I dont have any way to measure specific gravity. I did check my hydrometer with tap water and it reads about 2 on that same scale. Im assuming that its just a cheap hydrometer and not exactly perfect on its readings.
The finished mash read around 10 ABV or 20 proof - for what that is worth.
The still is ‘still’ heating up, so Im going to go find my old booze and see what it reads.
Looks like my cheap hydrometer is off, but its consistent - about 3 points hi, or the same error it had with my tap water.
I have a bottle of Jim Beam thats 40% ABV/80 proof.
The hydrometer reads about 43% and 85 proof.
WooHoo! Im makeing moonshine!!
I was sitting here wondering how long I was going to have to stay up waiting for this darn thing to make enough for me to test is with the hydrometer. It occurred to me I might have to stay up all night just to find out I didnt make any alcohol at all.
Then I remembered an easy way to test - see if it burns.
I tried the first stuff I got yesterday - what should be waste. It almost burned, but would not hold a flame. Hmmmmmm. So I tried a few drops of what Im getting tonight and it burned like mad 
This is a slow process though. Im only getting one drop about every every second.
Edit: Shortly after I posted the above, the drip rate increased dramatically - to the point it was almost constant, but that only lasted maybe 30 minutes or so.
The dripping has stopped and the temperature started to climb, so Im calling this done.
The good news - I think - is that the product is about 40% ABV/80 proof. The bad news is that I only got 450ml. Near as I can calculate I started with 6500 ml. Or for those of us metric challenged, thats a little less than 1/2 a quart of 80 proof from a tad over 7 quarts of mash.
That doesnt seem like a very good return rate.
Am I correct in thinking that the sugar would be the limiting factor or is it the alcohol killing the yeast off that limits how much you end up with, or?
Yes to both on those questions that’s why some high gravity strains are needed for certain types of ferments.
It’s could be either, your yeast is not making enough alcohol, if you have the right amount of sugar available for the yeast then your yeast is not doing it’s job for some reason. Your temps are good, so I don’t think it’s that. The only thing ATM that I see is the possible oxygen getting into your fermentation, once you get a decent fermentation bucket and airlock, you will have eliminated a lot of possible problems, and narrow it down a bit more.
Tiny just posted before me lol
Some good info here on return rates and such
That is great!
In the '70’s I used to winter camp on snowshoeing hikes a lot.
When I went with friends, it was necessary for me to provide the “Snowshoe Grog” that I used to get at a local mom and pop liquor store.
It was only sold in pint bottles and was a blend of brandy and schnapps; horrible stuff you’d think, but it was very welcome esp. at night when we’d huddle in the tent around the wood stove.
I kept one the bottles for years unopened on my dresser because during the '80’s we never had snow enough for 'shoeing but it got lost in one of my many moves.
Good memories.
Edit
Only have 750 ml today
been making shine just a couple years.What I found is you need to use brewers yeast. It can handle higher alcohol content. Your mash should be in a sealed bucket and use a Air lock of some sort.
as for metering the alcohol as it comes from the still (not using a thump keg) get or build a parrot. This will allow you to fine tune the proof of alcohol coming from the still.
this was my first still made from a small beer keg. I made a new one from a large keg (no pics of it) The condenser (on right with the black plastic pipe)(where the vapors are condensed) is what the call a shotgun condenser. It’s a 1/2" copper pipe inside a 3/4" pipe that is where the water jacket is. Can be built or purchased farly cheap.
Have any questions just ask.
When I used to brew beer, the higher gravity recipes(barley wines) used to call for champagne yeast, ever try that?
They can reportedly stand 18-20% alcohol.
Here is what the hydrometer read after it cooled - almost exactly what tap water reads, so I think I got most of the alcohol out. I tasted it and it was just a hint of sweet, and no burn. Smells like sour bear,
I forgot to post the pics of the hydrometer reading after the distillation. Im not going to distill is down again until I do another run of mash. Im working on getting that started now.
Ok, time for round 3 or 5 or 7 - I forget. Doesnt matter because Im committed now. Im gonna make some more booze or bust! 
So, I have been reading up some more on the particular yeast I have. It seems to be especially popular with the ethanol fuel guys.
It has a hi alcohol tolerance of around 20%, so the fermentation didnt stop from too much alcohol - as my results show.
The fuel guys typically run at a specific gravity of 1.095 or so - which is twice what I had after diluting it last time and exactly what I had to start with. So it wasnt too much sugar.
They also, most dont add any nutrients - just sugar and yeast - but some do. Anything from boiled yeast to store bought stuff.
They do keep it warm - mid 70’s at least and up to hi 80’s.
I think the main problem I had in the beginning was too cold.
That plus leaky buckets - maybe.
Its interesting that for every two people who say to use an airlock, there is at least one person that just puts the lid on loosely or covers the top with a rag! The pro’s all seem to prefer airlocks.
Aeration at the beginning isnt always done, but it is fairly often. It is often done when re-hydrating the yeast, so Im doing that for sure.
So, Im going with an o-ring sealed lid and airlock. That got the most votes on Googling it and everyone here says to do that.
Im going back up to the higher level of sugar. That should get me a lot more alcohol in the end - up to 14.4% ABV in the final mash.
Plus, at the last second I decided to add some boiled yeast as a nutrient. I didnt so much - roughly the same amount as the pitched yeast.
So here is the formula.
8 lbs sugar
4 gallons of water (boiled)
8 grams of live yeast - re-hydrated.
8 grams of boiled yeast - actually just barely simmered for a few minutes.
I stirred the crap out of the sugar water after it cooled to about 86F. Then added the boiled yeast and stirred again. Then added the re-hydrated yeast and did an easy stir to just mix.
We will see…
That stuff looks like it would warm you up LOL! We didn’t have any snow for doing any of that this year ourselves. Very very unusual. It’s always so quiet on those Moonlit nights. Great memories.
Its food for the yeast right? I’ve heard of using it to clean the still after a run. I’ve also heard of putting it in the fermentation buckets but couldn’t remember why.
The first time I made a mash I covered Loosely with the lid. When it bubbled over and leaked through our ceiling into the kitchen my wife wasn’t too happy with me! I’ve used airlocks ever since. And I never have replicated what I did that first time…it was my best run.
What’s the foil for?
The boiled yeast serves the same purpose as the tomato paste: a substitute for yeast nutriments.
Cheers
G
Funny story like to suggest a large diameter blow off tube same thing happened to me with a plugged airlock little missile of stout found splattered against the ceiling! Lol
Heard go off about 2 Am woke me from a dead 
Yeah I have had a plugged airlock from oak chips in a cabernet sauvignon, when she blew she just filled the airlock and spilled all over the top of the bucket. Killed a lot of fungus gnats that were hanging out on the lid so it wasn’t all bad lol.
I am cursed or Im just too stupid to do this hillbilly stuff. Probably both. (sigh)
So, I got no bubbling. At all. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Found that my Homedepot bucket was not sealing. Spent hours trying to fix it, only to finally realize the stupid thing was damaged/defective.
About that time also realized there was no action at all in the bucket, so I re-hydrated some more yeast and put that in. Nothing.
Then I had one of those ‘Oh my god I am to stupid to live’ realizations.
I was really proud of my self for making an emergency aerating/stir paddle from a piece of 3/8 copper rod I had in the shop. Bent one end of it in the vice and instant stir paddle for the drill. Washed it up really good first, then stirred the crap out of the sugar water before putting the yeast in. Yup. Really proud of my inventiveness in a moment of need.
I did notice that the copper looked even cleaner after the stirring, but didnt think it was a problem. They use copper stills, right? So no worries.
Much later, I realized that you dont do fermentation in a still AND copper is an f’ing microbial! It turns out its particularly effective against yeasts. Even minute amounts of copper oxide are very effective and persist in the solution and just keep on killing and killing and etc etc.
Too stupid to live.
Ok, I havent managed to screw that up yet, but Im sure its on my must do list of things to go wrong.
How do you make a blow off tube?
Never mind - I Googled it. Not sure I will need it. Only doing 4 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket that actually holds over 6 gallons. There is a good 6" head space at the top for foam.
Of course, now that Ive said that, it inevitable that I will blow the lid off…
