Been a long time since I posted on here. You know how life has it's habit of getting the way of things and all. Well, anyways, I was gearing back up to finish out a rum run i started earlier this year.
So, after starting a molasses wash yesterday, I went to go take a look at the condition of my converted pressure cooker. As I mentioned once before, after doing my first wash, the inside had this kinda greasy looking film on the inside. I tried like heck to get it off, using dawn primarily. So dummy me tossed some of that Oxy-clean crap in there. Mind you this stuff does work on somethings...but not my cooker! Turned the whole inside black as pitch!
Now I don't have the time being summer and all I belive the wash will be ready much sooner then the first one with warmer temps and all. Or the money, I got laid off from my job beginning of May, to buy another pressure cooker.
While I was working, I did manage to pick up a turky fryer with propane burner and a 1/4 barrel stainless keg. I never did finish building my reflux keg-still, my "spare cash" went towards those things..and set of tires, and my daughter needed shoes... ect.
Since I'm in a pinch about getting another boiler up and running I've got some questions about the 1/4 barrel. I noticed over at Brauhouse.com they have a clamp and o-ring for connecting 2" pipe to a standard beer keg, would this be all I need to say clamp a smallish piece of 2" cooper to, then neck that down to 1" for the column I have already built I was using on the pressure cooker? I just don't have the time, or again the money to buy a bowl and cork and stuff to go that route, I just know someone is going to suggest that... They also sell a "ferrule", in the same section, would I need that as well.
Then I start thinking, do I really need these parts anyways? Couldn't I take the 2" pipe and cut some slits in it, say about 1" long on the end, slide that over the keg opening (after the valuve has been removed) and then use a hose clamp to seal? Would I get a good seal? I'm in a pinch here, I'd replace it with a proper cork seal/stainless bowl arrangment after this run of course.
any help would be greatly appericated!
Jaxx
Pressure cooker is cooked!
Moderator: Site Moderator
Hi, Jax, sorry to hear you have lost your job. Does the black in the pressure cooker matter? It's probably an oxide that is impervious to a boiling wash. "Chemist" will have better info, though.
Your idea of fitting the pipe would work if only you could seal the slits etc. If only for one run or so, the old bread dough would do the trick I think.
How much does the pipe need to be spread to fit the keg attachment? If it is only a relatively small amount an auto muffler joint may be able to swage it enough. I did this to fit a SS pipe into a copper stub.
Good luck.
Your idea of fitting the pipe would work if only you could seal the slits etc. If only for one run or so, the old bread dough would do the trick I think.
How much does the pipe need to be spread to fit the keg attachment? If it is only a relatively small amount an auto muffler joint may be able to swage it enough. I did this to fit a SS pipe into a copper stub.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Lindsay.
Lindsay.
Thanks for your reply Linw! Can always count on you for solid advice. Honestly, I totally forgot about using bread dough. Mind you right about the time I became really busy, there was a big debate about using ATV sealant for boiler seals.
I really don't know. I know it just looks really nasty in there. And I really don't want to take the chance of ruining a batch of rum, by adding some ikky residue tastes. Not withstanding, I was going to go by Jessie's advice and use 1/3 of the spent wash as a starter for my next fermentation.
About those slits. I was thinking more along the lines of being able to compress down onto the neck of the valve stem on the keg. Cutting those slits would give the metal some place to fold in on it's self as I would tighten the hose clamp.
Sidebar: Does anyone that's worked with a keg know the o.d. of the valve stem on it? Only reason I mentioned 2" copper, is that's I had planned on using that size for a column for a reflux on the 1/2 barrel and a pot with the 1/4 barrel.
Jaxx
I really don't know. I know it just looks really nasty in there. And I really don't want to take the chance of ruining a batch of rum, by adding some ikky residue tastes. Not withstanding, I was going to go by Jessie's advice and use 1/3 of the spent wash as a starter for my next fermentation.
About those slits. I was thinking more along the lines of being able to compress down onto the neck of the valve stem on the keg. Cutting those slits would give the metal some place to fold in on it's self as I would tighten the hose clamp.
Sidebar: Does anyone that's worked with a keg know the o.d. of the valve stem on it? Only reason I mentioned 2" copper, is that's I had planned on using that size for a column for a reflux on the 1/2 barrel and a pot with the 1/4 barrel.
Jaxx
-
The Chemist
- Trainee
- Posts: 966
- Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2005 1:29 pm
- Location: Louisiana
Greasy film + Oxy-clean = black as pitch. Hmmm. Sure you don't have an old, heavy aluminum cooker? To see if it will affect your distillation pour in some high proof spirits, vodka preferably, swish it around good for about ten minutes, the taste it. If it taste right, you should be good for distilling, assuming that high-proof-cool approximates low-proof-hot.
Purposeful motion, for one so insane...
No, chemist, this was a brand new Presto brand pressure cooker I picked up at a fea market last year. Hell, it still had the warrenty card in the box and all the parts were still wraped in plastic.
I cleaned it down with dawn dish soap after I drilled out the hole to mount my flange to copper fitting. Rised well, did a test run with water to find any leaks in copper. And then sterlized with bleach before adding my wash. After running both my wash batches (had to split 5 gallons into two runs), that's when I noticed this greyish ikky stuff on the sides, above the wash line and the lid. Tried using more dawn, but it wouldn't come off. So that's when I tried the oxy-clean. This turned the whole insides black as pitch!
'k, I'll try what chemist said with some vodka, I can that really cheap. Haven't built my reflux yet, so I don't have any around. In the mean time, anyone have suggestions about the 1/4 barrel keg?
Tia,
Jaxx
I cleaned it down with dawn dish soap after I drilled out the hole to mount my flange to copper fitting. Rised well, did a test run with water to find any leaks in copper. And then sterlized with bleach before adding my wash. After running both my wash batches (had to split 5 gallons into two runs), that's when I noticed this greyish ikky stuff on the sides, above the wash line and the lid. Tried using more dawn, but it wouldn't come off. So that's when I tried the oxy-clean. This turned the whole insides black as pitch!
'k, I'll try what chemist said with some vodka, I can that really cheap. Haven't built my reflux yet, so I don't have any around. In the mean time, anyone have suggestions about the 1/4 barrel keg?
Tia,
Jaxx
-
Virginia Gentleman
- Rumrunner
- Posts: 563
- Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:51 pm
- Location: Bacon Holler
-
Guest
Sound like the acidic condition of the wash removed the protective surface oxide layer off of the pressure cooker, by using the oxiclean you introduced free oxygen to react with the fresh aluminum and produced another thicker darker oxide layer. You might want to leave it alone because that oxide layer is now relativly inert and should help prevent leaching and further reaction of the parent aluminum below. Just give a light cleaning and wipe out with cloth, do a test run and check for liquid discoloration that would indicate some leaching of the suface layer.
Furball
Furball
As I mentioned in a previous post, before I had tried the oxy-clean, below what was the spent wash line stayed nice and shiney-brand new, it was above this line that I got this greyish ikky looking stains. The underside of the lid had this as well. Mebbe it was just me, but these stains even felt greasy, as if I hadn't cleaned it properly. So now I'm confused, half of you say leave the black layer and others say hit it up with a wire drill bit. Like Travolta said as Vinny Barbarino...."I'm sooo confussseed!"
Other options.... Nobody's given me advice about the 1/4 barrel keg. I did take some measurments. The valvue stem is 2 1/2" wide so any attempt to connect 2" copper to it wouldn't work. A 10" stainless bowl would be $6 misc hardware and cork for seal another $15, which I could swing. Since I don't have the $$$ to hire a welder... I'll need a bolt, washer going through keg, then another washer, nut, then fender washer, then nut to hold fender washer down on bowl.... 2" long bolts?
On that note, I'm doing an ebay sale this sunday, to the following sunday, if all works well, I would like to convert this keg to being electric. How much would it cost approx to have a 1" copper flange welded to keg?
tia,
Jaxx
Other options.... Nobody's given me advice about the 1/4 barrel keg. I did take some measurments. The valvue stem is 2 1/2" wide so any attempt to connect 2" copper to it wouldn't work. A 10" stainless bowl would be $6 misc hardware and cork for seal another $15, which I could swing. Since I don't have the $$$ to hire a welder... I'll need a bolt, washer going through keg, then another washer, nut, then fender washer, then nut to hold fender washer down on bowl.... 2" long bolts?
On that note, I'm doing an ebay sale this sunday, to the following sunday, if all works well, I would like to convert this keg to being electric. How much would it cost approx to have a 1" copper flange welded to keg?
tia,
Jaxx
Jaxom:
Sorry you're confused there guy so let's break this down to some simple components.
You had a 'clean' still.
You used oxyclean which discolored the clean still.
You say it even feels 'greasy'.
Options:
Leave it as-is and put a run through it. It will either be OK or it won't.
Clean the still with a wire wheel. The run will be OK and no other action will be required.
Now I know what I would do but since it's not my still the choice is up to you. Either way, I wish you luck!
AkCoyote
Sorry you're confused there guy so let's break this down to some simple components.
You had a 'clean' still.
You used oxyclean which discolored the clean still.
You say it even feels 'greasy'.
Options:
Leave it as-is and put a run through it. It will either be OK or it won't.
Clean the still with a wire wheel. The run will be OK and no other action will be required.
Now I know what I would do but since it's not my still the choice is up to you. Either way, I wish you luck!
AkCoyote
-
theslak
i have an even better idea.. convert your new turkey fryer pot into a nice pot still.. just use some high heat resistant epoxy that cures completely when hardened to seal the lid on the pot then use a lead free solder to attach a fitting on the end of your copper tube instead of a flange.. then simply drill a hole just a shade smaller than that of the threads on the fitting.. wash the pot out with a little soap and hot water before hand ( new turkey fryer pots tend to have a dust on em) run the tube from it form a condenser coil yada yada you just turn the pot to screw the copper pipe into the top after pouring your wash in with a funnel.. this is how i constructed my pot still and it works great :)
P.S. MAKE SURE YOU GET HIGH HEAT RESISTANT EPOXY !!! some epoxies soften under high temps.. the kind you wanna get cures completely and are food and beverage safe :)
P.S. MAKE SURE YOU GET HIGH HEAT RESISTANT EPOXY !!! some epoxies soften under high temps.. the kind you wanna get cures completely and are food and beverage safe :)