with minimal metalworking skills and the availability of appropriate materials. A very inexpensive and quick way to get delicious drinks. And safe for health: you probably know what you are making the product from.

With proper care of the equipment and increased experience in moonshine brewing, you can independently improve the device, experiment with its components and reach the top in this traditional business.

Video instruction

The design of a moonshine still is not particularly complex; for this reason, some craftsmen make devices literally “on their knees”. And device manufacturers are coming up with more and more new designs that should provide people with high-quality alcohol. Moonshine stills have been known to mankind for quite a long time; some of them were familiar to the Egyptians back in the 3rd century. In Rus', similar devices appeared a little later - in the 16th-17th centuries.

Classic version

What exactly is included in the design of the device and what are its parts responsible for?

Design principle of the classic model:

• A moonshine still of the correct design must certainly have a distillation cube and a container for storing mash. The cube must be made of durable material, preferably stainless steel, but it is permissible to use an aluminum can as a distillation cube. An aluminum milk storage can is best used for this purpose as it has a sealed lid. If the cube is made of stainless steel, then it tolerates contact well with aggressive substances, alcohols and fusel oils. Aluminum is not as stable as stainless steel, so over the years, harmful substances that are formed during the oxidation of aluminum can enter the mash.
• The thermometer helps maintain the temperature: the fact is that during the boiling process, fusel oils and water evaporate at one temperature, and alcohol at another. For this reason, it is worth monitoring the indicators and avoiding overheating, since it is dangerous for moonshine and can affect its quality.
• The device is also equipped with a coil - it acts as a connecting element. It is through the coil that alcohol-containing vapors pass, which arise during the heating or boiling of the mash. The vapor enters the steamer from the coil and is converted into a ready-to-use product.
• The role of the vaporizer is to clean alcohol-containing vapors from fusel oils and other harmful substances. The dry steam tank is often called a deflector or sump. Passing through the device, harmful substances settle in the steam chamber. But this part of the device can not only clean alcohol from impurities, it is often used to add a certain aroma to the drink. Orange or lemon peels are placed in the steamer to give the moonshine additional piquancy, pleasant taste and smell.
• A refrigerator is a zone in which condensation is produced and the vapor is converted into an alcohol solution. If we are talking about a device that has a connection to running water, then cooling occurs due to its circulation, and if there is no access to water, then use a container filled with cool liquid.

Moonshine still design

But good alcohol can be produced not only with the help of a moonshine still; ratification columns are often used to obtain high-quality alcohol.

Ratification column and its structure

Many people think that the ratification column is the apparatus for distilling moonshine, but in reality this is not the case. A ratification column is a device that has a unique structure and differs from a device for producing moonshine from mash in that it allows you to obtain high-quality alcohol with a strength of up to 90 degrees.

In the production of tinctures, liqueurs and other strong drinks, a ratification column is indispensable, since only this device can be used in the production of such drinks.

To understand the principle of operation of the device, it is worth considering what the ratification column consists of and what are the features of its design.

The device has:

1. A container that heats up during operation of the device.
2. Distiller with nozzles and cooling device.
3. There is also a column in the design.

Today, such devices are used not only for the production of alcohol. The ratification column has found application in pharmacology, the oil industry and other industries.

The operating principle of the column is as follows:

• The container containing the mash or solution is gradually heated, and the liquid is brought to a boil. During the boiling process, abundant steam is released.
• The steam that appears during the boiling process gradually rises as a result of rising temperatures; the steam flows through the column. It “gains strength” due to attachments that increase heat transfer.
• The steam reaches the cooling device and distillation converts the vapor mixture into alcohol. The liquid returns back, it flows down the column again, nozzles are involved in this process.
• As the liquid moves down the column, it encounters vapor and goes through distillation a second time. Thanks to the repeated distillation process and contact with vapor, the quality of the main product and the strength of the drink increases. This ultimately allows you to obtain alcohol with a strength of up to 90 degrees.

The design features of the ratification column ensure its high productivity. Naturally, this device cannot be compared with a high-power moonshine still. But it is worth noting that given the column’s ability to produce high-quality alcohol, it is not much inferior in characteristics to a home brewing apparatus.

However, any device has its pros and cons, but for those who like to produce alcoholic beverages at home, a ratification column or a moonshine still are essential devices.

Naturally, the devices are quite expensive; the price of a good apparatus for the production of strong drinks can reach 20–30 thousand rubles. But some people successfully solved this problem and made their own moonshine still from improvised materials. What is the operating principle of these devices?

Manufacturing of moonshine stills

It’s not easy to make a moonshine still with your own hands, but don’t despair, the devices of some devices are so primitive that even a beginner can assemble them with their own hands without certain skills.

Everyone knows that most often devices are made of stainless steel, since it is durable and resistant to acids, alcohols and solvents.

A homemade moonshine production plant at home can have the following varieties:

1. You can make the device from a can, which is used for storing and transporting milk. Instead of a can, you can take a flask or any other container. The can will play the role of a distillation cube; it will be equipped with a flow-through coil or a refrigerator, which is basically the same thing. The refrigerator is made of copper tube. To improve product quality, it is worth attaching a steam steamer to the structure.
2. The second type of device can also be assembled from a can for storing milk; it is equipped with a powerful refrigerator of five tubes, which increase the reliability and efficiency of the device. In order to obtain the highest quality alcohol, a steamer is attached to the apparatus.
3. For experienced engineers, a device made entirely of stainless steel is suitable. Its advantage is its compactness and the possibility of complete disassembly. The design is very interesting, it is full of unique engineering solutions and ideas. In addition, the device will help to expel high-quality alcohol due to the fact that it is equipped with a double steam chamber.
4. You can make a device for dispensing strong drinks from any pot you have in the house. The saucepan is supplemented with a tube, which serves as a refrigerator, and a steamer, in which harmful substances, fusel, settle.
5. In 2–2.5 hours you can assemble a moonshine still from a glass jar and a coil. If you need to enhance the quality of the product, then you will have to attach a steamer to the device. Despite this simplicity of design, the device will help produce alcohol of good quality. But, naturally, its productivity is low.
6. If you combine a glass jar and a computer cooler, you can make a device for distilling moonshine. An attempt to abandon water cooling leads to its replacement with a small fan. And the jar will act as a distillation cube. This device is simple in design and can be assembled in just a few hours.
7. But this is not the simplest device that was created by craftsmen. If you take a bucket, pour mash into it, cover it with a bag, make a small hole in it and fill it with water and ice, you can get a device for preparing alcohol-containing drinks. Such a device will help distill alcohol from mash, but the quality of the drink obtained in this way leaves much to be desired. Instead of a bag with a recess, you can use a bowl of cold water that will float on the surface of the bucket and cool the mash. But there must certainly be a container above the mash, in which the alcohol vapor will condense, turning into the coveted moonshine.

The desire to create a device for the production of moonshine does not always end in success, although the design of the device is simple. But it has certain features, for this reason there is a risk of spending money on raw materials, time, and getting nothing as a result.

For those who are not good at constructing devices for converting mash into alcohol, you can use special kits. They contain all the parts that are necessary to assemble the device and also instructions - it will help you understand the design features and do everything correctly.

Today in stores you can easily find devices that are equipped with all the necessary parts. Such kits are cheaper than the assembled device.

If you want to create a device for producing alcohol with your own hands, then you should approach the process with all responsibility. You should not skimp on the source code and you need to think through all the design features in advance, make drawings, or at least find samples on the Internet. Only by thinking through all the features of the device down to the smallest detail can you not only make the device yourself, but also ultimately get the pleasure of assembling the device and distilling alcohol. And also subsequently enjoy the result of your labor!

You urgently needed it at two o'clock in the morning distilled water, or you don’t have the money to buy it, or you are simply strangling amphibians, I bring to your attention a simple and affordable design for stillist.

There are many diagrams and examples of this device on the Internet, but this design is not plagiarism, it was created and improved me personally by trial and error, based solely on my knowledge. All similarities (if any) are purely coincidental. 🙂

If for some reason someone wants to repeat this experience or do something similar, I will tell you how.

First, I recommend watching the movie. "Moonshiners" just to lift your spirits!

First, let's figure out how it works; the principle of operation on which the entire operation of this device is based is inherent in the physical properties of water. More precisely, it evaporates at accessible temperatures and condenses at normal atmospheric pressure. Perhaps this is the main thing you need to know in this case, and the rest is a matter of technique. After all, If you know the operating principle, it doesn’t matter what the device is made from.

Here is a drawing (not mine) I downloaded for clarity, everything is simple and clear:

To assemble the presented device we will need:

1. An airtight container for evaporating water with an outlet hole in the lid, in my case it was an old pressure cooker with a broken outlet valve (ideal).
2. A tube made of any metal for a steam condenser (popularly a refrigerator, a coil), I have a 2-meter piece of steel brake tube with a diameter of 5 mm (preferably copper, brass).
3. A piece of suitable hose for connection.
4. Cooling container.

No tools were needed for assembly, except for cutting a plastic pipe with a diameter of 50mm.

We bend a spiral from the tube. Tubes of this kind can be bent by hand without any problems.

Sewage plastic pipe 50 mm

The design of the refrigerator can be anything and it will work, but it turned out that this particular design is more effective and does not require extra effort, such as soldering, drilling, etc.

As you can see, this design with this diameter easily fits into the neck of a regular 3-liter jar.

NECESSARILY! Make sure that the resulting system is ventilated and not clogged, otherwise you will be in for a BIG BOOM. 🙂

Pour water into containers and set to cook. The heat source can be absolutely anything, as well as cooling.

ATTENTION! In working position, some structural parts have a temperature close to 100°C. Follow safety precautions when working with objects of high temperature."Your scalded fingers are unlikely to help your work" :)

IMPORTANT! Steam should be directed from top to bottom in a spiral, this is done to improve efficiency, by doing this we make convection work for us. The cooling water begins to heat up from top to bottom and hardly mixes, as can be seen in the photo (by the bubbles) the water is hot at the top and still cold at the bottom, thus the steam cools smoothly, which is a plus, since the efficiency of condensation decreases with increasing temperature.

The second advantage is that the already condensed water forms a kind of hydraulic plug at the bottom of the spiral, which increases the pressure in the tube, increasing the rate of steam condensation; with a further increase in pressure, the water is simply squeezed out and the process resumes.

That's it, the homemade distiller is ready! Now you can repeat a simple but effective design with your own hands.

Performance me impressed. At the minimum speed we managed to squeeze out 0.5 l/hour, at a normal pace without overloading the system 1 l/hour calmly, as for the amount of water produced - everything is simple. If the system is sealed, the steam does not escape to the left and everything is done correctly, then 1 liter is evaporated - 1 liter is received.

I use this product in my car and steam cleaner. Everyone success and simple solutions!