Many years back I worked as an Animal Control Officer. One day we got a call from some people about a raccoon in the house. Went to the house, it was a big old three story with a full unfinished basement, The man who owned it was in a nursing home(terminal illness) and his relatives had hired the church he belonged to too sell all the stuff in the house so the house could be torn down and the lot sold. Anyway, While looking around in the basement for raccoon access I went into the "unused" coal bunker/furnace room. I was awestruck, in the room behind the old coal furnace/boiler was an absolutly beautiful 10 gal copper still along with alot of very old mason jars and long rotted away sugar bags. The church people had no idea what it was I made an offer for it and bought it for $20.
I havent tried making anything in it but it sure looks cool in the back of my barn! Maybe someday when I aint feared of revenuers!
BTW never did find the raccoon