The peroxide is added in order to oxidize organics that might be on the copper - a better test will be to take actual copper mesh that was used regularly in a still, and might have organics on it, instead of tarnishing clean copper with inorganics like table salt and NaOH
Was going to make this very comment. Thanks! After all-grain runs especially, if you submerge packing into hot water, then silvery greasy film floats up to the surface. Just citric acid wasn’t getting things cleaned after a while. Maybe one day I’ll have time to do a side by side test, until then hydrogen peroxide stays in the ring and fights!
G'day Adam, I found that just citric acid and water work better too, I also sometimes use salt and vinegar and find that works well too. Great vid Sir.
I use 551 to soak my copper mesh packed copper column. What comes out is a very green solution which I assume to be copper sulfate. Would like to see this test again with actual tired copper from a distillation path, as it's the sulfur compounds I'm interested in removing to regenerate the column. In the mean time, I'm going to continue with 551 as I'm confident it's scrubbing out the sulfur - as well as any biofilms. I'm guessing the bluer colour of your resulting wash is copper chloride, the chloride ions you doped the copper with before the test.
Thanks Adam, another excellent video. I have only just recently started using 551, I always used to soak overnight in a weak citric acid solution (about 5g/litre). I found the 551 was much quicker, though that is probably just due to the stronger solution. I don't think I'll bother with the peroxide in future.
Thanks for taking your time to sort this out, I do not like using peroxide, I always use just citric acid. There seems to be misinformation on some youtube channels??? New sub. 👍
Hello. With the 551 cleaning solution, it is not only here that the percentage (%) of the hydrogen peroxide content is constantly forgotten. Is it e.g. 3% / 12% / 30%? That makes a difference in the effect and also when buying! From 12% personal protective measures are necessary and at 30% this is no longer fun! That in many ways !! ;-) MD
You mean after I finished? The citric acid had cleaned more of the copper than the 551 had, there were still some very dark brown/black spots on the 551 side, whereas the citric acid side was mostly a dull copper colour.
@@erikverberne5638 Vinegar and water will work. I wouldn't add salt though, it won't do anything, and just be a waste of salt. You can also boil water and vinegar in your pot, and let the vapours pass through the still and when they condense on the surfaces inside the still, they will start their cleaning action. Doesn't work with citric acid and water though.
The black flecks you see on the 551 side weren't precipitate, it was simply just cupric oxide flaking off the copper. The blue colour comes, most likely, from copper citrate. Why the 551 had a darker colour, I can't say.
@@StillBehindTheBench so, the results differ. But it probably does not matter. FYI I have done it both ways (depending on what I have on hand) with good results. Like you I am not sure it matters.
Is there an easy test for the copper content/purity used in copper mesh? I have mesh from three sources and they all coloured differently when used in the same run and after differed in how well they cleaned in a citric acid solution. This makes me think that they're not all 100% copper as they are claimed to be.
I don't think there is a cheap way to determine that. So you'd have to do some expensive analyses to determine purity. Most thin stranded mesh is probably going to be fine to use as a packing material, the only copper products I would advise against using are copper plated steel/iron scrubbers. Only because they don't last very long, they still work as long as the copper is present, but they don't last very long, so it can get pricey to replace them.
The peroxide is added in order to oxidize organics that might be on the copper - a better test will be to take actual copper mesh that was used regularly in a still, and might have organics on it, instead of tarnishing clean copper with inorganics like table salt and NaOH
Was going to make this very comment. Thanks!
After all-grain runs especially, if you submerge packing into hot water, then silvery greasy film floats up to the surface. Just citric acid wasn’t getting things cleaned after a while. Maybe one day I’ll have time to do a side by side test, until then hydrogen peroxide stays in the ring and fights!
I did similar test when I run out of peroxide. Never looked back. Citric acid works great w/o peroxide. Good job with the video.
G'day Adam, I found that just citric acid and water work better too, I also sometimes use salt and vinegar and find that works well too. Great vid Sir.
Love this info. Thank you. About to clean my alembic still and this couldn't have come at a better time.
I use 551 to soak my copper mesh packed copper column. What comes out is a very green solution which I assume to be copper sulfate. Would like to see this test again with actual tired copper from a distillation path, as it's the sulfur compounds I'm interested in removing to regenerate the column. In the mean time, I'm going to continue with 551 as I'm confident it's scrubbing out the sulfur - as well as any biofilms. I'm guessing the bluer colour of your resulting wash is copper chloride, the chloride ions you doped the copper with before the test.
I stick all my copper in the bath fill it, add citric acid from the food store and leave it. comes out new every time and costs possibly £1.00
Thanks Adam, another excellent video. I have only just recently started using 551, I always used to soak overnight in a weak citric acid solution (about 5g/litre). I found the 551 was much quicker, though that is probably just due to the stronger solution. I don't think I'll bother with the peroxide in future.
Thanks for taking your time to sort this out, I do not like using peroxide, I always use just citric acid. There seems to be misinformation on some youtube channels??? New sub. 👍
Hello.
With the 551 cleaning solution, it is not only here that the percentage (%) of the hydrogen peroxide content is constantly forgotten.
Is it e.g. 3% / 12% / 30%?
That makes a difference in the effect and also when buying!
From 12% personal protective measures are necessary and at 30% this is no longer fun! That in many ways !! ;-)
MD
Have you tried soaking the copper in backset? Works well also, plus it’s essentially free.
Hot water and citric acid works just fine for cleaning cooler parts.
Citric acid mixed in hot water works much more quickly.
Hi, hot water makes it happen fast, lightly wound all so helps.Cheers
how dos it look after you rinse it ??thanks for all the info you put up .like it a lot .
You mean after I finished? The citric acid had cleaned more of the copper than the 551 had, there were still some very dark brown/black spots on the 551 side, whereas the citric acid side was mostly a dull copper colour.
@@StillBehindTheBench what if you shoud use vinegar and saltand h2o to clean copper ?
@@erikverberne5638 Vinegar and water will work. I wouldn't add salt though, it won't do anything, and just be a waste of salt. You can also boil water and vinegar in your pot, and let the vapours pass through the still and when they condense on the surfaces inside the still, they will start their cleaning action. Doesn't work with citric acid and water though.
No comments on the precipitate and color difference in the peroxide side?
The black flecks you see on the 551 side weren't precipitate, it was simply just cupric oxide flaking off the copper. The blue colour comes, most likely, from copper citrate. Why the 551 had a darker colour, I can't say.
@@StillBehindTheBench so, the results differ. But it probably does not matter. FYI I have done it both ways (depending on what I have on hand) with good results. Like you I am not sure it matters.
Is there an easy test for the copper content/purity used in copper mesh? I have mesh from three sources and they all coloured differently when used in the same run and after differed in how well they cleaned in a citric acid solution. This makes me think that they're not all 100% copper as they are claimed to be.
I don't think there is a cheap way to determine that. So you'd have to do some expensive analyses to determine purity. Most thin stranded mesh is probably going to be fine to use as a packing material, the only copper products I would advise against using are copper plated steel/iron scrubbers. Only because they don't last very long, they still work as long as the copper is present, but they don't last very long, so it can get pricey to replace them.
How much citric acid to how much water?