I have quite a few pieces of copper scrap and fittings, very clean, that I am thinking of using in my boiler during still operation. Any thoughts? I've also used chunks of very clean hardwood lump charcoal to help foaming. Thoughts?

Good idea. I generally clean copper with peroxide/vinegar and then a good rinse in a lot of water. I'm running some of my 'Cumberland Mist' this weekend and will try the pennies. That's about all the damn things are good for anyway.

"Pure clean copper is best. Do you have any idea what other metals are used in the alloy to make coins? I sure don't and wouldn't trust them.

blanik"

PopcornsFriend is right on. Eventually the mild acidic action on the pennies will leach the copper flash off then you have zinc in your boil. I would use them in an emergency, but use something else for the constant use. I think marbles or the ceramic rings will work fine for the boil chips, plus I think copper is far more effective in the vapor column, but my learning here is limited. If I am off base please let me know.

for a while I used a ring of copper couplings tied together with a picece of copper wire. But I forgot to put it in the boiler before and I could'nt tell the difference. It did'nt heat up any faster and they did'nt fortell of the right temp to cook with. I'm sure it wont hurt to use something like that but in my experience it made no difference at all. Just my opinion.

"



i believe just covering the bottom will do it. not a thick layer either you must be using external heat. Gas or hotplate"

thats what i figured i just wasnt sure if whole bottom needed covered i have like 2 foot of stainless chain in my closet so im set

I feels your pain on that chain deal Bro also on the broke glass. I should have saved the remnants of my door glass in the pickup truck leftover when somebody decided they needed my fancy stereo player worse than I did. I started not to throw that away..kick kick. Can a person use safety glass? Thanks.

"I let the boiler cool, dump most of it and pick them out.

I'm an old lab guy, and in my opinion, what we are doing here is lab work. I've done thousands of distillations and separations. That's why I'm such a nerd about this stuff.

Regarding stones, all that is needed is some kind of irregularitys on the bottom of the boiler. Places for small bubbles to form so one massive bubble does not orm across the whole bottom. Any thing non-reactive will do.

On an unrelated note.......the Christian Temperance Union was formed in Evanstan Illinois. A small distiller has opened up there and I'm going for a tour tonight. It's called F.E.W Spirits. F.E.W are the initials of the founder of the union! Love it!! Bet she's rolling over in her grave! LOL"

I Know this is an old thread but felt like I may be able to add something. Before I went all electric and was firing my stainless keg with propane, I used tempered glass for boiling chips. It worked great! I kept doing tempered glass searches on Craigslist and found someone that had a 16x48" glass shelf. Cost me $5. I wrapped it in a plastic drop cloth and wacked the corner with a hammer (oh...I did wash it first!). After the explosion, I gathered it up, washed it again in a large container so the small pieces would work towards the bottom. Then scooped out what I wanted to keep. The glass holds no flavors or imparts any flavors; and zero chance of any type of chemical reaction. Again, I used this for several years and was very pleased with it.