Thread: Molasses 101

Originally Posted by HNSB

You probably only think it's illegal; In most places if you have the proper permits and pay taxes you can have a still.
I have been researching it for awhile, and am one of these days going to build a reflux distillery out back.

Yep...it's all about the tax revenue!

Originally Posted by HNSB

You probably only think it's illegal; In most places if you have the proper permits and pay taxes you can have a still.
I have been researching it for awhile, and am one of these days going to build a reflux distillery out back.

I've read up on it also, I just don't think I can make cost effective "fuel" right now.

Originally Posted by HNSB

You probably only think it's illegal; In most places if you have the proper permits and pay taxes you can have a still.
I have been researching it for awhile, and am one of these days going to build a reflux distillery out back.

Yes and no... some state and counties have rules that limit you more than
the feds.... Federal rules for brewing/ fermenting permit brewing strangely
enough based on your marital status. 100 gallons for single individuals, 200
gallons for married couples. President Jimmy Carter c1979....

It used to be up to about 400 gallons of wine by the head of a household.
Some states in the US squash it totally... (Alabama?).

No still is legal without a federal tax stamp.

Since this is a mater of law do consult an attorney/ authority
and do not rely on me.

For what it is worth the old guy down the street used to make hard
cider and freeze distill it. He would lug his kegs of cider out when
the winter temp got down near -20F and then after a couple days would
knock out the bung and pour the cider through a screen. Water would
freeze out as crystals and the result was a big jump from ~12% alcohol
to a lot more (?? 20-30%). We used to do it with beer in Wyoming but
mostly we just drank it.
Chemical tables and some experimenting will fill in the gaps.

do you guys have something against buffing and grinding wheels? seems to take a lot of the alchemy out of rust removal...

I've heard if you let a rusty razor sit in a bowl of cottage cheese on your radiator, it'll give it a mirror polish. Any takers?

Originally Posted by sheffieldlover

do you guys have something against buffing and grinding wheels? seems to take a lot of the alchemy out of rust removal...

Not one bit but new and successful tests push the hobby, we all know the buffers work now, but here is a news flash that only became popular by people doing the tests and posting the results...

Every single thing that is now taken for granted, started just like this

As for keeping the caps loose you can use a condom as the cap. It keeps a decent tight seal and will expand pretty far from the gases. All you have to do is burb it once and awhile.

Originally Posted by sheffieldlover

do you guys have something against buffing and grinding wheels? seems to take a lot of the alchemy out of rust removal...

What about someone who may not be able to use power tools? Or a restorer that really wants to up their volume?

Originally Posted by JSmith1983

you can use a condom as the cap.

Lubricated or regular?! Seriously though, pressure isn't a factor here. The loose cap allows any gasses to escape and it's only the 1:10 mixture that is bubbling. But, just as the dead yeast from my hard cider days would settle to the bottom, there is now a build up of sediment in that bottle. I didn't expect that to happen. I don't see any sediment in the other two bottles but they are denser and harder to see through.

Regards - Walt

I hope you can find a suitable material in your future experiments that will also hone the razor. Maybe a melted escher-norton solution? Good luck!