The Compleat Distiller

THE COMPLEAT DISTILLER 90
Probably, the only metal you'll want to anneal is copper. Fortunately, annealing copper is extremely
simple. All you need do is heat the copper to red heat and then let it cool. You can leave it to cool in
the air, or quench it suddenly in a bucket of water, because copper doesn’t temper like iron or steel.
After annealing the copper will be much softer and easier to work, but if you keep bending a piece of
copper or hammer it, then the large crystals will break up again and the metal will harden. You may
find annealing necessary if you have trouble winding a copper tube to make a condenser coil. Too
many attempts to correct bends will harden the metal, and the only answer then is to heat the hardened
section until it is red hot and let it cool down. We mentioned rivets earlier when dealing with sealing
the top of a large pot to make a boiler. Solid rivets are hammered into shape when applied to a job and
so harden very quickly. It often pays to ensure that they are as soft as possible by annealing them
before beginning a job.
A final tip for the Distiller
Scrubbers
We believe that metal scrubbers are the best packing material to use in a distillation column. However,
people have more problems handling scrubbers than with any other part of their still! More often than
not, scrubbers are taken straight out of the packet and pushed directly into the column. This is the
easiest way to ensure that they're packed too tightly. Since they have a rough surface, the scrubbers
tend to grip the sides of the column. Shoving them into a column is rather like trying to push an
unwilling cat through a narrow hole − it tends to resist!
We've found that the best procedure is to pull the scrubber out into a loose cylinder, which should slip
easily into the column. Remember, we want a lot of airspace inside the scrubber so vapor can get
through easily. If you still have trouble with them, you can cut them into smaller pieces that will slip
easily into the column without bunching up. After filling the column with scrubbers, you should be
able to blow through it relatively easily. If you feel resistance, you have packed the column too tightly.
Another test for proper packing is the ability to get the scrubbers back out. In a properly packed
column, the scrubbers will remain in their place, but can be easily pushed out with a large dowel or a
pipe that fits inside of the column. This same dowel or pipe can be used to gently push scrubbers down
into the column when packing it.
Another way of getting scrubbers out, especially with smaller diameter columns, is to fasten a fishhook
on the end of a long wooden stick. Straighten out the hook, and the barb at the end will catch on the
scrubber material, allowing you to pull it out.
Work safely!
Have fun!!