ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Thickness of Copper

Many people ask me what is the "gauge" (thickness) of the copper I use?
Unfortunately, the answer is not brief.  Copper is NOT normally measured with a sheet metal nomenclature.  The thickness is given in weight - ounces or pounds.  Because copper is so much more valuable than common sheet metal (which is coated steel), it is measured by the ounce, or pound, per square foot - thus a piece of  "16 ounce copper" weighs one pound per square foot.  16 ounce copper is about 20/1000th (or 0.020) of an inch thick.

I mostly use 16 ounce copper for my smaller wares, and 24 ounce for larger items.
 

Cleaning & Polishing of Copper Containers

For lite to medium cleaning and polishing, I recommend using Wright's Copper Cream.  It works well and does not have a strong chemical smell like some of the other traditional cleaning products.  It is sold in a red colored 8 oz. plastic tub.  It is available at most hardware and grocery stores.  One tub will do one large copper kettle - of course with apple butter kettles you are only polishing the inside of it.  The tubs come with a sponge inside to apply the cream, but I suggest also getting a softer (i.e. red colored - not the brown colored) Scotch-Brite pad for any places that need more aggressive cleaning.  One you have wiped the cream on, wait a few minutes, then rinse it off well - for big kettles a garden hose is best.

Wright's also make a Silver Cream polish which comes in a blue colored tub.  It works well for any container that has been tin coated. 
 

Is a Copper Moonshine Dis(Still)ery Legal?

The answer could be yes or no - it depends on where you are, and what, if anything, you use it for.
Federal law - The Feds don't care if you posses one.  They care whether you produce anything in it without a federal permit.  Many legal distillers have sprang-up in recent years.  Many amateurs go the route of getting an alcohol fuel permit from the feds. 
However, keep in mind that there is NO exception for small batches, for home use, such as there are for beer and wine makers.

State laws - Certain states make it illegal to even posses one, unless you have some sort of federal permit - my state, Virginia, is one of those.  That is why I can't build and offer an inventory of them for sale, like certain other business that offer them by mail order.