Aluminium Keg Boiler

by **blond.chap** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 2:03 pm

Hi everyone, I have a few questions (the first of which may be a really stupid one).

1. Can you use an Aluminium keg as a boiler for a pot still (potential future reflux still)? I've got the option of SS or Aluminium and from what I understand Aluminium would be much easier to work with (bit cheaper too).
2. If I need to use SS, what kind of tools will I need to fit a 2" pot still? I've read about people using a reciprocating saw (which I could buy), but 1 out of the two hardware store staff I asked told me that it wouldn't do it. I've also got a circular tile cutter with steel/tungsten carbide/diamond blade, would this work?
3. If I get the boiler set up to fit a 2" still, can I just use a reducer if I want to later fit a larget reflux still (say 4")? Or am I better doing it the other way round and making a 4", then using a reducer to 2"?

by **crow** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:12 pm

1/ No use the SS
2/ would like to try the tile cuter mate 4" grinders seem a common way and I've seen some cutting wheels on a drill
3/ either way will work , putting a 4" in will possibly work better but its more work of cause

by **Kimbo** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:24 pm

croweater wrote:1/ No use the SS
2/ would like to try the tile cuter mate 4" grinders seem a common way and I've seen some cutting wheels on a drill
3/ either way will work , putting a 4" in will possibly work better but its more work of cause

:text-imwithstupid:

by **crow** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 3:36 pm

Oh that should have read would not try the tile cutter BTW sorry

by **blond.chap** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 4:15 pm

Cool cool, thanks for the help, I'll grab the SS and see where I can get a stainless steel angle grinder discs.

Just out of interest, what's wrong with using Aluminium?

by **kelbygreen** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 4:15 pm

buy a cheap ozito rotary tool, a grinder or tile cutter is way to big to cut a hole less then prob 8-10". Or you can get a holesaw but it will cost you a heap (like $80 for SS one). A reciprocating saw will not work and it will cost you about $200 for a cheap one (I know just bought one 2 days ago, but a good one and it was $290) You could use a jigsaw on slow with heaps of cutting fluid it will be better then recipro as you can usually set the speed and back and forth action and you got a base to rest on the work area instead of it vibration a heap.

But for me options would be

1st a hole saw
2nd a hole punch (if you can get them that big)
3rd a rotary tool

and the rest I would really be very careful and dont winge when it fucks the pot lol

by **Lowndsey** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 4:57 pm

I just use a Jigsaw with a stainless blade. Works fine.

by **crow** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:55 pm

blond.chap wrote:Just out of interest, what's wrong with using Aluminium?

your acidic wash will burn the hell out of it in no time as will the ethanol vapour

by **invisigoth** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:57 pm

blond.chap wrote:2. If I need to use SS, what kind of tools will I need to fit a 2" pot still? I've read about people using a reciprocating saw (which I could buy), but 1 out of the two hardware store staff I asked told me that it wouldn't do it. I've also got a circular tile cutter with steel/tungsten carbide/diamond blade, would this work?

if you wanted cheap, there is also the crude and slow drill-and-file method of marking the diameter of your hole, picking a drill, marking another circle 1/2 the diameter of the drill smaller than your first circle, then centre punching and drilling around the inner circle and finishing up to size with a file. kinda crude, may not be the best way, but it's a way if you have the patience. :laughing-rolling:

by **jim** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:02 pm

I used a 25 quart aluminum pressure cooker as a boiler for two years without any ill effects. There didnt seem to be any pitting or any other problem.

by **kelbygreen** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:12 pm

that for distilling though? I use a 80lt one for beer but not risking it for distilling. The beer has no alcohol when boiled and the vapor goes into the air so if they is anything in the vapor it is getting driven off not collected.

Not sure if its safe or not as I havnt seen anything explaining why its not but for a 50lt keg with a 3" ferrule welded in for the cost of a ferrule I am not looking anywhere for alloy 8-}

by **crow** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:22 pm

Great jim I'm happy for ya :roll: yes there are some grades of aluminium more resistant than others and i bet it always looked nice and clean when you finished too , some ppl use plastic stills to and I wouldn't drink their shit either but that's just me

by **torry73** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:32 pm

Hi blond.chap why don't you use a 50ltr beer keg, remove the spear and use tri clover clamps to connect your 2 inch pot still to that. No cutting or welding needed.

by **jim** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:44 pm

Given the choice, I would certainly pick the SS keg. SS is more durable, and you can solder and braze to it.

However, using aluminum for a boiler is not dangerous. I cook acidic foods (tomatoes) in aluminum pots, and eat the spagetti. So do millions of people all over the world.

Furthermore, the homedistiller website lists aluminum as safe to use.

Ethanol vapor is not acidic, it is nearly neutral, and will not pit your aluminum.

Im not having a go at you, Im just trying to keep peoples options open.

by **crow** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:50 pm

Ethanol is not nearly neutral it is a very powerful solvent and than therefore used as a base for a great many solvent products particularly metal polishers in fact i just finished polishing a very corroded copper boiler to a mirror finish with it ;-)

by **kiwikeg** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 9:06 pm

:text-+1: i use backset to clean up my mcstill parrot and my column packing stripped them to bright copper overnight. IMHO save the aliminium for fishing boats.

by **jim** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 9:51 pm

Ethanol is a great solvent. However, aluminum is not soluble in ethanol. Furthermore, when you evaporate (distill) the solvent, the solute is left behind.

by **Lupus** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:50 pm

Probably the biggest issue of an aluminium boiler may be the difficulty of working with the metal. While I am not familiar with welding, it is written that aluminium is not the easiest metal to work with when welding due to the fact it does not turn red before it melts, so there is no clue as to the proximity to the melting point. Secondly, aluminium has a poorer fatigue resistance, and will eventually fail when it comes to repeated loading, so it may not be as tough as stainless steel.

With regards to health effects, while there is no direct cause and effect relationship established, a correlation between aluminium and Alzheimer's has been noted. While aluminium has generally not been noted to be toxic, there are certain foods that seem to lead to a greater absorption of the metal in the diet, amongst this being acidic foods. Another substance that has been associated with the accumulation of aluminium in the nervous system is maltol, an organic compound found, amongst other things , in malt. So, while there has yet to be a direct cause and effect relationship between aluminium and toxicity, is it something you would want to risk?

Funny timing as there have are a couple of aluminium kegs that have become available near me, forcing me to read up on the potential effects of the metal, and force me to decide whether I would like to pick them upmarket or not.

by **blond.chap** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:54 pm

torry73 wrote:Hi blond.chap why don't you use a 50ltr beer keg, remove the spear and use tri clover clamps to connect your 2 inch pot still to that. No cutting or welding needed.

Will the hole left by the spear be big enough? I might see what it looks like when it arrives, then sort cutting if it's not big enough. Thanks for the suggestion.

by **Lowndsey** » Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:56 pm

blond.chap wrote:
Will the hole left by the spear be big enough?

It's the perfect size. :handgestures-thumbupleft: