One of the ways to wind a cooler for a copper moonshine still. A coil is a mandatory part of a moonshine still, designed to condense alcohol vapors by removing heat with water or air through the walls. Despite the complex definition, anyone can make a coil at home. A homemade version will work no worse than store-bought analogues. We will consider the theory and practice of manufacturing. Coil parameters: 1. Material. The most important factor affecting the safety and taste of moonshine. The coil material should not react with alcohol or be toxic, but at the same time have sufficient thermal conductivity to condense alcohol vapors. Given the requirements, you can make a coil from copper, aluminum or stainless steel. Glass is also a suitable material, although it is easier to buy a ready-made glass coil in a chemical reagent store than to make something similar yourself. Copper has the best thermal conductivity, but many moonshiners consider it a toxic material, which is not true. For example, the French have been distilling all strong alcohol in alambics, special copper distillers, for several centuries, and no one has been poisoned yet. Aluminum is second in thermal conductivity (1.6 times worse than copper), but it is relatively cheap, accessible and easy to process. Stainless steel coils are 3-4 times inferior to copper, and the exact brand of stainless steel is not always known, and only food grades that can withstand high temperatures and do not react with alcohol are suitable for distilling. 2. Dimensions. The longer the tube, the larger the area of ​​contact between vapor and water (better cooling), but at the same time the hydraulic resistance increases (the distillation speed decreases). The correct length of the coil in a moonshine still (the tube itself before curling) is 1.5-2 meters. The larger the cross-section (inner diameter) of the tube, the larger the contact area and the lower the resistance. I recommend using a tube with an inner diameter of 8-12 mm. A small thickness of the coil wall increases thermal conductivity, improving condensation, but too thin tubes are difficult to process and operate, since they are very fragile. In addition, when two environments come into contact, in our case, condensed alcohol and steam, thermal conductivity drops sharply regardless of the size and material of the wall. The optimal thickness of the coil tube is 0.9-1.1 mm. 3. Orientation in space. The coil can be positioned vertically, horizontally or inclined. In moonshine brewing, it is advisable to use a vertical connection scheme, in which the condensed distillate flows by gravity and does not create additional obstacles to the movement of steam. Vertical coils are ascending (steam goes from the bottom up) and descending (from top to bottom). For minimal resistance, steam should be supplied from above. 4. Cooling system. Coils are cooled with water, ice and air. The last two options are less effective and require complex designs, so we will not consider them further. Water cooling systems can be open - they work on running water, and closed - the tank is immediately filled with the required amount of water. The design of closed systems is simpler, but they cool worse, often the moonshine is warm at the outlet, and even hot after a couple of hours of distillation. In open systems, water circulation cools the coil much better, the moonshine is cold. In addition, flow-through designs use a smaller water tank, as a result of which the apparatus is more compact. The correct way to supply water is from below and remove it from above. For normal cooling, the water must move towards the moonshine, otherwise the lower part of the coil will not cool well. This scheme is called "counterflow mode". You will need a copper, aluminum, brass or stainless steel tube 1.5-2 meters long, 8-12 mm in cross-section and 0.9-1.1 mm in wall thickness. I advise you to find a housing (tank) for installing the coil in advance. The diameter of the pipe winding depends on the size of the housing. For example, a plastic sewer pipe with a diameter of 75-80 mm will do. For effective cooling, the coil should occupy at least 15-20% of the tank volume. 1. Tightly pack the tube with dry bulk material, such as river sand or soda, so that the metal does not flatten when curling. As a last resort, you can fill the tube with water and freeze it. 2. Stuff wooden dowels (pegs) onto the ends of the tube. An alternative option is to solder or clamp tightly. It is advisable to weld a nut to one end. 3. Wind the tube on any smooth object with a smooth round cross-section of the required diameter (in the example 35 mm) with a pitch between turns of 12 mm. 4. Free the ends of the coil, pour out the sand, rinse with running water. 5. Install the pipes for supplying and draining water on the cooler body. 6. Place the coil in the body, install plugs at the top and bottom,. #Technology_of_making_a_coil_for_a_moonshine_still.#making_a_coil #techno