What's In Your Still?

[Almanac]

I recently decided to include some Copper Mesh in my Airstill on a spirit run. The still charge was at 30%abv from a standard VS wash and here's the result;


As you can see the mesh that was in the still for one 4lt spirit run has a gritty green deposit on and I've no idea what it is but I'm mighty glad its on the Copper and not in my drink. LOL

AM

[mozr]

Hi Aidan.

I'm sure your imagination was sparked by Bills thread here.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=803

I have cut some unused copper pipe into small 'wedding band' sized rings, and am in the process of giving them a good clean (wire wool, boiling, citric acid).

As soon as I get finished they will be going into the still to test.

So at the moment I am still using the diddy boil enhancers.

Continuing this idea I am wondering what an air still would be like with a copper condensing tube, as opposed to the stainless steel one installed?

Does copper strip the nasty sulphates out in liquid form, or is it more efficient when the alcohol is vapour?

[billmcc]

Aidan it will discolour in both wash and spirit as it removes sulfur-based compounds from the alcohol that would make it unpleasant to drink. (copied from wiki)
cheers

[Admiral Toad]

Must admit guys only clean ceramic and copper saddles every few runs but give a splash of steriliser and steam it every time till it smells clean
No doubt copper takes some impurities out but considering most distillery stils are copper can't see them cleaning the worm after every wash
Maybe the crud the copper collects is also what the carbon filtering takes out ??

[i dont drink]

i wash and boil the saddles before every run and boil the copper in citric too. then i take a bottle brush and dip it in the citric and wash the inside of the column and boy does that come out a yucky brown colour!

you'd be surprised how mucky the inside of the column gets.

al.

[Admiral Toad]

Fair comment Al like I say when I stripped still not that much crud on inside of stainless reflex column or indeed on the copper cooling coil
Personal choices but I think a good flush boil and sniff gives a good feel for if its building up nasties plus a couple of filter passes if you like on the product
Like I say Scottish distilleries don't as far as I know scrub between runs and their wash is REALLY murky
Just thoughts and ponderings

[Capt-Cudellez]

Aidan - how long after the run was that photo taken? The copper foil at the top of my column at the end of a run (I can sneak a peek through the gate valve when I remove the condenser) is shiny. by the time I go to use it again, its all dull and oxidised.

I don't collect tails, so its still high proof that is in contact by the time I finish. I know when stripping, the copper seems to go darker very quickly - perhaps this is because I run down to 15% and would be like what happens in the air still?

I very rarely clean the cooper foil from the top of the VM - I just don't think it needs it, and the stainless scrubbies show no sign of any discolouration - I just flush the column with water to stop the tails stink.

The copper bits I use when stripping, I clean in the hot backset - its the best cleaner for copper I have ever seen.

When I ran the T500, the ceramic saddles needed cleaning (a lot) the stainless scrubbies are great. Soon to be upgraded to stainless SPP (but that is for another thread)

[Capt-Cudellez]

The green deposit will surly be some sort of oxide? As for the blackening, I dunno? But it looks very like other packing I have seen posted else where, so I guess is par for the course.
The best thing i have found for cleaning copper is the hot backset from the strip, comes up like new and is almost free.

[mozr]

I have been toying with the idea of using copper mesh suspended above the liquid in my air still.

That way the vapour is passing though mesh, without having to leave it submerged in the bottom.

Whether I could invent a basket or attach it to the lid I don't know.

The problem with the basket would be if I needed to create a lip to hold it above the pot I might cause an issue with the seal.

Hmmm.

[Almanac]

I decided to further test this with my spirits by adding a piece of copper mesh to my Heads jar - approx 78-80%ABV but after 12 days this is how it looks;

Clean as the day it went in!

I did the same with a sample of stripped wash at 30%ABV from an EC1118 wash and after 12 days?

Same clean result.

I then took the sample of stripped EC1118 wash along with its copper mesh and heated it to near boiling and this was the result;


If you click on those pics you'll see that the copper mesh, while black in colour, still has a shine indicating that whatever the deposit is it's extremely light.

When dipped into a Citric Acid solution the mesh more or less returned to its original colour proving that it wasn't just a discolouration of the metal due to heat.

Conclusion? Copper Mesh removes substances from a VS wash during distillation and these substances don't appear to be present in non-turbo wash made with wine yeast and nutrient.

I'm using copper mesh in every stripping run when I use VS in future cause even if I don't know exactly what that green stuff is I doon't fancy it in my drink.

AM

[mikepiet]

Hi Aidanmac,

Just wondering if you had done any further testing on this cotton mesh-Air Still idea, since the last post here. Would be interested in your results if you had as I was thinking of playing with this a bit myself in my air still.

Thanks for any info.

All the best,

Mike P

[Icefever]

Hi Aidanmac,
Just wondering if you had done any further testing on this cotton mesh-Air Still idea, since the last post here. Would be interested in your results if you had.

---------------------------------
Nice find Mikepiet...it payes to bump a good post like this. It's got me thinking as I've got plenty of off cuts of 15mm/10mm & 8mm.
---------------------------------

I have cut some unused copper pipe into small 'wedding band' sized rings, and am in the process of giving them a good clean (wire wool, boiling, citric acid).

---------------------------------
If cutting out about 10/12 "wedding ring" is going to improve the out come from a run I'm all for it.

[Spudnik1954]

I tried the copper scrubbers in a Rum run and I found that it tasted funny like something came off the scrubbers. I used store bought copper ones if that makes a difference. I now use a bundled lenght of copper electricians wire fashioned to go the full length od my collum it seems to work great.
I think this might be better in another thread but I am having problemswith high trmps on spirit runs. I ususlly do not grt any product ouy of the condenser until 78- 80 Degrees which by all accounts seems rarther high. the end result to me seems fine but it could always be better. Any hints would be appreciated. I'm useing a T500 and use both turbo and Rum and molasses washed but I find the Rum ones take awhile they are hard for them to ferment out. Feel free to pounce on my mistakes. Only way You can learn. Does anyway know what the cost of the thermometer is for the 5o I don't think mine ie reading correctly.

Would love to plc

[billmcc]

Hi spud if the 78-80 deg c is at the top of your column then thats spot on.as regard the copper scrubbers most shop bought ones are copper coated and not suitable,best way to tell is do a magnet test
cheers
Check here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksi ... &_from=R40

[Icefever]

They say there's no daft questions, but I may have one... what's wrong with just dropping a copper pan scourer into a airstill??? won't that work the same??