brass fittings in still - yea or nay?

[Rebel Gray]

i have read here that copper and stainless or okay, but aluminum is a big no. What about brass? One brass fitting (if safe) would eliminate the need for soldering in my design (my first, learning as I go).

[aquavita]

I would imagine that it entirely depends on the brass used.

Is it safe for this application - plain ol NSF safe may not be safe in a stills environment with the various alcohols that are produced - potential to leach things into the vapor path that would never cross over with just plain H2O.

I have some brass easy flanges that I am waiting for testing before using. Even if they are "ok" I will still pickle the brass to help with safety.

[Coyote]

You would need to pickle them for safety sake

Coyote

[rad14701]

Older brass contained more lead than newer specifications dictate but minute amounts of lead are still permissible... When in doubt just just a lead based paint test kit to check for the presence of lead... Or, if you are paranoid, avoid any use of brass... I, persoanlly, probably got a lot more lead when I was younger than I'll ever come into contact with during the balance of my life... I used to play with lead - and mercury...

Hmmm...??? That might explain a lot about me...!!!

[PhatFil]

As Im in a very similar situation looking at a 15mm brass compression coupler to connect my condenser to my pot head build, ive been looking into this and so far have concluded....

If in the EU or US and are buying brass fittings for potable water and not gas supply, then it should be fine, depending on the age of the stock.

Pickling is a tricky job as if left too long it can result in more lead being exposed and a worsening rather than bettering of the situation. the idea is an acid will leach out the lead before the other constituents, but they too are susceptible to acid erosion which can expose more lead. the colour of the pickling solution will tell u when its happened, so strength of solution and time to expose can be crucial.

a more copper bottomed approach may be to tin the brass surface coming in contact with the product with a silver or lead free solder?

Or with a blacksmith drill bit the same size as your tube or a shade larger, u can drill out the inner tube stops allowing you to butt the 2 tube lengths being joined up against each other, and perhaps with a silicone or ptfe oring between them seal without any brass exposure?

a diy pfte o ring can be made by loosely wrapping it around a smaller tube with a spacer, remove the spacer and then roll the tape wrap off the end of the tube.

[Rebel Gray]

my tubing is one straight run; the brass fitting is what I need to connect to the pot head/lid. In looking at the brass fittings on-line, I did notice some were listed as "lead free", but wanted to ask here for opinions from knowledgeable folks.

[PhatFil]

what size fittings, u can get threaded copper bits, we call em 'adaptors' here in the uk

http://www.jtmplumbing.co.uk/end-feed-f ... r-6090.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

to fix u can source a suitable SS locknut n ss washers to pack if needed...

[Hound Dog]

In your original post you were just trying to avoid soldering. If you are concerned about brass, why not just solder? A cheap torch will run $10-$15. It's easy to do. Besides, when you get tired of the little still not making enough, you will need a torch to build a bigger better one.

[cob]

?????.... nearly every brass fitting made has a stainless counterpart, most suppliers that sell brass sell stainless,
the price of stainless is close enough to brass to not be an issue. find stainless instead of brass = no brass issues.

[tonypay]

sorry newbe question are the new brass lead free fitting safe to use in pot still??

[rad14701]

sorry newbe question are the new brass lead free fitting safe to use in pot still??

Yes... The allowable amount of lead in new brass is low, but not completely nonexistent...

[Hound Dog]

sorry newbe question are the new brass lead free fitting safe to use in pot still??

LOL! Whole can of worms with some guys but I say yes, it is safe. The amount of lead is way way less than I get from handling everyday items like ammo and stuff.

[T-Pee]

sorry newbe question are the new brass lead free fitting safe to use in pot still??

The amount of lead is way way less than I get from handling everyday items like ammo and stuff.

Boy howdy ain't that the truth?

tp

[stevenun]

I used to build electronics in my youth. Holding solder (the good old fashioned lead based stuff for circuits) in my mouth was nothing. I even would cut off lengths by biting it. Being near sighted I would hover right over it while soldering, breathing in those fumes.

I'm not worried about what may or may not leach out of a brass fitting... I'm sure I've had much worse.

[rad14701]

I used to build electronics in my youth. Holding solder (the good old fashioned lead based stuff for circuits) in my mouth was nothing. I even would cut off lengths by biting it. Being near sighted I would hover right over it while soldering, breathing in those fumes.

I'm not worried about what may or may not leach out of a brass fitting... I'm sure I've had much worse.

I did the same... Also played with lead, melted lead for castings, bit down on lead sinkers to set them on fishing line, and who know what else... But I still pickle my brass and then don't give lead another thought...

That being said, one of our registered members almost died of what may have been lead poisoning a few years ago... There's a topic about it around here, somewhere...

[Hound Dog]

Yea, ever play with mercury out of old thermometers an thermostats when you were a kid? The EPA police would beat you senseless with nightsticks for doing that now. You might get tazered!

[pfshine]

Dont tazer me bro!!! The amount of lead in those fittings is so little its laughable. Pretty much if you made a lead still and then ate it, it might cause some problems but in the quantities of a fitting its dang near nothing. I tell you what the lead "poisoning" i got from iraq im sure is more harmful tan a fitting, hurt more too.