Home Distiller

Hey guys, I'm sick of having a shitty looking column, Could I paint it using webber bbq paint or high temp paint??

Should I clean the column 1st??

Yes I would only paint outside of it,
Yes I use Copper

And thanks for the link to the post, Preping copper, is that just a soak in vinigar?

I would steel wool or sand it to get it nice and clean.

Yep I say wire wool too - if you use a couple of fine grades and follow it with a shot of Brasso you'll have a decent mirror finish.

If don't mind spending a little coin, look into nickel plating the outside. That way the outside won't tarnish. Check your phone book for local plating shops.

copper looks great when cleaned properly, I personally would never taint my still with paint. The trick to a nice copper finish is a few sos pads warm water and allot of elbow grease... For the smaller parts, pre soak them in vinigar for 24 hours to eliminate some of the elbow grease ...

Try this first, you may be pleasently surprised! Oh and for the solder drips thats spilled over, use a dremle with sanding discs, the solder comes off in a heart beat.

The time spent will look 100x more impressive than the same time spent prepping and painting.

I'm with the moron... If you have a copper column then just use the right techniques to clean copper. Copper looks so much better than paint...

my tip: mix vinegar and flour to make a thin paste. It sticks to the still better and works great for cleaning up copper parts.

How about using a high heat clear coat. Clean the copper then apply the clear coat. This way you get to keep the look of the copper.

I personally don't care what the outside of mine looks like because I'm not showing it to anybody. Too many goody 2shoe nieghbors around.

You'll probably have to go to a specialty automotive supplier for the clearcoat. Powdercoating clear is another option. Give them an idea of what you want(ie: temperature tolerances) to find out if it will workout.

Bye the way, if it works let us all know what, where, how and when.

Cheers

P.S. Have a couple of gallons to filter through my liver now. I'm trying to keep the alcohol out of the sewer water.

I forgot to add that while cleaning the copper you should be wearing clean white cotton gloves overtop of latex surgical gloves. This will keep any oils from your hands touching the copper. I have seen what looked like clean copper and brass covered in fingerprints after clearcoating. Some of the chemicals in the paint react with the handoils and cause the discoloration. Believe me(from experience), after the clear is dry and you have fingerprints underneath, you will have a real problem fixing that.

Good Luck

Just like distilling there is a learning curve to everything.

PS. I haven't done a clear job on anything with a heat application or I would help out with the paint spec.

Hang it in a tree? as long as no leaves or bugs fly into it

Hell no.

How about a dust free garage or shed if you don't have a paintshop close by. Anything that will keep dust and crap from getting into the wet clearcoat. Try not to stir up any dust from the floor when walking around either. Check for the cure time as well before you run the still. Let the clearcoat cure.

Don't mind me either I'm just working for very fussy people all the time.

Do the best you can with what you've got available.

I'd say enamel the column. It looks like Still Spirits do that to theirs. I like the idea mentioned by Stillman with using the Clear Coat... clean copper looks magnificent.

That buisness about not getting fingeprints is no lie.

Uncle Rumus mentions fireplace shops sell a nice copper protective polish for the high temp range.

isn't cleaning your column enough? there's nothing more beautiful, for a still, then nice red copper.

stoker wrote:isn't cleaning your column enough? there's nothing more beautiful, for a still, then nice red copper.

THis is so true, my still is very new and it just started turing red after a 20 hour run! It looks amazing, deep orange/ red look, why hide its natural beauty.

Patinas are nice too,

peachy, are you talking about enamel paint, or fusing powdered glass to the collumn like in jewelery ?

True enameling might be trickey without a really big oven/Kiln.
Such a deco style could be very ornate, but I think the kilning could be problamatic.


For good looks, I think that copper is pretty without paint myself. Everyone has different ideas about beauty.
When I am out with my one buddy, I'll go slack-jawed over some gal, but my comrade will be totaly un-interested, as she won't be carying enough junk in her trunk.

Viva la diferance !

What about ceramic coating? Like what they do to exhaust pipes for insulating them. Athough, If I was going to color (paint) the still I would just make a colored insulative sleeve..

I'm not talking about just ordinary enamel paint, because it wouldn't be able to withstand the heat. There are industrial enamelers around here that coat things like exhaust pipes, pots and pans, BBQs, and engine parts.