ARTICLE I.
_The best method of setting Stills._
If stills are not set right, great injury may accrue to them, in burning
and damaging the sides, singeing the whiskey, and wasting of fuel too,
are not the only disadvantages; but more damage may be done in six
months, than would pay a man of judgment for putting up twenty pair.
If they are set with their bottoms to the fire, they are very apt to
burn, without the utmost care of the distiller, in stirring her when
newly filled with cold beer, until she is warm, and by previously
greasing the bottom well when empty. If wood be plenty, stills ought to
be set on an arch, but if scarce, the bottom ought to be set to the
fire. The following method is calculated for a furnace of either two or
four feet long, and with the bottoms exposed, or on an arch as the
distiller may fancy.
Make up a quantity of well worked mortar, composed of the greater
proportion of good clay, a little lime and cut straw.
Lay the bottom of the furnace with flag stones, or good brick, from two
to four feet long, as may be deemed most proper, let it be from twelve
to sixteen inches wide, and from twelve to fourteen high. Then if it is
designed to turn an arch, set the end of a brick on each wall of the
furnace, leaning them over the furnace, till they meet in the middle--so
continue the range on each side, until the furnace is completely covered
in, leaving a small hole for the flue leading to the chimney behind,
leaning towards the side, from which the flue is to be started, to
proceed round the bilge of the still, which passage must be ten by four
inches wide.
After completing the arch as described, lay thereon a complete bed of
mortar, well mixed with cut straw, set the still thereon, levelling her
so that she will nearly empty her self by the stoop towards the cock;
then fill up all round her with mortar to the lower rivets, carefully
preventing any stone or brick from touching her, (as they would tend to
burn her) ... then build the fender or fenders; being a wall composed of
brickbats and clay well mixed with cut straw, build it from the
commencement of the flue, and continue it about half round the still ...
this is to prevent the flames from striking the still sides, in its hot
state, immediately after it leaves the furnace, presuming that it will
terminate before it reaches the end of this little wall or fender,
between which, and the still, a space of two inches ought to be left for
the action of the heat, which space preserves, and prevents the wall or
fender, from burning the still; the mode in common practice, being to
place it against the still, which will certainly singe or burn her. When
this defender is finished, commence a wall, which continue round, laying
a brick for a foundation, about four inches from the lower rivets; thus
raising this wall for the flue, continuing it at an equal distance from
the still, leaving a concave to correspond with the bilge of the still,
and to be of precisely the same width and height all round the still.
This precaution is absolutely necessary in building the wall of the flue
exactly to correspond with the form of the still, and equally distant
all round, for reasons 1st. The fire acts with equal force on every part
of the still, and a greater heat may be applied to her, without burning.
2d. It has a great tendency to prevent the still house from smoking.
When the wall of the flue is completed round the still, and raised so
high, that a brick when laid on the top of the wall will extend to the
rivets in the breast of the still or upper rivets, then completely
plaster very smooth and even, the inside of the flue, and then cover the
flue with a layer of brick, with a slight fall, or leaning a little from
the still outwards, so that if water were dropped thereon, it would run
off outwardly, carefully laying a layer of clay on the top of the wall,
on which the brick may rest, and thereby prevent the brick from burning
the still; carefully forming the brick with the trowel, so as to fit the
wall and rest more safely--cautiously covering them well with clay, &c.
and closing every crevice or aperture, to prevent smoak from coming
thro' or the heat from deserting the flue till it passes to the chimney
from the flue; then fill the still with water, and put a flow fire under
her to dry the work. When the wall begins to dry, lay on a coat of
mortar, (such as the next receipt directs), about two inches thick, when
this begins to dry, lay a white coat of lime and sand-mortar, smoothing
well with a trowel; rubbing it constantly and pressing it severely with
the trowel to prevent it from cracking.
There are many modes of setting stills and bringing the fire up by flues
variously constructed, but I have found the foregoing plan to afford as
great a saving of fuel, and bringing the still to a boil as early as any
other.
ART. II.
_How to prevent the Plastering round Stills from cracking._
This method of making water proof plastering on stills, is done entirely
in making the mortar, and putting it on, in making which, good clay and
lime are absolutely necessary.
When the mortar for the first coat is thoroughly worked, put as much
brock of rye straw into it, as can be worked in, so that when the coat
is put on, it may have a greater appearance of straw than mortar, when
dry, and covered with the second coat composed of lime mortar, well
rubbed and pressed with the trowel until it be dry. A covering put on of
those materials, will be found to continue firm and compact without
cracking, as in the common mode.
_The best method of boiling two, three or more Stills or Kettles with
one fire or furnace._
This method has been found to answer in some instances, and may perhaps
do generally if properly managed. I will here give the result of my own
experiments.
I set a singling still holding 180 gallons on a furnace of 18 by 14
inches, and 4 feet six inches long, with the bottom to the fire, she had
a common head and worm with scrapers and chains in her. I extended the
flue, (or after passing it round her), to the doubling still which it
likewise went round--but to prevent too much heat from passing to the
doubling still, I fixed a shutter in the flue of the singling still,
immediately above the intersection of the flue of the doubling still, to
turn all the heat round her, and another shutter in the flue of the
doubling still at the intersection of the flue of the singling still, to
shut the heat off from the doubling still if necessary.
With this fixture I run six hogsheads off in every twenty four hours and
doubled the same, with the same heat and fire. I likewise had a boiler
under which I kept another fire, which two fires consumed about three
cords and an half of wood per week, distilling at the rate of sixty-five
bushels of grain per week, and making about one hundred and ninety
gallons in the same time.
Before I adopted this method I kept four fires agoing, and made about
the same quantity of whiskey, consuming about four and an half cords of
wood per week, and was obliged to have the assistance of an additional
distiller per week.
I have since heard of the adoption of this plan with more success than I
experienced.
ART. III.
_To set a doubling Still._
As spirits can hardly be burned or singed in a doubling still, if not
before done in singling, all the precaution necessary is to set them in
the best method for saving fuel, and preserving the still. The
instructions given for setting a singling still, is presumed to be
adequate to setting a doubling still.
_How to prevent the singling Still from burning._
If the singling still be well set, and is carefully greased with a piece
of bacon, tallow or hard soap, every time she is filled, she will seldom
burn, but if she does burn or singe notwithstanding these precautions,
it will be advisable to take her down and set her up a new ten times,
rather than have her burned.