StillSmart

Hi mate for the air still i use a piece of copper wire threaded through the condenser and a spiral of this wire circled in the lid in the vapour path and it works a treat.i also use copper split washers in the still
Cheers

billmcc wrote:Hi mate for the air still i use a piece of copper wire threaded through the condenser and a spiral of this wire circled in the lid in the vapour path and it works a treat.i also use copper split washers in the still
Cheers

Ah, yes that sounds like a plan Bill.......

I mean, I don't know why it's an issue, as all my air still batches have come out fine. I suppose its just a fixation that I should have some in there somewhere - especially as I've been using a couple of the packs of Alcotec 48 (not sure why I got them, as I'm more than happy with vodka star)......

Hey ho.......

billmcc wrote:Hi mate for the air still i use a piece of copper wire threaded through the condenser and a spiral of this wire circled in the lid in the vapour path and it works a treat.i also use copper split washers in the still
Cheers

Spooky. I was only thinking the other day of that would work.

Not spooky really, If you search the threads hard enough you'll find a discussion, from a few years back, in which this very matter was discussed and explored. Some managed to get a wire passed through the tiny coil and some, like me, gave up in frustration.

A bit like the monkeys and typewriters thing, we're all bound to get there in the end I ended up suspending a pad of copper mesh inside the lid, held in place with very fine copper wire

AM

But does it make any difference?

Those who know a lot more about this science stuff than I do say it removes harmful/unwanted Sulphides from the distillate.

The copper mesh I use in my stripping riser now goes in clean but comes out a very dark grungy colour after a strip run. However, after doing a distilled water run it comes out as clean and sparkly as it went in. So I just accept it's doing something good.

AM

Here's my tuppence- worth as a newbie.. Last spirit run I did, I bashed four or five copper pipe connectors with a hammer and chucked them in my AirStill. They came out quite discoloured; I cleaned then in a citric acid solution and they came out very shiny.

If I remember my basic chemistry, copper loves sulphur, so I think there was a sulphide reaction going on in the run - the acid wash reduced the salt back to pure metal.

Either way, the neutral tastes and smells a lot bette than the previous batch, so my copper stays in!

Welcome aboard the Copper train.
Lots of us find our way here eventually.

Robert.

I always use it in the wash I wonder if adding it to the vapour path will make a difference?

I will run a side by side on the same wash In the next few days.

Can anyone recommend a source of good quality soft copper wire? 1mm twin & earth ??

mashy wrote:I always use it in the wash I wonder if adding it to the vapour path will make a difference?

I will run a side by side on the same wash In the next few days.

Can anyone recommend a source of good quality soft copper wire? 1mm twin & earth ??

Very easy to strip the earth from that,at whatever length,IME much harder to strip the insulation from the live and neutral,but doable in short sections.

Robert.