Old Essencia distilling lhead

[Jompie]

Good Morning Guys,
Finally retired and back after many years. I was given an old Blue painted Essencia still in bits and pieces. The 25 litre bucket looks in mint condition, it even has a plate in the bottom covering the heating element. The still head and hoses are a total mess. Inside the main tube I pulled out some copper looking mesh that has fallen apart. It has a stainless 3mm cross looking contraption sliding up and down the main tube. This tube looks pretty shitty. Any advise on how to clean up the inside and how much copper mesh to fit in. I read that it suppose to have mesh above and below the Stainless cross piece. Is copper mesh better than stainless? A last question. It has a special rubber looking gadget on the 10mm intake hose where a plain garden hose just slips into. Are these little units still available. The local brew shop has the little rubber fittings available but without the plastic 10mm barb fitting. They don't know much about the Essencia stills at all. Hopefully somebody on this Forum can help me out! Thank you in advance.

[TheRealMrMessy]

Gday Jompie!
Get yourself some citric acid, make a solution in a bucket and give everything a good scrub and soak. About 50gm/L would be plenty strong (5% solution). Should clean the stainless right up - and give a good go at the copper stuff, too. Warm water. Gloves recommended but I've never found necessary. Don't get it in your eyes.

As to the rest, pictures would help. You always want some copper in the still somewhere to remove sulphites. Hoses are easily replaced. Bits and pieces see the pictures comment :handgestures-thumbupleft: .

[Jompie]

Thank you for your advise!!!

[The Stig]

Yes copper mesh is way better than stainless .

[Stillsmith]

It doesn't take much copper as long as there is some in the vapour path. my distilling buddy has a 4" Glasser with copper bubble caps, i have an entire 4" copper column still.

his product is the same as mine. (its good cuts and time on oak that makes the difference)

[Moonshiner2743]

The Essencia Express Still (blue coated copper) is designed to run perfectly with Essencia Packing Set mesh. It is a copper alloy that lasts longer than copper but performs like copper mesh. It’s also made to be the right density inside the condenser. Comes with instructions on how to pack it. You can get it at home brew shops.

[The Stig]

Is that still even made any more ? Haven’t seen one for years .
Oh and it’s customary to drop into the welcome centre to say hi and let us know a little about you and where your heading