homemade canner/filter/finisher?

[spencer11]

i have a 5 gallon stock pot and propane burner and am looking on ways to make a finisher/filter/canning unit. pics would be great! how should i make a filter rack? how should i attach a valve at the bottom to draw it off and bottle? i get another burner and put and make a seperate finisher and then make a filter/canner? or would it be more efficent to make just one and run the syrup back through? thanks.
spencer

[500592]

Last year I got a 2 gallon coffepot and used that to filter and bottle I just got another at good will for 3 bucks the stock pot you could just carefully pour it in the filter and use that money you saved to add taps

[spencer11]

what do you mean by coffepot? like a cofife maker? how good did if filter? with coffie filters or maple filters? pics would be awesome if you could get some. thanks

spencer

[500592]

He ones like they hav at churches and I just used a cone filter worked great but I am getting a sheet of stainless to make a 20 gallon filter/canner

[spencer11]

how much can you bottle at a time? i have 5 gallon bulk storage containers that i am drawing off into so i would like to be able to finish in 5 gallon ingrements. any idea of how to attach a valve to the bottom of the pot so i can finish? thanks

spencer

[500592]

2 gallons but I don't know if you will make 5 gallons a day you might I am jus not sure if you got a valve that was threaded and had a nut you could just do that

[Jec]

I use a pot with a draw off valve for canning and filtering. I clampm a flat filter on the top with a little cone shape. Then when it's done I will bottle. I finish in a ss pan with a draw off.

[spencer11]

did you put a valve on it? if so did you solder it? can i solder it? or should i have someone weld it? thanks

spencer

[Jec]

It was already soldered. But if your good at as soldering then you can do it.

[spencer11]

the thing i was woried about was the solder melting? if i drill a hole and get a 1/2" nipple do i put the solder on the inside or outside or both? what solder should i use?

spencer

[Jec]

Mine is on the outside and I think you can use normal lead-free solder. You also need flux.

[spencer11]

So any lead free solder will work? I was woried about the pot getting hot enough to melt the solder on the outside. Thanks.

Spencer

[Jec]

I think so. The pot won't get to hot because it will only get to about 219 degrees. That's less than what solder melts at.

[spencer11]

okay good so this will hopefully work out then. i will post pics when i start working on it. thanks

spencer

[skinny78]

Here are some pictures of my filter / canner.

5168 5169 5170


5171 5172

[Flat47]

I think so. The pot won't get to hot because it will only get to about 219 degrees. That's less than what solder melts at.

And solder melts up around 700.
Trick in doing this type of project (where you're heating thin metal and thick to solder together) is to heat the nipple, not the pot. Be sure to scuff the areas to be soldered with fine sand paper or emery cloth and use a good quality paste flux (and not too much). Since it's solder, you can work it and re-work it many times if you feel like you messed up.

Here's the filter/canner I made from a bbq grill and stock pot:
http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?13413-BBQ-grill-turned-canner

[spencer11]

thanks for the pics and links guys! flat47 thats exactly what i was planning on making eventuly but i was gonna build the whole thing out of square tube and a burner. now i have to start looking for a grill every time i go to the dump. thanks

spencer

[Flat47]

thanks for the pics and links guys! flat47 thats exactly what i was planning on making eventuly but i was gonna build the whole thing out of square tube and a burner. now i have to start looking for a grill every time i go to the dump. thanks

spencer

That's a slippery slope...I'm almost always picking the dump. Grill burners and various parts, metal roofing, stainless sinks...I even picked up a hi-lift jack that just needed some lube. Logging chokers, bricks...my wife cringes every time I make a dump run.

[spencer11]

Every time I'm at the dump I'm picking up good stuff. I got a race jack, a nice harley seat, a few doors, ect. I'm always getting stuff. Now just need a grill.

Spencer

[Flat47]

Grills are great too for parts like thermometers and stainless. I've got a few projects pending using the stainless from the hood of a grill. I want to replace the fixed shelf on my bbq canner for an adjustable shelf (like Leader and others have) using stainless. It's just a matter of time. Should be fairly easy to do.

[Jec]

You can just get a bayou classic single burner for $50 if you can't find a working grill.

[spencer11]

i think thats the kind of burner i have. but i will need another one for a seprate finisher. i think my burner came with a out but it was aluminum.(the sap kinda ate away at it and i burned a hole in it to!)

spencer

[spencer11]

52265227here are some pics. finally done. just finished. it only leaked 3 times, but is fixed now. defenally not pretty but functional.5225

spencer

[kinalfarm]

looks good spenser up till this year i just used a tall sap bucket. just finished mine too check it out. its warped but it was a learning expirience for the tig.
5234

[spencer11]

looks good. i think i started soldering with the wrong flux and i used ALOT of solder. then i found the right flux and it went pretty good.

spencer