Cleaning a Worm

[RevRich]

Has anyone done it?
A few weeks after the last spirit run I noticed the tails I collected after the last cut turned cloudy and green. I suspect the worm is crusted with crud, thus the question.

My worm is 20 ft ¼” tight spiral inside a water jacket. I don’t have a snake long enough to get more than a few feet. Is there a chemical that works better than vinegar?

Could the problem be something else? If so, what?

I would appreciate any and all comments or advice.

Sincerely,
Reverend Rich

[robb]

When I want to clean my copper bright I use some backset. Vinegar works . You might try running a wire through and pull a 1/8th cord with some knots that will barely pass. You probably need to dry your worm better after use.

[jedneck]

1/4 inch is to small for a worm. It is recommended that worms are 3/8 I'd at minimum.

[bitter]

+ Jedneck and 1/2 ID is even better.

B

[Haus]

1/4 inch is to small for a worm. It is recommended that worms are 3/8 I'd at minimum.

What he said. 1/2" is even better, like Rad says "be one with the copper" and you can wrap a really nice coil around a paint can.

[BTR Kentucky]

I was thought the longer the worm, the better the taste. Telling me it takes more of your sulfies/impurities out therefore equaling better taste. What a good length of a worm? I am thinking about buying a alembic pot still.

[robb]

I believe the guys will tell you 15-20'. All the Alembic stills I've seen have a too small flake stand. That being said I recirculate 15 gal with fountain pump and works OK. Yes you need some copper either with your pot, coil or scrubbies. I would build a liebeg condenser my .02.

[BTR Kentucky]

OK, forgive me, but not sure what the flake stand is?

[BTR Kentucky]

Then you mention a liebeg condenser. Isnt that the sleeve condenser like i see on some hybred still, kind of a mixed bewteen a pot and flux still like clawhammer.com sell?

[pythonshine]

No offense BTR, but it sounds like you got some reedin to do. A flake is basically a worm in a bucket. A Liebig is a tube inside of a jacket in which cooling water is run up through the jacket and gives a nice adjustable temp gradient. Yes it is like the one on a clawhammersuppy, but it has nothing to do with reflux on a pot still. Hope this helps a bit.

[NZChris]

I was thought the longer the worm, the better the taste. Telling me it takes more of your sulfies/impurities out therefore equaling better taste.

Wrong. That happens in the still where the vapor is rising and the undesirables can fall back into the pot. For the condenser, the advantage of copper is that it is easy to work with.

[BTR Kentucky]

Thank you. Yea, lots of new terms for me to learn. But many folks who have been doing this all their life would have no clue what I was talking about if I used them. However they make the best shine I've ever tasted.

[rad14701]

Thank you. Yea, lots of new terms for me to learn. But many folks who have been doing this all their life would have no clue what I was talking about if I used them. However they make the best shine I've ever tasted.

There is a glossary kicking around here in the forums that would be worth bookmarking...

As for the OP's condenser, it sounds more like a Graham condenser which would work fine as a product condenser for a reflux column in 1/4" but too small of a diameter for a pot still...

[BTR Kentucky]

Yep, i def need to look over that glossary. Out here where i live, they run some mighty good shine, but most, like myself, are not up on some of the terminology i read on this site. Its all good though. I will catch up, count on that This site has helped me a great deal on things and corrected on things i was thought but was incorrect. Looking forward to learning and talking more with you all, and aggravating with my questions. If any of you all ever get in my area look me up. Take yall out hunting or fishing. We got a nice lake over here in my front yard, plus TONs of land that had moonshine stills all over it before the government kick them out and deemed it TVA now its a national forest service, or they control it.

[hillbillyhauler]

I don't have a worm, but have a fair bit of copper piping with 45's in it that makes cleaning a pain. I bought a couple of the brass brushes for cleaning rifles and shotguns. Had to get a couple to get the sizing right. I hammered the threaded end flat and drilled a hole in it and tied braided fishing line onto it (was the toughest thing I could think of and has a little stiffness to it). I bent the brush back and forth a bit to take the stiffness out of it when new, then pushed the fishing line through the piping and pulled the brush through. Ran it through about 3 times and the copper was shining like new.

[BTR Kentucky]

I went to talk with a guy that builds stills today, does really nice work. But on most of all his stills he makes shotgun condensers on them. I thought i was going to go with the liebig, but he recommends the shotgun. I like it better since it seems it would work the same as the liebig, but shorts which i like making it easier to store. I was worried about cleaning it though. Any suggestions on the best way to clean them kind?

[Hound Dog]

I was worried about cleaning it though. Any suggestions on the best way to clean them kind?

When I want to clean my product condunser I run vaporized ethanol through it . Figure hot 196 proof ethanol will sterilize it pretty good.

[Dalejr68]

I don't have a worm, but have a fair bit of copper piping with 45's in it that makes cleaning a pain. I bought a couple of the brass brushes for cleaning rifles and shotguns. Had to get a couple to get the sizing right. I hammered the threaded end flat and drilled a hole in it and tied braided fishing line onto it (was the toughest thing I could think of and has a little stiffness to it). I bent the brush back and forth a bit to take the stiffness out of it when new, then pushed the fishing line through the piping and pulled the brush through. Ran it through about 3 times and the copper was shining like new.

i like this idea!
thank you