Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Folks,

While I've been cleaning up the bits and pieces completed thus far in my build, I've noticed that the copper which was once clean has now regained that dark brown patina, and in some places has a green tinge. This, I think is oxidation, and seems to occur quite quickly. This doesn't matter so much on the outside of the parts, but it happens on the inside as well, thus making contact with the vapour run.

So what do people do when they dismantle their modular still to store it for a while? If left exposed to the air, this oxidation will occur every time. Does one need to perform a vinegar cleaning run, followed by a sacrificial sugar run each time the modular still is erected? That seems like a time and power waste.

Is there a trick to this? Do folks store their parts in plastic bags flooded with carbon dioxide? That might solve the problem, but where would I find a ready source of CO2?

Or do we not worry about this? Our first neutral might be mint-coloured?

I'm assuming you're still building your rig mate...

Once you run it, you will find this issue isn't the same...once you have run alcohol through it, it doesn't go the same way as it does during the build, and if it does it takes years, not days.

There's a thread around for applying clear coat to the outside of your still after polishing, and for the inside just let the alcohol do it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

And a BIG tip...never leave it with vinegar on the copper or it will be caked with green shit the next day! After a vinegar run, either hose it out thoroughly or run your sacrificial alcohol run the same day after it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks Brendan,

I'm going to apply a heat resistant clear coat to the outside, even though it will only be seen the first time I use it (for pics here)

It will always be run inside the little insulating overcoats I'm going to make for each module. All dressed up and nowhere to go... might as well stay home and produce booze... story of my life, I guess.

I'm heartened to hear that the innards will be looked after by the booze vapour. Green is not the colour of alcohol (at least, not where I come from)

Thanks again (this site has been so helpful, I'm thinking of naming my still after it. AD Tower springs to mind.

When you're finished you'd be amazed at the difference a little citric acid and hot water makes. Absolutely sparkling after a little citric bath. It will get darker with age still but if you have copper OCD you can hit it with cheap citric acid and rinse well with hot water - shiny again.

Thanks BY,

I'll remember that when "shiny time" finally gets here. I'm bloody glad I didn't prophesy a completion date. These things take way more time to build than I thought. Maybe I should have started with a pot still.... nah, I really wouldn't have been happy with that ... ah well, back to filing solder off everything...