Pan Question? Is this rust or niter deposits?

[11BGUY]

newbie, just finished my first boil yesterday that went remarkably well except for when I looked at the pan... It was a new Mild steel pan that I purchased online that was properly oiled and had not rust what so ever... During the boil i noticed the small spots on the pan and thought they looked like rust.. I am also no familiar with niter and wondering if they could possible be deposits from the sugar... I though you had to have moisture and oxygen to make rust, so it has me puzzled... plz help because I need to know if i need a new pan... I am in CT thanks attached are the pics of the pan...

[mapleack]

Sorry, that looks like rust. Generally nitre will start out looking like a brook trout, bigger light colored speckles, along with a hazy coating over the whole pan bottom.

[maple flats]

Are the spots loose or are they on the pan bottom? I've never seen niter like that. My guess is that the mild steel rusted. Mild steel is not a good choice for an evaporator pan because mild steel rusts very easily.
How many taps do you have? What size pan are you looking for? What is your fuel? Answers to these questions will enable us to help you find answers to your questions.
In a boil you have water and oxygen. What kind of oil was in it to prevent rust before use? Non food oils can be a real problem. I'm not aware of any treatment that will help short of tinning it and I believe tinning has lead problems.

[DrTimPerkins]

Looks like rust. Mild steel will rust fairly quickly if damp. Did you ever use any Clorox when you washed it?

[DanE.]

I would think that is rust also, initially caused by the weld splatter when the pan was made. Dane.

[11BGUY]

It is a baking pan so it was food grade oil I believe. I thoroughly wiped the pan down and washed it prior to use. I burn wood that's get from a neighbors saw mill. I have 20 taps on buckets. The pan I have is 2x2 which works but I suppose 2x3 would be better. Thx

[bowtie]

lots of guys have had luck using restaurant style ss pans to begin with. i think they are fairly cheap also. try searching them or go to katom.com and check them out. no chance of rust and can be cleaned fairly easy.

[schmidt's]

We used iron pans for years usually once you season and get a coat of suger on from boiling they don't rust. Sand blast it and reseason but don't do it till your ready to boil or it will rust before you use it.

[smokeyamber]

+1 on clean it and season it and then use it right away. Also make sure to dry them completely at season end. That said they will get a coating from boiling that will prevent some rust. Nothing wrong with mild steel, though it does take a bit more care than stainless the price is right.;)

[DrTimPerkins]

+1 on clean it and season it and then use it right away. Also make sure to dry them completely at season end. That said they will get a coating from boiling that will prevent some rust. Nothing wrong with mild steel, though it does take a bit more care than stainless the price is right.;)

Echo all that. And NEVER clean it with Clorox.

[11BGUY]

well it looks like it has a sticky coating on the bottom of the pain already.. seems this sticky coating of sugar has formed over the tiny pieces of rust.. question is should i clean it, season it and then use it right away or should I just continue using as is because of the sugar forming? If cleaning is the best course what do i use.. was thinking of taking a piece of steel wool or is that too abrasive?? can't imagine anything else less abrasive would work well... thx guys

[maple flats]

Don't use steel wool, it will scratch. Instead use the green scrub pads (3M I think), just use water and elbow grease. Then dry well until ready to use. Wipe dry, then warm it in the oven on low. Store there until you use it.

[Spolcik]

Dr. Tim you say never use Clorox. Do you mean on any pan or just mild steel? I have a stainless pan I bought from smokey lake maple have not used it yet but was wondering what to clean it with?

[DrTimPerkins]

Dr. Tim you say never use Clorox. Do you mean on any pan or just mild steel? I have a stainless pan I bought from smokey lake maple have not used it yet but was wondering what to clean it with?

Best not to use Clorox on ANY metal pan. If you do use it, don't let it sit in the pans and rinse it out a LOT. The image below shows what happens when the wrong things are done to a pan. Some of those holes go completely through the pan. Clorox initiates or accelerates the corrosion and pitting process. Most regular cleaning can be done with lots of hot water. With niter, you may have to use some pan acid (phosphoric acid typically...read the label and use the required safety precautions). Get pan acid from the maple equipment dealers.....not from the hardware store.

6829

[Ausable]

On damage to pans. Years ago - I had a large aluminum pot I used to finish syrup in and it worked just fine. At the end of the season on finishing my last batch of maple syrup - I tossed a dirty filter into the aluminum pot with the intention of cleaning both as soon as I cleaned some other things and put it up on a shelf. Wrong thing to do - I thought I had everything cleaned and put away. At the start of the next season - I lifted the pot down and then the light came on - Oh No! - The maple sugar in the dirty filter had a chemical reaction with the aluminum and had eaten a large hole in the bottom of my favorite pot. So - like Dr. Tim points out - we have to pay attention to business. -----Mike-----

[Spolcik]

Thanks Dr. Tim I will definitely stay away from Clorox good to know. I've also read on this site a lot of people use vinegar. Is this ok seems pretty mild to me. Just wondering ?

[DrTimPerkins]

I've also read on this site a lot of people use vinegar. Is this ok seems pretty mild to me. Just wondering ?

Vinegar is fine. Just rinse well after using it.

Clorox is a strong oxidizer....basically a rust accelerant.

[Spolcik]

Thanks for the info. Still learning and want to do things right. I don't sell my syrup but do feed it to my family. This has been helpful again thank you.

[mathprofdk]

Well, this thread is a bummer. I have a similar pan that was custom made for me by a friend (a professional welder, but not of food-grade syrup pans). Mine has some similar very small rust-colored spots all over the bottom.

So can this pan be salvaged? I do not have a sand-blaster available. Are there other ways to clean off the rust?

If it can be salvaged, how do you "season" it? I did not season it initially. Even worse, I scorched the pan, and was able to scrub it off using many things listed above that I was not supposed to. I don't remember if the spots were there before the scorching or not.

I was hoping to do a test boil today and make a couple pints of syrup from the sap I have from this week.... *crap*

[11BGUY]

Just cleaned mine with some green 3m cleaning pad and then season it some vegtable oil.. I have done the same thing in my vast lodge pot which is extremely prone to rust.. I'll just wipe it down prior to use to get the majority of the oil out... At least that's what I do with my lodge pot... I think the mistake I made with the pan was wash it and let it sit in the garage for a few days prior to using it... Sounds like people are saying I should have cleaned it just prior to use


QUOTE=mathprofdk;205731]Well, this thread is a bummer. I have a similar pan that was custom made for me by a friend (a professional welder, but not of food-grade syrup pans). Mine has some similar very small rust-colored spots all over the bottom.

So can this pan be salvaged? I do not have a sand-blaster available. Are there other ways to clean off the rust?

If it can be salvaged, how do you "season" it? I did not season it initially. Even worse, I scorched the pan, and was able to scrub it off using many things listed above that I was not supposed to. I don't remember if the spots were there before the scorching or not.

I was hoping to do a test boil today and make a couple pints of syrup from the sap I have from this week.... *crap*[/QUOTE]

[mathprofdk]

OK, so my spots rubbed right off with the 3M pads as well. I have some mineral oil that I use for bread boards, or some canola oil. I guess the latter is vegetable-based, so I'll try that. Maybe that'll prevent the spots from returning.