304 316 stainless

[Wharf_Ratt]

I have a supply of 304 stainless but was wondering if it would do for a still?

I did look around and found many replies but none just stating it was or was not.

what would the detrimental effects be of using 304 instead of 316?

[Prairiepiss]

Either or will work fine.

[MitchyBourbon]

+1 pp.
304 contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel. 316 contains 16% chromium, 10% nickel and 2% molybdenum. The "moly" is added to help resist corrosion to chlorides (like sea water and de-icing salts). I found this on the net.

So unless you are distilling a lot of sea water, both are good for distilling alcohol.

[Swedish Pride]

Is Stainless steel 201 safe to use?
I've seen a few online and they are a fair bit cheaper than others I've seen but would want to know if safe to use before buying, also it's only 0.8mm thick, is that enough?

Appreciate any help as I have not been able to find any info on it in this forum, and I'm a bit clueless when it comes to material

[Jimbo]

Beer kegs are made of 304. As are welding spuds, stainless fittings and many other things we use here.

[Swedish Pride]

Sorry I meant to say that its a stockpot about 33l, cant really go bigger as space is very limited and can't take it out the garden as the neighbor is very nosy

[MitchyBourbon]

Have a look here and decide for your self.

http://www.nks.com/201_stainless_steel.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

We're you going to use it for mashing or turning it into a still?

[Swedish Pride]

Thanks for the input Guys.
The idea was to have it as a still, I was going to use plastic fermentation buckets.

As my endgoal is whiskey (I love me a drop of scotch or Irish whiskey, not a fan of bourbon to sweet for my pallet) I figured a Stockpot with a 1inch pipe coming off it should suffice.

Is 33l a bit on the big side for a stove top still?

I have 10l stock pot already but it has a glass lid, would that be safe to use?

Thanks again guys

[MitchyBourbon]

Glass is probably not good to use, at least not a standard glass lid. Is 33 liters too much for a stove top still? Well, that depends on the stove top I guess. You probably won't want t lo run it with more than 6 gallons or you could have puking problems. So the question is; is your stove capable of bringing to boil 6 gallons. Most I ever boiled on my stove was 4 gallons but I think it could do a little more. I will say it took a long time to get to a boil.

If you want a more accurate assessment do a Google search for how many BTU's it takes to boil 6 gallons of water and compare that with how many BTU's your stove puts out. Keep in mind an alcohol water mix boils with few BTU's. Also keep in mind that you will have some heat loss.

[liquid therapy]

I have a 10 gallon stock pot boiler and a 5 gallon thumper. Works great on the stove top. Takes around 6 hours to make a full run.