Start Making Your Own Alcohol in an Old Pressure Cooker
Introduction: Start Making Your Own Alcohol in an Old Pressure Cooker
Covid-19 is everywhere, and we are trying to make the most out of it. But what to do if your country goes in to a new lock-down and the bars close down? What can you do if the price of hand sanitizer surges? And last but not least, what can you do with all that spare time on your hands?
Make your own still and produce your own drinks and sanitizer!
This instructable will help you create a simple but effective still from pressure cooker and some basic copper plumbing. No real skill is required, just some basic tools.
*ATTENTION* the making of alcohol can be a dangerous process, as ethanol and methanol are highly flammable. Be smart and try to reduce the risk factors as much as you can! This instructable will help you avoid some of the major ones. But try to read up on the topic or watch some very useful and interesting Youtube creators like Still It and How To Drink
Supplies
Materials
* An old pressure cooker (try to avoid using a aluminium one. more info on that in the chapter 'Heating the still' )
* 22mm copper tube 1m
* 15 mm copper tube 1m
* 3x T joints 22-15-22
* 2x 22 mm reducer 15 mm joint
* 1x 45 degree 15mm joint
* 1x 22 mm endcap
* 1x 22 mm
* Optional: wired thermometer.
Tools
* Tube cutter
* Solder paste
* Soldering tin
* Sandpaper
* Soldering torch
Step 1: The Pipework
So you got all the materials! It's time to get crafty and start working on our still.
Cut the pipes to these lengths, using the pipecutter. You can use a small metal saw, but the pipecutter is faster and makes sure the pipe doesn't warp.
22mm
* 1x40 cm
* 1x30 cm
* 1x 5cm
* 2x 3cm
15mm
* 1x50cm
* 2x 5cm
* 1x 3cm
Soldering 1.01
This project takes some basic soldering skills. The steps are: sand down the piece to make them nice and shiny, add a little bit of soldering paste to both parts you want to join, put the pieces together, heat them and apply enough soldering tin. Remember this isn't a beauty contest, the most important thing is to create an airtight seal. The paste will help suck the tin in. You can check the seals by blowing on one end and keeping the other end closed with your hand.
Assembly
The column
1. Drill a hole in the lid of the pressure cooker, so your compression fitting fits snug.
2. Connect the 40cm 22mm piece to the lid, using the compression fitting.
3. Solder a T-joint on the other end of the 22mm tube.
4. 98
Solder a 5cm 22mm piece at the other end.
5. Now place the endcap on it (this doesn't need soldering, as gravity pulls it down and the vapor looks for an easier way to escape, but you can secure it in place with a putty of flour and water)
6. Solder the 3cm 15mm piece to the same T-Joint.
7. Solder the 45 degree joint on the 15mm piece, pointing downwards.
The cooler
1. Solder the two remaining T-joint on the 30cm 22m tube.
2. Solder the two 3cm 22mm pieces on the other ends of the T-joints.
3. Solder the two 5cm 15mm pipes to the 15mm spot of the T-joint.
4. Solder on the two reducer joints.
5. Take the 50cm 15mm tube and place it through the piece you've just created.
6. Solder the reducer joints to the 15mm tube.
The final trick
Solder the cooler to the column. Make sure the two small 15mm pipes, that are connected to the T-joints, face down.These will connect to water hoses, pointing them down will make sure they don't bend and block.
Step 2: Moonshining 1.01
Safety
Since we are working with extremely flammable gasses in a pressurized container, you could also say we've just created a BOMB. A few simple things can help to prevent it from exploding.Watch this handy video for the basics on how to stay safe.
in short:
1. Check for leaks. Before you put anything with alcohol in it, try running it on just water. 981