How to Run a Copper Still: Your First Run, Heat, and Cuts

To use a copper still, you fill the pot no more than three-quarters full, heat it slowly until vapor rises, keep cold water flowing through the worm so the vapor turns back into liquid, and collect the output in small jars so you can separate the foreshots, heads, hearts and tails. That is the whole job in one sentence. This guide on how to use a copper still walks through each step: cleaning before your first run, setting up the thumper and worm, controlling heat, and making cuts.

Running a still is part science and part craft. You are working with copper, heat and vapor, the same tools alchemists have used for centuries. One important note before you start: in the US it is legal to own a still and use it for water or essential oils, but distilling spirits for drinking requires a federal permit. We cover the law in more detail below.

How Do You Use a Copper Still? The Basic Steps

Every pot still works the same way. Heat turns liquid into vapor. The vapor travels up and out of the pot, through the thumper if you have one, and into the worm (the coiled copper condenser). Cold water around the worm cools the vapor back into liquid, which drips out the end. If you want a simple picture of this, see how a moonshine still works.

Here is the full process from start to finish. The sections below explain each step.

• Clean the still before its first use and after every run.
• Fill the pot no more than about 3/4 full to leave room for foam.
• Seal the joints so vapor cannot leak out.
• Fill the thumper (if used) and start cold water through the worm.
• Heat the pot fairly quickly at first, then turn the heat down as it nears temperature.
• Run slowly and steadily, a fast drip to a thin stream.
• Collect output in small, numbered jars.
• Discard the foreshots, then sort the rest into heads, hearts and tails.
• Shut off heat, let the still cool, and clean it.

Your First Run on a Copper Still: Clean It First

A new still has been cut, rolled, soldered and handled. It can carry flux, dust, oils from hands and bits of copper. Do not skip cleaning. Your first run copper still job should be a cleaning run, not a real batch.

Start by rinsing every part with warm water. Then do a vinegar run: fill the pot with a mix of water and plain white vinegar, assemble the still, and run it like normal for a while. The steam cleans the inside of the pot, thumper and worm. Throw away everything that comes out. Rinse well with clean water afterward. Our full step-by-step method is in how to clean a copper still.

This cleaning run also works as a test run. You learn how fast your burner heats the pot, how your water flow keeps the worm cool, and where any small leaks are, all without risking a real batch.

How to Run a Still: Setup, Thumper and Worm

Set your still on a flat, stable surface with good airflow. Propane burners belong outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. If you plan to run indoors, an electric moonshine still with a heating element and controller avoids an open flame.

Seal the joints. Many distillers use a simple paste of flour and water pressed around the connections. It dries hard, seals small gaps, and washes off easily. Never fully seal the output end. A still must always be open at the worm so vapor has somewhere to go and pressure cannot build.

The thumper is a second copper vessel between the pot and the worm. Hot vapor bubbles through liquid inside it, which heats that liquid and redistills it. The result is stronger, cleaner output from a single run. Most people fill it so the inlet pipe sits a couple of inches under the liquid. You can use water, some of your wash, or saved tails. Learn more in our guide to the thumper keg.

The worm needs cold water around it the whole time. Start the water before you turn on the heat. If the liquid coming out feels warm or you see vapor at the tip, add more cold water. Our complete units come with the pot, thumper and worm together, so the parts are already sized to work as one system. See our moonshine still kits complete with thumper.

How Much Heat Should You Use?

Heat control is the biggest skill in learning how to use a moonshine still. Too little heat and nothing happens. Too much heat and the pot can scorch, foam can push into the line (called puking), and your cuts get blurry.

A good pattern is simple. Heat the pot at a medium-high setting to bring it up to temperature. As the top of the pot and the line start to feel hot, and the thermometer gets close to where vapor forms, turn the heat down. Ethanol boils at about 173°F (78°C) and water at 212°F (100°C), so a mix of the two boils somewhere in between. Once the first drops appear, adjust until you get a steady fast drip or a thin stream. Slow and steady gives cleaner results than fast and hot.

Thick copper helps here. Our stills are built from heavy 20 oz, 22 gauge copper, much heavier than the thin metal on cheap imported stills. Heavier copper holds and spreads heat more evenly, so you get fewer hot spots. Our patented Flame Flow™ stills are designed for faster heat-up, even temperature and less scorching.

• Start water flowing through the worm before you heat.
• Bring the pot up fairly quickly, then back off the heat.
• Aim for a steady drip to thin stream, not a gush.
• If you hear sputtering or see foam in the line, lower the heat right away.
• Never leave a running still unattended.

Heads, Hearts, Tails: What Are They?

Output from a still does not come out the same from start to finish. Different compounds boil at different temperatures, so they come out at different times. Distillers split the run into four parts.

Think of it like a sunrise, noon and sunset. The early part is sharp and harsh. The middle is smooth and clean. The end is heavy and dull. Your job is to keep the middle.

• Foreshots: the very first output. They contain the lightest, harshest compounds, including much of the methanol (which boils around 148°F / 64°C). Always throw foreshots away. A common rule of thumb is at least the first 4 ounces (about 120 ml) for every 5 gallons in the pot.
• Heads: come next. They smell sharp, like solvent or nail polish remover. Not pleasant, and they can cause headaches.
• Hearts: the clean, smooth middle of the run. This is the part you keep.
• Tails: the end of the run. The output gets weaker, oily and smells like wet cardboard or wet dog. Many distillers stop collecting when the output drops to around 20% ABV.

Making Cuts in Distilling: The Jar Method

Making cuts means deciding where the heads end, where the hearts start, and where the tails begin. There is no single temperature that does it perfectly every time. The most reliable method is to collect in small jars and judge them one by one.

As the Alchemist G.G. Wilkins, I tell every new distiller the same thing: let your nose do the work, not the clock. Numbered jars give you time to think instead of guessing in the moment.

A hydrometer (sold with our moonshine still parts) tells you the strength of each jar. Readings are designed for liquid at 60°F, so let samples cool before you measure.

• Use small glass jars, about a pint or less each. Never use plastic.
• Number every jar in order as it fills.
• Toss the foreshots first, before you start numbering.
• Let the jars sit uncovered (or with a coffee filter on top) for several hours so the harsh smells can air out.
• Smell each jar in order. Mark where the sharp solvent smell fades (end of heads) and where the wet cardboard smell starts (start of tails).
• Keep the clean middle jars as hearts. Set heads and tails aside. Many distillers add them to the next batch.

Is It Legal to Run a Moonshine Still? Plus Safety Rules

Under US federal law it is legal to buy and own a still of any size. It is also legal to use it for distilled water, essential oils and similar non-alcohol uses. Distilling alcohol (spirits) at home for drinking is not legal without a federal permit from the TTB, even for personal use. A free TTB fuel alcohol permit allows you to make ethanol for fuel. State and local laws vary and can be stricter, so check yours. We don't give legal advice. Read more in are stills legal to own?

Whatever you distill, safety comes first. Vapor from alcohol is flammable, and a still involves heat, steam and hot copper.

• Never run a still with a blocked or sealed output. It must always vent through the worm.
• Run propane outdoors or with strong ventilation. Keep a fire extinguisher close.
• Keep flames and sparks away from the output end and collection jars.
• Use a still built with lead-free solder. All of ours are assembled with lead-free silver solder.
• Stay with the still the entire time it is running.
• Let everything cool fully before you take it apart.