solder cleanup

[stillvodka]

Hello

Anybody know of a way to clean up solder that has spilt out of a joint or down the side of your copper still, flux has ran down and the solder has followed and stuck solid making your boiler messy
really i dont want to reheat for fear of loosening any near by joints

[still_stirrin]

It’s like tryin’ to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear...you kinda’ need to lower your standards. If you don’t want to melt the solder and wipe it off, then you should have been more careful when you made the solder joint. The easiest way to not have to clean excess solder off is to not put it there to begin with.

But you’ve got what you’ve got. You can try to sand it off with a file or emory cloth. A dremel may make it easier to reduce the size of the drips to where you can sand the rest off.

You can try to clean it off but I doubt the solder drips will affect the flavor of your spirits. And I would bet that anybody who samples your liquor wouldn’t care how clean and polished the still is....only what the booze looks and tastes like. Don’t lose too much sleep fretting about it.
ss

[NZChris]

If my bad soldering is likely to annoy me, I save myself the agro and leaks, etc., by getting a professional to weld it.

[stillvodka]

It’s like tryin’ to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear...you kinda’ need to lower your standards. If you don’t want to melt the solder and wipe it off, then you should have been more careful when you made the solder joint. The easiest way to not have to clean excess solder off is to not put it there to begin with.

But you’ve got what you’ve got. You can try to sand it off with a file or emory cloth. A dremel may make it easier to reduce the size of the drips to where you can sand the rest off.

You can try to clean it off but I doubt the solder drips will affect the flavor of your spirits. And I would bet that anybody who samples your liquor wouldn’t care how clean and polished the still is....only what the booze looks and tastes like. Don’t lose too much sleep fretting about it.
ss

Alright then, thanks for putting it to me straight! I think appreciate it , not sure if i was getting barked at though, but never mind I got the message

[Yummyrum]

I've built a fair few stills over the last few years . My soldering has got a lot better but every joint will have a little that flows out with the flux . Filing is the key .But I find if you just file in a flat sorta motion you will end up with a bad cleanup . Trick is to rotate in small twisting movements the piece as you move the file across it . This way you evenly reduce the blob / smear of solder and avoid going too far and filing into your copper .

Depending on the size of the blob , I might start with a Bastard file to roughly take it down then switch to a finer crosscut file to finish off with .....always with a twisting motion .
Then when all the solder is gone I go over the whole thing with a staino scrubber . They are excellent at blending in the filed area so you wouldn't ever know you'd been at it with a file . I tried sand papers but found it not as effective as a file and scrubbers .

Having said that sand paper still has its place .Its often a case of if one method isn't doing it for you try the other . Either way , all soldered joints can clean up really well if you want so take pride of your work . And sure it won't make the booze taste any better .....but it's nice to look at while it's coming

[Saltbush Bill]

A small chainsaw file is also a handy tool in the still builders kit ....you can get in really close to joins with one and tidy them up.

[stillvodka]

Thanks Yummyrum
I'll have ago at that

if I am going to build something , I do like to try my hardest to make a clean and presentable job of it, on this occasion things went abit wrong , down to me trying out a different burner, with different gas, it burnt hotter alot faster than my old burner, I got caught off guard

Maybe I should of explained this in my first post still_stirring

[Hoosier Shine9]

Just a tidbit here.......
if you take a pencil (the BIG carpenters pencils work well on a large piece) and draw a line on the metal it will stop the flow of solder.
The Carbon/graphite acts as an anti-flux.

use it all the time when silver soldering or gold soldering

[Mr Sippy]

Good tip on the pencil. I used 2 bottles of white out as an anti-flux on my still and accessories. And still did a lot of cleanup.

The dremel was futile with abrasive grinding wheels. They clog quickly. Even the diamond dust ones.

A small chainsaw file is also a handy tool in the still builders kit

. This is what I used most. Its the double cut that makes it effective. I used round, square and flat files- all double cut.

Save the emery cloth for final removal.

[Hoosier Shine9]

another tip......
one of the reasons for the grinding wheel or stone clogging is the flux.
Boil some water then add either borax laundry soap or dish soap then pour on the solder joint, use a stiff scrub brush. it will remove the flux before trying to grind.

[WIski]

Yup, start with files of varying shapes and sizes that fit the contour of the object being cleaned. Then use emery or steel wool to blend the scratches out. If you want to spend the time you can get your solder to be virtually invisible in your joints. Some folks do, some folks don't. Its a matter of preference and wont affect performance of your rig either way. Some great advise above. I don't understand the bashing though. YMMV

[OtisT]

+1 on using files for the bulk of solder cleanup. I use a nice sharp and flat fine file with a square edge for most cleanups. Need to make sure the file surface is clear of material and to work it slowly in one direction only. I.e. don’t run the file back and fourth. Sometimes I will put some tape on the surrounding surfaces to protect clean copper surfaces in case I get sloppy, and with the tape I can feel if the file is starting to work the wrong spot. Most of this work is done by feel.

Once your down to a flat surface any remaining solder color on the copper can be buffed out with scotchbright type pads, by hand or with a rotary tool.

I file my equipment down then buff to make smooth, but I don’t mind leaving a little solder showing.

Otis

[Danespirit]

+1 on what the guys wrote.

I'm afraid mechanical work is the only way to remove unwanted solder. Unfortunately, you won't be able to fully remove ALL solder. Some of it will still stick to the copper.
A tip for future solder jobs:
If you don't want a nearby solder joint to get heated up and become loose, use a wet rag to wrap around it.
Even better if you can fill the inside with water. No soldered joint will become unsoldered if the back of it is covered with liquid.
It's also the reason why a still won't unsolder itself when operated over an open flame...the still charge protects it from doing so.

[StillerBoy]

Boil some water then add either borax laundry soap or dish soap then pour on the solder joint, use a stiff scrub brush. it will remove the flux before trying to grind.

This tip is the most valuable in cleaning.. don't wash with soap, and file gets all gummed up.. also, some flux do not wash off as well as others.. Superior 71 is my go to favorite for both ss and copper, easy cleaning with water and hand soap..

If you don't want a nearby solder joint to get heated up and become loose, use a wet rag to wrap around it.

Not really necessary, but it does help.. best to learn to regulate the heat application.. I can solder a inch away from a previous solder, and not touch the previous one.. just learning how to apply heat, slow heat up and heat applied away from the joint, and it does the job.. if your flux start to smoke, you are applying heat at the wrong place, and to fast, and to hot of a tip, back off for a minute, lower the heat tip, and reapply heat slowly..

Mars

[DetroitDIY]

I use files too. Course first, then medium. Don't use fine as that will totally gum the file. I brush them frequently with an old wire brush for 1/2" copper to keep the course/medium files from getting gummed. If you let them get packed, then they're a pain to clean up.

Before the files, I have used a chisel or gouge from my woodworking tools. Those work great at removing a lot fast, but don't dig too deep!

After the files, I like the sanding. Start medium, like 100 or 120. Work your way to 220 and be happy if you like (as I did), or continue to the emery as others are saying and get a serious shine (like StillerBoy's, his work is very pretty).

When I've gotten solder on smaller diameter parts, I've chucked it into my lathe and that makes quick work of it with some sand paper.

Good luck!

[stillvodka]

Brilliant , thanks everyone , i'll try all these methods , recon it's nice to have a still that looks good, it's half the fun with this hobby

[StillerBoy]

In the picture, is shown a piece of equipment I've just soldered, and rough cleaned, plus the tools I use on all my clean up work.. the scotch pad is auto body work maroon colour sanding pad, they work great on finishing copper..

Another tip on soldering, use fine soldering wire.. the regular 1/8" size takes to much heat to start, whereas finer size requires less heat.. you can make finer size wire by flatten regular size, and cutting it into different size for the task at hand..

Mars

[stillvodka]

Good little solder cleanup kit you have there Mars, thanks for posting

I don't have any problems with solder fitting joints, joints nice and clean practically straight off, My problem is like I said trying a new burner that was very hot straight away , I have been building a 8 gallon copper boiler from a Large water heater, cutting boiler in half soldering on a much thicker bottom , the top I didn't need to change, but i needed to cut out two large fittings and build a patch roughthly 9 inch square to cover, thing was though, the top of the boiler is nice and rounded , the flux would run and solder followed it , like it's supposed to do.
I will see if i can get a picture up on here later, you see what I mean then

[WithOrWithoutU2]

So I have some excess solder inside my 2 inch shotgun condenser. I've done my best to file/wear it down but given it is inside the 2 inch pipe and has 4 small tube inside it is hard to file / wear it down. I have left it and ran several times with it the excess build up left alone.

I normally have just be rinsing with water when cleaning. This last time I dried it with a cloth instead of letting it air dry. I notice some grayish / black residue came off when I wiped the solder buildup inside the condenser. Does this happen to others, should I be worried this is getting in my product?

FYI...I definitely used lead free solder and did a viniger and sacrificial cleaning run.

[WithOrWithoutU2]

Here are the pics.

[DetroitDIY]

WithoutU2 - Everyone using solder has exposed solder in the vapor path to some extent so, you've got company. I don't really clean my still much, other than rinsing out the boiler and an occasional CIP water hose clean of the column. On the rare occasion that I disassemble for a change, if I wet the inside surfaces and do a bit of wiping I'll pick up some residue. I generally don't worry. If it's copper corrosion (the blue rust) I work to get it off. For the other "grime" I generally let it be. I may need to do a good scrub and cleaning run every year or three, but I don't see it as a risk, and give it low priority. All that said, I prefer brown spirits. If you are focused on neutrals, there may be more reason to clean those surfaces better.

Looking at your image, I'm thinking that's the top of your product condenser, and that your 4 tubes are extending a bit proud o the top plate that bounds your coolant. If I got that correct, this will act as a bit of a reservoir to hold fluid (spirit). You may want to trim down those tube flanges, or at lease give them a little weep channel so that any fluid tending to pool can weep into the tubes. If that's the lower end... then ignore what I just said.

[Royco]

NZ Chris, I love the way you say things.
Hopefully we can soon kick your ass at rugby again

[WithOrWithoutU2]

Looking at your image, I'm thinking that's the top of your product condenser, and that your 4 tubes are extending a bit proud o the top plate that bounds your coolant. If I got that correct, this will act as a bit of a reservoir to hold fluid (spirit). You may want to trim down those tube flanges, or at lease give them a little weep channel so that any fluid tending to pool can weep into the tubes. If that's the lower end... then ignore what I just said.

Thanks for the comments. I won't sweat it too much.

It is the lower end. The top is a lot more flush, but not great. It was the pretty much my first copper work I tackled beside a basic tri clamp flange to pipe for a column. The other was a boka. I enjoyed both but boy did I mess up and just glob the solder in there. I've just seen some pictures that you can barely even see the solder. You definitely see more copper than solder in most. Not in mine...HAHA.

Sometime I plan to take another stab at both. I'd love to find someone in my area that is beginning in the hobby to give my stuff to as I am the type that can't through things away if they are still "usable" even if I don't use them myself due to an upgrade.

[DetroitDIY]

I'd love to find someone in my area that is beginning in the hobby...

Yah, it's nice to find some real life community. I've found a few interested folks and a fellow distiller thought my local homebrew club. And I've connected with others in the greater area in my state by just posting for an area get together. That's a good time... connecting with other experienced folks and sharing.

But... due take care as you look.

[WithOrWithoutU2]

I'd love to find someone in my area that is beginning in the hobby...

Yah, it's nice to find some real life community. I've found a few interested folks and a fellow distiller thought my local homebrew club. And I've connected with others in the greater area in my state by just posting for an area get together. That's a good time... connecting with other experienced folks and sharing.

But... due take care as you look.

I bet it would be a good time. Real life distilling buddy would be awesome. Especially if it was someone who could act as a mentor.

[dragon9874]

In the picture, is shown a piece of equipment I've just soldered, and rough cleaned, plus the tools I use on all my clean up work.. the scotch pad is auto body work maroon colour sanding pad, they work great on finishing copper..

nice setup StillerBoy! d-(^^,)

[squigglefunk]

+1 on no one caring what the solder looks like on your still as long as it's not lead...

I mean the anal retentive chef might find issue with it but I digress