"Hey All,
Ok. So this Topic has gone unresponded to, so I thought I'd dip my wick first. This is dedicated Mountain Walker John, who got a big kick outta it as he was 3000 miles away.

Guideline Discovery #2: Whatever you do, start in the am.

Excited as I was about the two 25 liter buckets finally finishing off the day before, I was even more excited that the Super-Kleer I bought and was using for the first time worked as advertized. I'm sure that clouded (no pun) any still fetal good judgement I had acquired because with what turned out to be a 40 liter combined and cleared wash - I charged my boiler at 8pm.

My first previously hard earned guidline was ""Always Heat Slowly"". So with that in mind I did. By midnight I was kinda hungry and the temp really hadn't risen that much (I really took early guidelines to heart), so I thought I'd ""just pop into the kitchen"" for a bite to eat.

Guideline Discovery #3: Never leave the still when it's running.

My first guideline came about with a great rush of temperature in the boiler and the column cap popping off. I would dive in cussing and fretting and lower the flame and put the cap back on. No real harm done..... Well this time, while in the kitchen, I heard the dreaded clang of an errant column cap and did my cussing as I went outside.

Now, the flames that greeted me, would have been shooting from the column I'd guess 'bout 10 feet high - if I hadn't had the still under the porch. Instead, I had flames rolling along the underside of the porch and out towards me. Any of y'all ever see that movie ""Backdraft""?

The column was, at this time, issuing flaming liquid at really, I thought, an overly excited rate. As it rained down, still alight, a flaming pool had begun to collect all around my propane tank, setting up a super neat little fire that I would need to get through to turn it off. Gee, which to do first? Put out the truely magnificent column fire or brave the flames of hell around the gas tank? Come to think of it, my scrambled eggs were burning at this point as well, but way low on the priority scale.

Given my life to that point I decided to brave the flames from hell and have a go at the tank. Yes, it hurt. But wouldn't you know it - luck was on my side! (laugh and die, it's actually what I thought). I indeed turned off the gas. Still had to put out the flames surrounding it though. And let us not forget my still Flaming Column of God.

Guideline Discovery #4: Have a proper fire extinguisher on hand.

Any of y'all married? Wife got a nice old quilt? Family heirloom. Probably came over in a covered wagon and before that the Mayflower? Ya. I grabbed it. Don't know what it was doin' outside, maybe I ran inside, don't remember. But I began wacking away with that hundred year old piece of cloth to Great Success. Stamped my revenge on those flames like a boy peeing in the snow.

Now I certainly don't know what the original Quilting Bee Circle of Long Dead Spinsters would say, but I continued upwards, and shit yes the flames were still coming out, to the top of the column, and giving a prayer to Red Adair (look him up) I capped that Inferno in no less than six tries. Y'all be pleased to know I still donate regularly to the Q.B.C.L.D.S.

There is the other half of this story I am happy to relate, but I think I have gone on long enough not knowing if I've bored y'all. Besides, all this talking has got my throat parched...

Ya wanna hear the other half, lemme know.

Very Sincerely Yours,

PJ Lily"

OK I have waited around long enough. Lets hear the rest of the story!

"Well, as a guy who is just getting interested in this hobby ... stories like this really put me on notice, of what the possibilities are.

Time will mend the fire wounds, and you can paint your porch ... but I have a feeling that you'll be hearing about that quilt for the rest of your life.


~r~"

"Hey PJ,

I still think of Moses everytime i recall that story!

And yeah, the rest of the story- Paul Harvey."

"reminds me of the time that I went to answer the phone, came back and just fumes billowing out my spirit hose. I didn't know what to do first, I was expecting a large explosion due to the fact my still is in a 10X12 building.
Thankfully nothing happened and got the flame shut off, had to get a drink though. I've never left the still since. Lesson well learned."

"Last week I dropped a 5 gal glass carboy, of 90%, in our laundry room.

I turned off the water Heater, well pump, and any thing else that might spark.

I did remember that our boat, as most do, uses an alcohol stove below decks. This is because alcohol will mix with water, and become non flammable at low dilution's, alcohol fires can be put out with water.

Unlike Gasoline which will float on top and spread!

The faster you can dilute the alcohol, the faster you can put the fire out.

I didn't want to add more water to the mess, so I mopped it up, but I did take some comfort knowing water would douse any fire that erupted."