What thickness of copper to use?

[bentvalve]

Hi, I'm finally moving along with my project. It is going to be a gal pot still with a thumper keg and worm. I am down to buying the copper sheet. I'm not sure what guage or thickness to get. I have seen 18 here locally but, I think I could get thicker if need be. Toss some suggestions, I'm game. ThAnks for ur time. Don

[bearriver]

I wouldn't go with anything less than 5 gallons so that cuts will be reasonably definitive. Smaller stills will make cuts more difficult. Common wisdom here tossed around suggests a 5 gal min. Where as a thumper should be at least 1/3 that size.

As far as thickness, I'm not sure. Ive seen 18ga used before, so I would think that would work great. It depends on the size of still you are building I know that much. Won't be long before someone chimes in with solid advice there.

[bentvalve]

Sorry, I meant to put 20 gallon pot...I kinda figured 18-20.. Thanks

[Bushman]

PM Corene1, she has a post I believe that details the build and what gauge to use. Some also use a thicker gauge for the base. I believe in Pintoshines plans he uses 0.032 in 4' x 8' sheets and 0.048 for larger builds.

[Twinrivers]

Copper is gauged by weight as well as thickness unlike other sheet metal. Aluminum at .032 is 20 ga. Copper however is gauged by ounces per square foot. Depending on the place where you are buying, check these links and make for certain that you are getting what you want. Some sellers will call their numbers on gauging instead of ounces per square foot and you will end up with a thinner sheet than you intended. Hope this helps. I got burned on eBay when I bought some for my thumper and it was a little thin. Hope this helps

http://www.alascop.com/pdf/sheet_gauge_charts.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
http://www.sheetmetalguy.com/sheet_meta ... _chart.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[corene1]

Most metal supply companies sell copper using the ounce per square foot system. I have built a few pots and I would recommend no less than 20 ounce for the sides and 48 ounce for the bottom if it is to be gas fired for a 20 gallon pot. Electric element could use 20 ounce throughout. I would recommend some type of mechanical fasteners to add durability and ease of soldering on the big joints. I use a flat lock seam on the boiler and make a lip on the bottom and the lid with rivets for durability. I am guessing that the boiler will be in the neighborhood of 18 inches in diameter and 20 inches tall and as you heat it to solder temperature it will want to crawl around a bit. If you make a lip on the bottom , turn it lip down, it will make riveting easier and it will help hold the heat under the pot if it is gas fired. Personally I use 24 ounce for the sides and 48 for the bottoms but I like it strong and have a friend at the metal supply company which is a big plus.

[Usge]

For what it's worth, back when Pint posted PDF templates for copper sheet to build a traditional copper 6 - 12gal pot still ....the guys were using 20 gauge .032 copper. It's a tradeoff between just how thick it is and how easy it is to work. Not sure what the oz rating of that is. But here's a link to a place that has it...and they have free ground shipping as well to lower 48. http://www.quickshipmetals.com/copper/c ... e-032.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[corene1]

Here, this may help. There is only 19 and 21 gauge in copper it shows the ounce equivalent. .032 is equal to 24 ounce according to the chart.

copper chart.jpg

[moosemilk]

I went 16oz on my 12 gallon, propane burner for heat, no problem. Although I would go heavier, at least for the base, if (when) I do it again.

[greasydog26]

https://www.guttersupply.com/p-Copper-Sheet.gstml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Cheapest place to get copper shipped...

[Warrior Chief]

I'm a new guy. I've decided to build a pot still and am using 0.0431" thick (32 oz) 18 ga. copper. I have order a 3x10 sheet and expect it to arrive by Feb 10, 2015. I went this route because I wanted to try to disperse the heat in the pan better and to lose less heat from the sides of the pot (as might happen with thinner copper).

The size of my still is: 22" tall x 15" diameter. Total volume is 18 gallons and I expect the fill depth to be roughly 13" leaving a fill volume of 9.94 gallons of mash.

The thicker copper will be a little harder to work with but patience will have to be my focus. I will form the bottom pan by hand and that will be a fairly long process.

Good luck and I hope you keep us posted on your decision and progress.

[Warrior Chief]

I decided on 0.043" (18 ga / 32 oz) copper. It arrived yesterday (February 6, 2015). I cut out the forms for the still pan, pot, and cape today. Will begin forming the pan soon. I cut that stuff with tin snips. I don't have nibblers and I was not about to try a jig saw. I've had blisters before & I'll live. I'm curious as to how much this thing will weigh when done. Pot is 22' tall (not including the cap) and the base is 15" diameter.

[corene1]

If you are going to form a lip on that bottom, try annealing it first , that will make it easier to form.

[Warrior Chief]

Yep corene1. I did exactly that.

[Warrior Chief]

I am using 0.043" (32 oz / 18 ga) copper. You can see the finished pan, a stretching jig to snug the pot walls to the inside lip of the pan, and what it looks like from the inside and outside of the pot.

Hound Dog and MichiganCornhusker provided some helpful ideas - thanks folks!

I need to get my rivets in and then I can finish fitting the pot to the pan and get it riveted and soldered place.

[Warrior Chief]

I'm satisfied with the 18ga (0.043") copper I chose. A little tough to work with but not terrible. If I could have gotten a small piece I would have made the pan 0.050" thick.

As I get ready to do more work with the cap today I have bee thinking about using a 55 gallon drum as a wrap for the still while the mash is cooking. I would like to trap the heat for efficiency and that would also help me regulate the temperature better since I will be doing all my cooking outside.

Of course I will need to have vents (dampers of sorts) so the air can flow around the heat source to pull it up around the pot and exhaust out near the top.

Here are two shots of the first forming of the cap.