Copper for Stills
FROM SERENDIPITY TO FUNCTIONALITY
WRITTEN BY PAUL HUGHES, PH.D.
What it is that makes copper as a material of construction so advantageous that it outweighs the higher cost, beyond esthetics? WWW.ARTISANSPIRITMAG.COM â€
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he use of copper for the fabrication of distilling equipment remains a popular choice amongst still manufacturers and distillers alike. However, this is clearly not a decision made on economic grounds. As of May 2018, copper traded at around $3.10/lb, while 304 stainless steel traded at around $1.58/lb. So it is pertinent to consider what it is that makes copper as a material of construction so advantageous that it outweighs the higher cost, beyond esthetics. Copper has been in use since prehistory (the use of copper metal probably begins before 8000 BCE), not least because it can be found as the free metal in nature. Its relatives in the periodic table, silver and gold can also be found in their native states, and explains the historical uses to which these three metals were put. Today, native copper is not mined commercially as it is very rare. Rather, various ores, usually oxides and sulfides, are mined. Copper metal is typically released from its ores by heating in the presence of carbon.
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