welded copper pan

[pwm]

I just finished welding a 2'x3' copper pan for a Leader half pint.Now that its finished I am planning to tap this weekend.I am hoping it will improve the evaporation rate(even if its only a little bit), the pan it replaced was welded sheet steel (not stainless) that would do about 7 gals per hour.I have read some of the posts on here about copper pans and thought I would try one but I dont have any previous experience with copper and I welcome any help I can get from here.

[C.Wilcox]

That's one pretty looking pan. When you say "welded" do you mean soldered or did you actually TIG weld it? Where did you get the copper sheeting?

[pwm]

Its TIG welded.I ordered the copper sheet 3'x4'x.032 online(its not cheap) and had it shipped to my house.

[rookie]

are you gonna put some dividers in it to do a draw off, or you just gonna batch boil?

[500592]

That's one pretty looking pan. When you say "welded" do you mean soldered or did you actually TIG weld it? Where did you get the copper sheeting?
Agree pretty pan

[Housewright]

You are going to like the copper pan. Good conduction means it will boil hard. I love mine.

[pwm]

I used the whole sheet I had to make the pan.I wanted to put dividers in it but I wasnt sure how it would weld and I didnt want to ruin the copper sheet. As it turned out it wasnt to bad to weld so if I ever make another one I would put dividers in it.I am hoping i can get a bigger evaporator next year and I will probably sell this one after this season. Housewright can you give me any tips? I cleaned it with vinegar and salt 5 mins before I took the pictures it looked great but it didnt take it long to discolor.

[Housewright]

PWM,
I clean mine with water and a scotchbrite pad. They will not stay bright so don't try for that. They will take on a dark copper color but they will not turn green.

[Azitizz]

Neat. what was your ampreage set to to be able to weld copper. It must be very high. I have a 160 amp tig welder but I had my doubts it would be enough to weld copper tubing. perhaps if the metal is thin enough.....

Do you mind telling us how much you paid for the sheet?

Nice work.

[pwm]

I ran 75 amps with argon.This sheet was .032 thick and I welded corner welds with fill. I used strips of scrap sheet for filler.I found copper filler rod online but I could only get it in 10 lb packages that cost around $100.I think the filler rod would work better if you can get it.I paid $300 with shipping for the sheet.I'm going to tap today so I will know how much I like it(or not) by next weekend.

[Azitizz]

could you not simply use copper wire for filler?

[pwm]

I'm not sure how that would work.You can try it. I think the main thing you have to watch for is porosity.I didnt see any when I used strips cut from the scraps I had.It made a nice smooth weld I had never welded copper before so I was quite supprised how easy it was.

[pwm]

I have made 5 gals. of syrup so far with this new pan.I really like everything about it.It heats up faster than the old steel pan.It boils better,its gotten as high as 10 gals./hr with the preheater coil in the stack.Also the syrup we have made with it is alot lighter than the old pan. I have been batch boiling evenings after work.I usually boil for about 4 hrs. let the pan cool then empty it.I finish in a propane fired finish pan.Another thing that I was unsure of was the strength of the copper,the pan seems to be quite strong it hasnt bent,sagged or warped and all of the welds have held with no leaks. If any one is considering a copper pan I think its worth the extra money.

[C.Wilcox]

pwm,

Glad to hear it's working out well. Any pics of that pan in action? Or at least sitting on the arch?