adamg

Paul is everything manufactured by you or do you outsource projects to the Chinese manufacturers? I'd love to see some pics of the 80 gallon steam system. Would love to get a steam still without the need to get a boiler.

If you have decent personal credit some banks will give you a equipment loan that you personally sign for. I got approved for one but it would only pay for equipment, not shipping, tax or installation.

Can you post a picture? message me one?

Thanks for all the great information! I also talked with someone at my supplier who showed me I am not going to ever run at that high of CFM because it would be 1400 RPM for the agitator. It turns out I only need CFM in the mid-teens. So that means a compressor for 1k not 2.

Does anyone use a pneumatic agitator? I've been given specs of running at 23cfm @ 40psi. All the compressors I see are rated at 90 or 125 psi. How do I figure out what works for a lower PSI? Thanks

I don't know if anyone still looks at this but the link below shows chemical compatability. http://www.mcmaster.com/#9948kac/=orhl8b

I've visited distilleries all over the country and have seen apartments above both directly and indirectly and distilleries not located near the road but behind a house in a rural area. So you have to cross the "private area". It seems to me to be totally subjective on the part of the agent.

What's the biggest still you've made so far? Are they packed or do you use plates?

Congrats, hope to follow in your footsteps

good post Rickdiculous.

I had talked with a TTB agent and they suggested a 15k bond to start with another 1k for withdrawal

Depending on where you live you can probably find used steam radiators at salvage and reuse places. These are old heavy cast iron ones that radiate well. Also think about how you run your pipes because you can use those to help heat the space as well.

The (Federal) government is not a private entity but a public one and shouldn't play favorites among its citizenry. Providing unfair advantage to multi-billion dollar corporations is totally un-American (even if common). It's not how I want to see my government act. I don't have issue with businesses in actual need/startups getting some form of subsidy for a limited time but overall these things tend to go to the big guy and roll on from year to year. If this was the USVI acting on it's own I don't think we could say much except that "Is that really the best use of public funds?" but then it's a local issue. The problem is the pseudo Federal Government approval of it because they give that money to the local government making it a national issue. This post is also in a forum meant for people who are competitors in some form to these businesses and receive no such special treatment. If the craft industry could get a lobby going perhaps it could get similar deals and we wouldn't be complaining. Does the ADI lobby really? P.S. in the process of writing my response Roger posted GOOD POST!

I've found this whole thread very informative. I had wondered about the "rum subsidy" since hearing about it on CNN. I do think this cover-over as it's called represents an unfair advantage to the big rum producers in PR and USVI. That is something that should concern any competitor (rum producer) no matter how small. The PR and USVI producers get extra government support and cash back directly making their products more profitable or subsidizing the product allowing it to be produced cheaper. This makes everyone else's product more expensive and therefore less competitive. I understand that it's been going on since 1917 but that doesn't mean it's any less upsetting or in my opinion un-American. Link to Congressional Research Report on it http://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=719414.