food grade silicone

Just starting out and need some advise? then post it in here.

food grade silicone

Postby jman69 » Sun Apr 21, 2019 6:36 pm

Went to bunnings today looking for silicone. They have Sellys' 401. Is this one suitable for sealing my lid to my pot and m,y colum to my lid? I will be making my own gaskets.
jman69
 
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 6:57 pm
equipment: reflux

Re: food grade silicone

Postby db1979 » Sun Apr 21, 2019 8:59 pm

I'm pretty sure the forum doesn't recommend this approach.

Found this on selleys' website:
Screenshot_20190421-205051.png

If selleys don't recommend it for continual contact with food then I don't think it'd be good for a still.

One option for a custom gasket is a ring of cardboard with lots of layers of plumbers tape. Just use the white tape, not the pink.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by db1979 on Sun Apr 21, 2019 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Wobblyboot » Mon Apr 22, 2019 11:28 am

Wobblyboot
 
Posts: 669
Images: 0
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:41 pm
Location: Melb
equipment: 4" glass bubbler

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Plumby » Mon Apr 22, 2019 1:18 pm

db1979 wrote:I'm pretty sure the forum doesn't recommend this approach.

Found this on selleys' website:
Screenshot_20190421-205051.png

If selleys don't recommend it for continual contact with food then I don't think it'd be good for a still.

One option for a custom gasket is a ring of cardboard with lots of layers of plumbers tape. Just use the white tape, not the pink.

:text-+1: exactly what I use for my gasket
Plumby
 
Posts: 1175
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:19 am
Location: South East Queensland
equipment: 50 litre keg boiler with a 2200watt element and a 2 inch pot still called Shaniqua with a 32mm over 19mm 800mm long liebig condenser attached.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby jman69 » Mon Apr 22, 2019 5:32 pm

Thanks fellas, think i'll try the cardboard and tape metho. Play it safe.
jman69
 
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 6:57 pm
equipment: reflux

Re: food grade silicone

Postby db1979 » Mon Apr 22, 2019 6:27 pm

Good idea. I had one that lasted me ages, in fact it's still going, I just don't use that still anymore.
db1979
 
Posts: 1760
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Location: South of the big smoke in banana bender land.
equipment: Eve - 4" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (sieve plates), 330 mm packed section on a keg boiler with 2 x 2000 W elements.
Currently having a makeover: 2" x 4 plate solid state bubbler (1" bubble caps, no sight glasses...maybe not for much longer!) on a bain-marie boiler.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Amberale » Mon May 06, 2019 8:55 am

How about cutting them from one of those BBQ liner sheets of silicon?
It’s gotto be food grade if it is designed to cook food on.

AA
Amberale
 
Posts: 286
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:47 pm
Location: Bacchus Marsh(ish)
equipment: 5* Neutraliser.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby taffy4x4 » Mon May 06, 2019 10:35 am

Hi, I used Dow Corning rtv to make the lid gasket on mine as we use the stuff for food equipment where I work.
taffy4x4
Site Donor
 
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 11:54 am
Location: Tasmania
equipment: T500 reflux and home made stainless steel and copper 10lt pot still

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Plumby » Mon May 06, 2019 4:45 pm

Food safe or food grade DOESN'T MEAN ALCOHOL SAFE. Alcohol and alcohol vapour are a solvent and will dissolve pretty much everything except for ptfe tape and epdm gaskets. As said b4 you can make your own gasket with a ring of cardboard and ptfe tape, ( Google search never ending gasket ) or bite the bullet and buy a gasket from 5 star. Your liver and kidneys will thano you in the years to come
Plumby
 
Posts: 1175
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:19 am
Location: South East Queensland
equipment: 50 litre keg boiler with a 2200watt element and a 2 inch pot still called Shaniqua with a 32mm over 19mm 800mm long liebig condenser attached.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Amberale » Mon May 06, 2019 8:16 pm

Plumby wrote:Food safe or food grade DOESN'T MEAN ALCOHOL SAFE. Alcohol and alcohol vapour are a solvent and will dissolve pretty much everything except for ptfe tape and epdm gaskets. As said b4 you can make your own gasket with a ring of cardboard and ptfe tape, ( Google search never ending gasket ) or bite the bullet and buy a gasket from 5 star. Your liver and kidneys will thano you in the years to come


:handgestures-thumbupleft:
Got them.
Use them.
Ordering more for spares.

I’m just curious about whether the stuff is any good.

I’m definately not squeezing anything out of a tube into the rig.
:)
Amberale
 
Posts: 286
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:47 pm
Location: Bacchus Marsh(ish)
equipment: 5* Neutraliser.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Wobblyboot » Tue May 07, 2019 5:42 pm

Plumby wrote:Food safe or food grade DOESN'T MEAN ALCOHOL SAFE. Alcohol and alcohol vapour are a solvent and will dissolve pretty much everything except for ptfe tape and epdm gaskets. As said b4 you can make your own gasket with a ring of cardboard and ptfe tape, ( Google search never ending gasket ) or bite the bullet and buy a gasket from 5 star. Your liver and kidneys will thano you in the years to come

Isn’t silicone better than epdm gaskets? https://silicone.co.uk/news/silicone-rubber-vs-epdm/ which is what 5star gaskets are made from? I need to make a silicone gasket so researching which to use, not all seem the same.
Wobblyboot
 
Posts: 669
Images: 0
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:41 pm
Location: Melb
equipment: 4" glass bubbler

Re: food grade silicone

Postby bluc » Tue May 07, 2019 6:38 pm

Lots people use silicon, silicone epdm and ptfe(teflon). The filler in cheap silicone is the problem That's why 100% silicone is what you want. You can get it in a tube and is what is used on fish tanks or a two part substance often used for moulding stuff or people use silicone baking mats. Plenty builds on here use gaskets cut from baking mats

Think it's also called non acetic cure silicone
Last edited by bluc on Tue May 07, 2019 6:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
bluc
Site Donor
 
Posts: 8967
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: sunshine coast
equipment: 2" pot with 2" shotty 400mm long 5x 1/2" on a t500 boiler.
50l keg boiler 4" still mount 4" sight glass 1" drain..
4 plate 4" bubbler, 600mm packed section

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Amberale » Tue May 07, 2019 8:33 pm

Thanks Bluc.
Amberale
 
Posts: 286
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:47 pm
Location: Bacchus Marsh(ish)
equipment: 5* Neutraliser.

Re: food grade silicone

Postby Magnus » Wed May 08, 2019 6:33 am

I had some EPDM seals go all sticky after long term use, they were starting to break down so I switched to all silicone seals and they are all still in the same condition they were when new.
Magnus
 
Posts: 186
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2015 6:16 pm
equipment: 3" still

Re: food grade silicone

Postby woodduck » Wed May 08, 2019 7:06 am

Beware of the cheap baking mats, they have something else in them. Best way to check is to fold the mat sharply and see if the fold turns white. If it does it's no good.

You will be finding it hard to get a straight answer here because not many have ever used a tube of silicon for their still because it's risky. Not many are willing (rightfully so) to take the chance on something that's not proven. To be honest if your keen to try you'll need to do some trials to see what works by testing it in high % alcohol for a decent amount of time, say 2-3 weeks. The silicon would need to stay unchanged in that time for me to be comfortable using it.
woodduck
Lifetime Member
 
Posts: 3497
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 5:54 pm
Location: Good old country SA
equipment: 4 plate 6" copper bubbler, 6 plate 4" glass bubbler with 500mm packed section three way thumper sitting on a 50 ltr keg boiler with 6000watts, 2" pot still and a 2" boka.


Return to Beginners Questions



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

x