by Imakewort » Sat Aug 02, 2008 9:18 am
stainless is the best, brass is fine I used to use brass but went all stainless, if you are going to use brass read this
it should be pointed out here what the difference between copper, brass and bronze is: copper is just plain copper, pure and simple. Bronze is a mixture of copper and tin. Brass is a mixture of copper, (sometimes) tin, zinc, and lead. While most people cringe at the thought of lead in their plumbing, lead in brass doesn't pose much of a problem because it is present in very small amounts (0-10%). If you are worried about the possibility of lead leeching from your brass parts into your beer, you can take John Palmer's advice and mix white distilled vinegar (5% acetic acid) with drugstore-variety hydrogen peroxide (3% concentration) in a 2:1 volume ratio and soak brass parts for 10 minutes. This will remove all of the lead from the surface of the brass parts, thereby eliminating the cause for concern about leeching.