Here is the equipment I use to distill my dirty IPA. It can be bought off eBay.
I run the hotplate, Rosewell, at 1000 watts and that give a good flow at about a gallon an hour.
The water pump is the right flow so that the cooling tank doesn’t overflow.
I have a 5 gallon pail under the table that recirculates through the pump. Only issue here is keeping the water cool. If you have a faucet and drain handy it might work without the pump or tank.
Suppliers are out of IPA in North Carolina, where I am.
Amazon just announced its ““Fulfillment by Amazon” (FBA) program, through which it provides warehousing and shipment services for products from third-party sellers, as well as its larger vendor shipment services are being partially suspended through April 5 due to the global coronavirus outbreak.”
Not sure if this affects IPA or DPM (or everclear).
See: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amazon-limiting-shipments-certain-types-141958352.html
Good to know that IPA can be distilled. Any safety precautions recommended?
The resin sludge left behind, what is the best method to clean that from the still?
I run my still either out in the garage or on the screen porch. I’ve been doing this for 4 years with no issues. One good thing about the Rosewell hot plate is it will shut down if the temp on the plate gets too hot. That’s an excellent safety feature.
I also found that it’s best to start at 700 watts until the dirty IPA gets warm. Then increase to 1000 watts for a bit and finally to 1200 watts until it reaches proper temperature which is just UNDER 60C or around 160F then set it to 1000 watts. It will run well at that setting.
Too hot, 1200 watts will cause leaks around the lid seal. This can drip on the hot plate and just might catch fire. I add those black spring bindery clips between the clamps of the still. Fact is I’d like to get some more so I could put two between each still clamp. ALSO, be sure to clean the seal on the top edge of the still pot so you get a good seal.
Last, don’t distill down so the sludge burns to the pot bottom as you’ll have a real fun time chiseling it out., I know from experience. Oven bags do NOT work but will burn to the bottom inside the pot.
Big thing is keeping the water cool. It will get hot and even steam. If it is steaming that TOO HOT and you should shut down the still and change out the water in the pail. It’s best if you have a faucet and drain handy as then there is no issue of hot water. I don’t have that so I have to be creative. On the screen porch I have a 10 gallon tub for the water.
Hope this helps.
Hey All,
Thanks so much for taking the time to post. We realize this is an issue that’s affecting basically everyone and we’ll continue to offer the help and advice we can.
In the interest of that, I thought I’d pass along a recent blog post we did about how to wash parts with TPM. This obviously won’t be feasible for everyone, but it may work in a pinch for some.
Hi All UK users,
As promised for UK users, Placed an order for Dowanol TPM and ipa with British Chemical Products online Mon @9:30 Just had it delivered. Weds@ 15:00 
Note. Could not get through on phone to check IPA so just risked it for a biscuit online!
Dowanol TPM
1L@GBP 18.85
5L@GBP 42.40
4 x 5L@ GBP 116.00
IPA 5L @45.40 (ouch) This was on back order till mid April. Now sales of IPA has been suspended (phew got in in time)
Add 12.50 for shipping plus vat
So TPM is now cheaper than IPA!!!
Am designing a still using a heated water bath to recycle waste IPA. When built will test at bottom of garden.
Presently filtering through double filter papers starting at 20 micron down to 2.5 micron. On model resin, solids still getting through and some sticky resin trapped by papers. Do I recommend filtering to clean IPA?. Short answer…NO
Thanks for all those that helped me with leads to companies.
Bill
hello all
to anyone in NY area or in the US I was able to purchase IPA 99% from the link below and picked it up in NY- as of now they still ship and I was able to pick up from them. The owners were amazing and helpful
hope that helps-
Roy
Don’t waste what you have with these prices.
Have 2 cleaning batches you can cycle (if you are able to)
Buy a sealed transparent container… don’t let your solution cloud up too much.
Put it in the sun so solution inside can cure and settle.
Pour off the top… you will now have a clear solution again… you will lose a little bit every time as a result of evaporation… this makes you re-use and thus save money and a bit of the enviroment!
Since it takes about 2 days of settle and curing in the sun I would recommend to have a second batch so you wont have to hold off from production as your batch settles.
Lol, I have been thinking the same thing… In the same boat. Literally just got my Form 3B and I can’t even get the materials needed to play. Gotta find something!
Have you actually tried this? or is it something you’ve read on the Internet?
I tried Mr. Muscole and Mr. Clean (equivalent of everclear) in 40 KHz ultrasonic cleaner for 15 minutes (50 deg Celsius) but the results are more than disappointing. During the ultrasonic washing it’s visible that some residual resin is really dissolved into the cleaner but after removing the parts they are covered with tacky material which you can’t clean with water. After UV curing the parts look just terrible.
tried and works
Received the still bought via Amazon. As soon as it stops raining, will give it a try.
For those distilling your IPA, how much loss do you experience? In other words. if 8.6 liters goes into the still, how much IPA are you able to reclaim?
I’m concerned that the loss will be greater than what I can replace with the little on-hand supply of new IPA I have left.
destilling something that evaporates this much sounds like a dangerous feat. it will work but be carefull. i also suggest using an actual fractial destillation set with a regular distiller attached personally and only use electric heating… on top of that some boiling stones are a wise choice to throw in. (boiling stones can also be made from glass shards).
