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Soft Copper

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:50 pm
by Dave73
I am about to build my first all copper still and a friend of mine has a roll of copper but it is the soft copper. I was wondering if this is ok or will it be too soft?

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:38 pm
by maheel
hey dave

do you mean sheet copper for making a pot
you could always get creative with it and make some sort of exterior support barrel around it.

or a roll of annealed copper tube for a worm etc?

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:52 pm
by Dave73
yes sheet copper my friend has a roll thats 24" wide and 20 feet long. So your saying if I build some type of support around it then I'll be fine

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:25 pm
by maheel
Dave73 wrote:yes sheet copper my friend has a roll thats 24" wide and 20 feet long. So your saying if I build some type of support around it then I'll be fine
never tried it but i reckon it would work

another issue is going to be the lid, it might bend and buckle if your putting weight onto it... so you need to consider that

but if the sheet is thin you could consider lining a wooden barrel with it and "fold" the seams and solder from inside
fit the ends and fold the seams and solder... etc etc
support the column output with a frame above etc

do able but challenging, but if i had to i would....


if you want easy i would say go get a keg if you think it's to hard, i would just get a keg....

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:18 pm
by mash rookie
Dave73 wrote:yes sheet copper my friend has a roll thats 24" wide and 20 feet long. So your saying if I build some type of support around it then I'll be fine
Hi Dave. Welcome aboard. The answer is that it depends on the thickness gauge of the copper. You probably wont need support. Soft annealed copper you will have to be careful while working so you don’t beat it up too much. The more you work with it the stiffer it will become. Copper work hardens. You could have it bead blasted to temper it if you wanted. I would just handle it carefully and build your pot. It will get stiffer over time as it is handled. Even a light gauge copper could last you a lifetime done correctly.

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:14 am
by Dave73
Thanks for the info. I've been using a keg ansd stainless for a long time now and just wanted to build an all copper still my grandfather gave me a design for one before he died and I would like to build it and put it to work lol

Re: Soft Copper

Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 12:49 am
by buckwild1
i was looking at doing this too. I was thinking of work hardening the copper through a roller system before trying to make the pot and lid first. IDK if it wll harden it enough though