Mud of otter

[Alchemist75]

Of course we're all familiar with the classic method of using flour paste to seal up our stills but if you read some of the older texts that discuss distillation you may run across some exotic mixtures that have proven to be effective as well. Historically it has been referred to as lute, luto (Latin for mud) or charmingly "otters mud". The compositions of otters mud varied depending upon what you were distilling. The following is an excerpt from John French's "art of distillation"

"The best lute is made thus. Take of loam and sand tempered with salt water (which keeps it from cleaving). To these add the caput mortuary of vitriol or aqua fortis, and scalings of iron, and temper them well together. This serves to coat retorts or any glass vessels that must endure a most strong fire, and will never fail if well made. Some add flax, beaten glass, and pots and flints, etc.
Take unslaked lime and linseed oil. Mix them well together and make thereof a lute which will be so hard that no spirit will pierce it, and this serves for the closure of glasses.
Or, moisten an ox bladder in the white of an egg beaten to water, or in defect of a bladder, use paper and bind them round where the vessels are joined together, one over another two or three times.
Or, if the spirits in the glass be exceedingly corrosive, then use the caput mortuary of aqua fortis, linseed oil, and chalk mixed together.
If a glass be cracked, then wet a linen cloth in the white of an egg beaten to water, and lay upon it, an upon that presently while it is wet, sift some unslaked lime and press it close with your hand. When that is dry, lay on another cloth thus wet as before and on it sift more lime."

Kinda cool old stuff. I might try fooling around with mixtures inspired by this. I wonder if you couldn't get a better seal by mixing egg whites with flour paste, applying it to a strip of cloth and wrapping pipe joints with it. maybe use ethanol congealed mucilage from slippery elm or marshmallow. Some organic resins specially prepared might be a possibility too. What I would like to figure out is a method for making a quick setting mixture, something that will dry quickly and form a good seal. I've had a couple failures due to incompletely dried flour paste in the past, one of them was catastrophic. That's why I stopped trying to use it. I may play around with some recipes and if I find one that screams I'll share it on these forums.

[fizzix]

You find some shit, Alchemist.

[Alchemist75]

I like old books, you come across some crazy stuff. Did you know that Avicenna accurately described plate tectonics some time back in the 1100's? I love shit like that.

[Alchemist75]

Excuse me, it was the 1000's

[Big Smith Papaw]

Alchemist I know you said you have had trouble with the flour but I have come to find a night and day difference between a normal all-purpose flour and wheat flour. I constantly have to reapply and layer regular flour as well. Ever since I swapped to the wheat, mix it just a touch dry where it won't stick to my hands that bad, haven't had a seal break yet. I'm very intrigued about the egg whites though.

[Alchemist75]

Yeah, I've messed with mixtures of white flour, sugar and even once I put a little Elmer's glue in the mixture. I think the Elmer's mix actually took if I recall correctly. That was some years back. I think adding egg whites would be similar.

[Kareltje]

Linseed oil, especially boiled, mixed with chalk is used as putty in glazing. In time it becomes very hard.

I do not know about eggs, but I use wheat flour with oat flakes mixed together with some water. Works well.

[8Ball]

I use organic rye flour and water. Works great. Keeps in a plastic container for months in the frig. It grows mold, but I just dig some out from under it and seal the joints as things are heating up. Use a brass brush to clean it off, then rinse and wipe.

8B

[shadylane]

Cotton cloth or yarn saturated with paste works
Baling wire and strips cut from an old inner tube works better

[Yonder]

My votes is for rye flour and water. Hard as a rock and smells nice, too.