I've been working on my stills for what seems like forever now. At one point I just didn't have the cash to do anything, but now that I can actually afford to complete these projects, I can't find someone to help me!
The main problems come with modifying my kegs. I need to have some welding work done, and the various shops I've called either a) don't do small jobs for the general public or b) don't want anything to do with my "electric beer fermentor". And all I'm looking to have done at this point is have a copper 1" adapter weld into my small keg, so I have a place to screw my electric element into! I have yet to ask about adding drain plugs, or even thinking about having bolts welded on so I can clamp a bowl down.
I think I may have found a solution, I'm just wondering what you all think of it... I mentioned my problem to some online friends, and someone suggest this stuff.....
http://durafix.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
Related to this, since I'm only looking to do one weld, I would like to use some parts that brewhaus is now selling to convert my kegs. If I were to get that NPT coupler, I need the clamp and o-ring as per thier website, but would I also need the gasket? What about the ferrules, would I need one of them too? If so, long or short?
tia,
Jaxx
Problems completing my stills
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Guest
Locate a welding supply shop/ store. Ask them for a silver bearing brazing rod with a melting point in the range of a MAPP gas torch, along with that purchase a container of stay-silv brazing flux. Clean the mating areas up, clamp into place. Thin the flux with some water and brush on to the area at the joint, apply the heat to the thickest part which will more than likely be the fitting. When the fitting reaches red heat, and the immediate area of the keg start applying the brazing rod( make sure that you have applied a coating of flux to it as well). Once you have a fair amount of metal pooled up guide it around the joint with the torch making sure it wicks into the seams. when it looks like you have it sealed remove the heat, and clean the joint when cool. Leak check the joint and repair the leaks the same way if you have any.
It is important that you use the silver bearing brazing rod, it is used to join dissimular metals. This make a very strong joint, and you don't need any fancy welding equipment.
Furball
It is important that you use the silver bearing brazing rod, it is used to join dissimular metals. This make a very strong joint, and you don't need any fancy welding equipment.
Furball
Furball or anyone that knows the answer. Was doing online research into those silver-bearing-brazing-rods. And I have two questions. The first, I wanna double check this part. What I'm attempting to do is braze a 1" copper fitting into the side of my aluminium beer keg. Will these rods work for this application?
Second question. When you speak of mapp gas, is that single cylinder with the propane type tip, or the dual mapp/oxy set-up??
tia,
Jaxx
Second question. When you speak of mapp gas, is that single cylinder with the propane type tip, or the dual mapp/oxy set-up??
tia,
Jaxx
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txbrewer
Please, stop right there and get a stainless boiler before you do anything else.
Really important here. Remove all aluminum from the path of your product. And any sort of product in a squeeze tube has no place in a still.
You really must use stainless steel or copper or glass. If it were me I'd say get a used beer keg from your nearest scrapyard. They are everywhere and cheap, if not free and are a very safe and low cost way to start. then...
do what these guys are telling you. take the time and learn how to build it.
There's lots of good advice, and experience out here. You can make it any number of ways, but there are some shortcuts that you don't need to take...
Really important here. Remove all aluminum from the path of your product. And any sort of product in a squeeze tube has no place in a still.
You really must use stainless steel or copper or glass. If it were me I'd say get a used beer keg from your nearest scrapyard. They are everywhere and cheap, if not free and are a very safe and low cost way to start. then...
do what these guys are telling you. take the time and learn how to build it.
There's lots of good advice, and experience out here. You can make it any number of ways, but there are some shortcuts that you don't need to take...
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The Chemist
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- Location: Louisiana
I haven't found a definitive answer yet, but on another forum I watch, there has been discussion about a link between aluminum (aluminium for y'all in UK countries 
) and Alzheimer's (I won't go into the story about Aluminum Rhubarbitate!). There is some info on the web about "Aluminum Alzheimer's Disease", but someone on the other forum checked with a neurologist friend who said it was bunk. Just another reason not to use aluminum, until it's decided (what about deodorent, think I'll keep using it!!).
) and Alzheimer's (I won't go into the story about Aluminum Rhubarbitate!). There is some info on the web about "Aluminum Alzheimer's Disease", but someone on the other forum checked with a neurologist friend who said it was bunk. Just another reason not to use aluminum, until it's decided (what about deodorent, think I'll keep using it!!).Purposeful motion, for one so insane...
Eventhought this is off topic, the research I've done about aluminium, it would have to get to temps nearly tripple what we use for our purposes to be of any heath concern. Mind you, next time you go to yer local grociery store, take a look in the cooking gadgets isle, why do they sell so many roasting, pie, pans made from this mental? And I won't even mention aluminium foil....
Jaxx
Jaxx
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txbrewer
There are tons of Al cookwares, and foil. good point, but Al pans aren't good for every job. acidic foods such as tomatoes can easily pit and corrode Al pans. It doesn't taste good, thats my real concern with Al. Mashes can be strongly acidic, and we know how flavors carry into a distillate... unless you are only going to make carbon filtered neutral spirits, you may have an aluminum funk in everything else 
other things that pop into my head are durability, ease of working(Al welding is not easy) no fancy tools/brazing rods(whats in that filler metal anyway?) and mainly the fact that no commercial brewers or distillers use aluminum.
I don't know, health risks?? Ive heard both sides of that arguement and don't know what to believe(would Al be carried over in the vapor?)
other things that pop into my head are durability, ease of working(Al welding is not easy) no fancy tools/brazing rods(whats in that filler metal anyway?) and mainly the fact that no commercial brewers or distillers use aluminum.
I don't know, health risks?? Ive heard both sides of that arguement and don't know what to believe(would Al be carried over in the vapor?)
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Guest
Goo ss if at all possible Jax
yeah and scroll down to bottom of page at
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow to metallurgy portion.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter6-5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow to metallurgy portion.
At the same time I the forums went amuck, I had a minor set back as well, funds I had planned on finishing my still had to go for a set of new tires! ugh...
Anywho, let's get this back online, I have two aluminium kegs. I am NOT buy different ones at this point. Someone suggested I use silver bearing brazing rods. Good, will this work with copper to aluminum, and am I to use the mapp brand gass (yellow cylinder) or the double cylinder mapp/oxy combo?
tia,
Jaxx
Anywho, let's get this back online, I have two aluminium kegs. I am NOT buy different ones at this point. Someone suggested I use silver bearing brazing rods. Good, will this work with copper to aluminum, and am I to use the mapp brand gass (yellow cylinder) or the double cylinder mapp/oxy combo?
tia,
Jaxx
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Guest
I am not sure that there is a flux out there that is compatible for handling copper/brass and aluminum. The flux is used to disolve the oxide layer on the surface of the parts and provide a wetting action for the filler. The oxide layer on aluminum is very tenatious and has a high melting point, the flux used on it is pretty reactive and may cause a change in the surface properties of the other metal your using that may hinder the wetting action required for the proper performance of the filler material.
In this case it might be benificial to make up a heavy aluminum flange, and weld or aluminum braze (using the zinc rods available) to the keg. Make a corrosponding flange out of copper for the column apparatus, and make a mechanical joint between the two. This will make it easier to get into the keg for cleaning after a run.
Furball
In this case it might be benificial to make up a heavy aluminum flange, and weld or aluminum braze (using the zinc rods available) to the keg. Make a corrosponding flange out of copper for the column apparatus, and make a mechanical joint between the two. This will make it easier to get into the keg for cleaning after a run.
Furball
I know exactly what you mean when you say you cant find a welder. I went through the same thing, call up places and it turns out they're a huge shop that dosnt do custom work (usually a recieptionist answers the phone), yet they still advertise in the yellow pages under "welders". Then when i did find a guy who did custom work (about 4 of them) they all regarded me as a terrorist or something, they didnt want to have any part in whatever nefarious experiments i was up to. One of these days i'm just going to buy my own freaking tig welder....
Anyway, i would consider going with a stainless steel keg. Like someone said, you can just call around scrap yards and see if they have any, probably cheap as heck. If you went stainless, you could just do the silver brazing. Its not much harder than soldering, just higher temperatures.
If you stick with the aluminum....the only thing i can think of is to use jb weld. Thats what i ended up doing on my still. The folks at JB weld maintain that its totally safe to use for our purposes. However, i admit that it is kind of a "Half-assed" way to do it. The jb weld isnt terribly strong, but it will work. Make up your own mind i guess.
Anyway, i would consider going with a stainless steel keg. Like someone said, you can just call around scrap yards and see if they have any, probably cheap as heck. If you went stainless, you could just do the silver brazing. Its not much harder than soldering, just higher temperatures.
If you stick with the aluminum....the only thing i can think of is to use jb weld. Thats what i ended up doing on my still. The folks at JB weld maintain that its totally safe to use for our purposes. However, i admit that it is kind of a "Half-assed" way to do it. The jb weld isnt terribly strong, but it will work. Make up your own mind i guess.
I just wrote them an email, stated i was going to be using it in a moonshine still. I didnt save the email, but they said when it's fully cured it's fine to use with methanol and ethanol. They said it's used in distilleries sometimes to patch lines. That was about it, it wasnt a very detailed email.
I'm sure it's debatable whether or not its safe to use. For our purposes, if it's debatable i'd normally just steer away with it, unless it's a last resort kind of thing (which it was in my case). Thats kind of the same thing with aluminum, it may or may not be safe, but it's probably safest to just say no to it.
But like i said...make your own mind up.
I'm sure it's debatable whether or not its safe to use. For our purposes, if it's debatable i'd normally just steer away with it, unless it's a last resort kind of thing (which it was in my case). Thats kind of the same thing with aluminum, it may or may not be safe, but it's probably safest to just say no to it.
But like i said...make your own mind up.
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Uncle Remus
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- Joined: Tue May 03, 2005 8:38 am
- Location: great white north
Why don't you go the stainless steel bowl route like I did. Get a 9 or 10 inch ss mixing bowl, cut a hole in your keg about 1 inch smaller than the bowl diameter, attach the column to the bowl and bolt the bowl to the keg. There should still be some pics kicking around in an old post. If your column is welded directly to your keg how will you load and clean out the keg?
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day and drink beer.
remus,
This isn't for the column, I'm making an electric mini pot still for rum and other goodies. The flange I'm trying to get weld in, is 1" wide female, so I can screw an electrical replacement elementment for hot water heaters.
Figure during the bitter cold winter I can keep up with the hobby, and not freeze various parts of my anatomy off in my unheated garage trying to distill off a batch for 8-12 hours.
tia,
Jaxx
This isn't for the column, I'm making an electric mini pot still for rum and other goodies. The flange I'm trying to get weld in, is 1" wide female, so I can screw an electrical replacement elementment for hot water heaters.
Figure during the bitter cold winter I can keep up with the hobby, and not freeze various parts of my anatomy off in my unheated garage trying to distill off a batch for 8-12 hours.
tia,
Jaxx