can this pan be cleaned?

[jmayerl]

2x4 small brothers lightning raised flue pan. has surface rust and a few pinhole in the rear.can it be salvaged and what should i try on it? It's soldered english tin, and there is no manufacture date or serial number on the label.

[Brian Ryther]

You want to make a food product with this?

[ennismaple]

We had one of those (2x5) at the back of our evaporator that preheated the incoming sap. it wasn't rusty like that but did leak, sometimes not at all but if you looked at it funny it leaked a lot! Every year by mid-season we wondered why we didn't throw the stupid thing out after last year and get a new one!

I wouldn't feed syrup made in that pan to anyone.

[maple connection]

Jeff
I would look for a different pan. But, sometimes you have to use what your budget allows. You just have to ask yourself if you are O.K. with eating the syrup made from that pan. You can clean off the rust but, you might create more holes.

[sugarmountain]

The scale of the rust looks pretty bad. By the time you clean it up so it could be repaired it would be more trouble than its worth (nothing to hook to or a billion pin holes). Most of the time those kind of repairs become a never ending battle. What size is it?

[jmayerl]

2x4 raised flue

[Flat47]

I replied to your "New To Me 2x6" thread first, and then read this thread.

I'd start looking for another pan. As others have said, the scale of the rust suggests serious damage and therefore paper-thin metal beneath. There's just not a lot you can do when there is so much rust. Sorry.

[TapME]

use it as a pattern to make a new one if you have the ability to do so. Looks to have some major rust like my truck has and bondo won't do the trick here.

[Sugarmaker]

I agree that it doesn't look to be in good shape and good clear pictures make it look even worse. I would clean it scrub it and then take a good hard look at it again. Maybe you could have some one try bead blasting a portion to see if it would clean up. (you may find more holes too)
Have the little women (If you have one) come out and give you her opinion.
These are not cheap to buy or make. This one has seen better days. Sorry
Chris

[sugarmountain]

I once found a old flue pan (drop) and started to mess with it and it had that same scale kind of rust that was deep and it sucked because the rest of the pan was awesome. It did clean up but i couldnt get the silver saulder to stick. My plumber buddy gave up also. he repaired maple equipment many times in the past. No hurt in trying but..... just my opinion. If you have any kind of budjet i might look around, otherwise try it? I would have a plan "b" though. Bascoms still has allot of used cross flows for sale might be able to do somthing with one of those?

[Haynes Forest Products]

Call American Pickers maybe you can get on TV:) and get a picture with Danial:D

[Sugarmaker]

I can see it now "American Syrup Pickers"!:)
I love that show!
Chris

[sugarmountain]

They could make their first stop at my place! Old Franky would be "bundling" like a son of a #####!:lol:

[sugarmountain]

hay Haynes, you should make up some bumper stickers with your anti plastic syrup logo, you could sell a million of those!

[jmayerl]

well with 8 hours of elbow grease and some vinigar I now have a very shinny new looking 2x2 syrup pan and 50lbs of scrap metal that used to be the flue pan. hopefully I can use it as a pattern for next season. anyone know a good source for 1 1/4" SS valves, gonna need 4 and don't want to break the bank since I now need to find a 2x4 flue pan in the next few weeks.

[kiegscustoms]

FW Webb Co will probably be the cheapest.