Handmade coffee is a feature we need to write. But for now we present this copper kettle which is designed to pour out the boiling water very slowly in order to achieve the perfect cup of slow-drip java.
[CHS] made the kettle for his friend [Nate]. The entire process starts off with an arc of flat copper sheet which makes a slightly conical cylinder when curved until the two ends meet. Getting a water tight seal on this seam is imperative and it took four or five tries to reach perfection.
To get the kettle in shape [CHS] improvised a mandrel out of a thin slice of railroad track. After polishing it smooth it goes on the inside of the copper and gives him something to hammer against. We think this step is magic… It’s kind of like the old sculpting adage that you remove everything that isn’t what you’re trying to end up with. The beauty of the piece really pops out as the final curves are hammered into the work.
Nice kettle and all, but I’m actually more interested in the slice of train track he used as an anvil. (c:
Looks like there are some out on eBay; anybody knows where else I can get this from?
That thing is a health hazard. Why didn’t he tin the inside of the pot?
The copper leeches into the water he’s boiling and eventually results in liver and kidney damage.
If that were true…then why do most homes have copper piping(non tin) for hot and cold water.
People don’t tend to drink water from the hot tap, and things become more soluble at higher temperatures. So you haven’t disproved his point that way. OTOH it still sounds like a load of old shite, EVERYTHING kills you nowadays.
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15100.0
This site says copper is well-controlled homeostatically in the body, and you’d have to be ill to start with, enough to overwhelm the system, before you’d get ill. Copper is an essential nutrient.
I’d risk it, if I started to turn green I’d go back to a plastic kettle.
thanks for the defense and actual source for medical information on the safety of copper use. I am the creator of this fine piece of copper and have maintained all along that as long as you aren’t cooking or storing highly acidic liquids in copper it is perfectly safe for use. Please visit my real website at http://www.siometalworks.blogspot.com for a more detailed writeup on it’s creation and numerous other projects.
There’s little oxygen in the clean water pipes to corrode them, and the water is nearly neutral so minimum leeching occurs. Still, it’s advisable to run a bit of water before actually drinking it, and never to drink from the hot water tap.
The problem with the coffee pot is that coffee is acidic and dissolves the copper. Many countries ban the sales of uncoated copperware for similiar concerns over copper exposure. While it may not be acutely toxic, the chronic exposure will damage your kidneys and liver.
Actually, tin would be more dangerous due to the concentrated level of zinc that a lot of tin has in it. Almost all water pipes are made out of copper today.
Apple Butter and Plum Butter are traditionally made in copper kettles, and people consume both of those. Not sure the idea of copper cookware making people sick has much merit.