So I pretty much always have 2 or 3 stills I want to build waiting on discretionary funding. I got to thinking about cheaper ways to build stainless bits but had some questions. Standard sanitary pipes are awesome convenient, but some details just don't seem necessary to our application.
1. Mill finish vs. Polished. Several suppliers of sanitary gear offer this, though usually in weld pipe not premade spools. Savings is about 17-20% from one supplier. Do we really need a smooth polish in a column or potstill? In a sanitary pipe it's all about not having crevices for shit to grow, but that's not really a problem we have in stills!
2. Thickness. Standard sanitary spools are 16 gauge, the mill finish tubes are available in 18 gauge. Is it sufficient? Savings for a mill finish 18 gauge 3"x4' tube over a polished 18 gauge tube is 26%. Is 18 gauge strong enough?
3. What about exhaust pipe? 304 stainless 3"x4' 16 gauge exhaust pipe at eBay prices is 31% less than a standard polished pipe. Any concerns here? Pretty sure this bottom of the barrel chinese no quality control bla bla, but is it good enough?
I've got a few construction ideas I'll follow up on using weld pipe over spools, but gotta run. Anybody have thoughts on these materials?
Alternatives to standard SS spools
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