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Is this safe to drink???

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    • November 14, 2015 at 1:47 am #4508
      Jdeyler11
      Participant

      Hi, I just recently finished a homemade still for the distillation of water and alcohol with plans of drinking some and using other parts as a fuel.
      Here’s my settup, a 6 quart stainless pressure cooker from Walmart. A small elective heating element also from Walmart. A 5 gallon bucked with styrofoam insulation. And a long copper tube acting as my cool connected to the lid of the cooker with a brass fitting. All other holes in the lid of the cooker are sealed with 550 degree rated J-B weld.

      I have done one vinegar run to test if the thing work. It did. I then moved on to water. I let it run for a while on the lowest heat setting and then threw out the first few ounces. After a while I tasted a small sip, it did NOT taste good, at all.

      My question is, how can I tell if something is safe to drink whether it’s alcohol or water?

      Any information about distillation in general would be greatly appreciated. Thanks:)

    • November 14, 2015 at 4:09 pm #4510
      BeverageCommander
      Participant

      I personally would not drink anything from a still that sealed with JB weld… I have no idea what chemicals are in that stuff. I personally won’t use a still that is not made from 100% stainless steel or 100% copper- or a combination of the two. Also lead free solder must be used as well as water soluble flux.

      Do you have a picture of the setup?

    • November 14, 2015 at 6:34 pm #4511
      Jdeyler11
      Participant

      http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k203/eylerjohn1/IMG_3036_zpskzek3wmj.jpg

      Here is a pic of my setup… if needed I can scrap my design and find a pressure cooker with a thicker lid so i can simple thread fittings into it. I tried soldering using lead free solder and a flux paste however even after cleaning the lid i could not get anything to solder together.

    • November 16, 2015 at 2:20 am #4519
      Jdeyler11
      Participant

      So, I took apart the lid, I removed all JB Weld and washed both the pot and lid in soap and water. I then cut up pieces of wane cork and sealed all of the holes with them. I did a run of water and it did not leack and after a sip the water tasted better but it did still have a funny aftertaste to it.

      So, my question remains, whether it be water or moonshine, how can I test its potability?

      I have heard of doing the flame test with shine but i am curious as to how effective that test is… and comments?

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