Curd Cutter - Material, Copper?

[jdsharp]

Hello, I am relatively new to cheese making so bear with my ignorance.  Are there any negative effects from using copper to fabricate a cheese knife/curd cutter?  I have some small diameter tube for the frame and thin gauge wire for the cutters.

[wharris]

That is a great question.  I know that I have seen some really large Cheese Vats made of Copper.

But copper might be a bit too soft of a metal to use.  Copper tends to be a bit more ductile and not have the tensile strength to hold up over time to an application like a tensioned curd knife.

But i am not the authority on this.

[Cheese Head]

Hello jdsharp and welcome to the forum, I second Wayne, if it's pure copper it would be too soft and stretch too easily for the "tines".

[Cartierusm]

I too have recently seen copper vats from Chilipepper's post, but they had to get special permission from the food administration of their country to use them as copper is no longer allowed for food production.

Anyway, it's the same as aluminum and I would NOT use copper. Copper and aluminum (non-ferrous) metals will react with the acids in the milk and definitely give it an off taste. Copper more so than aluminum.

Sorry JD, and I agree with the other gentlemen that it would be too soft. As you're new here I'm the resident metal worker.

[jdsharp]

Thanks for the input-that's why I asked!  I am an avid homebrewer/winemaker and always looking for equipment that I can build myself.  I frequently use copper in my brewery and was curious if I could transfer that over to my new hobby.

Cartierusm-I've been browsing many of your posts and am impressed with your knowledge and craftsmanship, thanks for sharing.

[Cartierusm]

No problem. What copper do you use in brewing to me that is a no-no as well. Same with wine. The only time copper is not an issue, but actually an absolute necessity, is in distilling.

P.S. I take that back, kind of, copper is all right in brewing until you add the hops.

[jdsharp]

I use type L, M and lead free solder, which are safe for drinking water in my area.  I use copper pipes to transfer liquids and my heat exchanger is made of copper, which I use post hop additions to cool everything down.  Copper is widely used in the homebrewing world, however it may not be acceptable in a commercial setting.

As far as winemaking, copper should not be used at any point to my knowledge.

[Cartierusm]

I forget I stopped brewing years ago. I believe that you don't want to use it after adding the hops, but as you mention, I'd have to in order to use my wort chiller, anyway, good luck.

[Likesspace]

Ahhh....but copper does have a use in wine making..
If you ever have a problem with mercaptans or sulpher formation, a quick stir with a piece of copper pipe will usually take care of the problem.
Been there, done that.

Dave

[Cartierusm]

Hmm never heard of that.

[LadyLiberty]

I use type L, M and lead free solder, which are safe for drinking water in my area.  I use copper pipes to transfer liquids and my heat exchanger is made of copper, which I use post hop additions to cool everything down.  Copper is widely used in the homebrewing world, however it may not be acceptable in a commercial setting.

As far as winemaking, copper should not be used at any point to my knowledge.

The wort cooler is usually copper tubing.

[Cartierusm]

Since we've all been viewing the Parmesan making pics and videos they show one company that uses copper kettles to make the cheese so I would hazzard a guess that copper could be use as a curd knife IF it wasn't so soft, but I still think it would be too soft to get good tension on the wires.

[Captain Caprine]

Here is a pic of some nice copper in the brewing industry.
http://www.sierranevada.com/tour/images/m-brewph2.jpg

[Cartierusm]

FINE I was a little over exuberant, copper can be used, see my post above, but does impart a certain flavor. That pic from Sierra Nevada is interesting, I wonder if it's copper on the inside, alot of vessels are copper clad because it conducts heat so well.

P.S. Captain your signature seems to have grown are there more problems with Collie Hair?