Copper corrosion

[Boomgate]

Hey guys, I thought copper corrosion was green.... I have this orangy rust around the base of my column, which is copper ...

I want to remove it, I guess I will sand paper it, any other suggestions and the cause of it would be greatly appreciated.

[Boomgate]

it extends about 4cm up the column... have mostly cleaned it out now, although hard to completely remove...

[The Stig]

What is that part screwing into ? What metal ?

[Boomgate]

What is that part screwing into ? What metal ?

More copper, checked it all with a magnet to make sure nothing is plated too...

[The Stig]

This section looks to be brass, are you sure the other section is copper and not brass to match the part circled ?

[Boomgate]

This section looks to be brass, are you sure the other section is copper and not brass to match the part circled ?

Actually, you are right, I assumed it was all copper, but it must be brass... Still shouldnt rust though.... I have checked the packing, which is SS, cant see any rust on that...

[RC Al]

Ill skip the brass lecture for tonight....


from the interwebs

"Safe corrosion will occur if the brass has been kept clean and dry. If it is brownish or black this will be due to oxidization of the copper which occurs when exposed to air; this a natural phenomenon and is non-destructive. This is usually called "tarnish" and can be removed by careful cleaning and polishing."

[Tesla101]

Probably not something I want in my drink.

I came across this article some time ago about ethyl carbamate and thought it was interesting:

https://distilling.com/distillermagazin ... sly-again/

You need to read the whole article to get the full context, but here's a few quotes...

Ethyl carbamate (EC), also known as urethane, is a compound found in fermented foods and beverages. It’s an ester of carbamic acid. It’s also a known carcinogen (cue ominous-sounding music), making it an important compound to know and understand in your distillery.

In barley, the primary precursor is a glycosidic nitrile (GN) known as epiheterodentrin (EPH). EPH falls into a family of compounds called “cyanogenic glycosides.” Parse that out and what you have is a sugar (glycoside) attached to a cyanide-based compound (cyanogenic). (Now I realize the word “cyanide” just made things a whole lot scarier here, but hold onto your britches. It’s all going to be OK.) EPH is measured as a cyanide equivalent.

Studies have shown that EC formation from cyanide requires three things: ethanol, heat and copper. Sounds an awful lot like the inside of a still, doesn’t it? Heat causes the reaction between ethanol and cyanide to take place while copper acts as a catalyst. This reaction doesn’t seem to take place in stainless steel stills.

I'm not here to scare the bejesus out of anyone, but it's worth pondering.

[Boomgate]

Probably not something I want in my drink.

I came across this article some time ago about ethyl carbamate and thought it was interesting:

https://distilling.com/distillermagazin ... sly-again/

Thanks! Great find.

Yeah definitely not something I want in my drink either.... Even it was something as simple as Iron Oxide (metal rust) I wouldn't want it in my drink. So I have cleaned it really well. Science is amazing.