Scorched pan

[steve J]

I scorched my pan near the draw off? Will it taint the syrup? Before boiling again should I drain and clean the scorched area? What is best way to clean it?

[chicken123]

I did the same thing a few days ago:mad: I haven't finshed cleaning it yet, I tryed an SOS pad. it cleaned it a little but not completely. If i try hard enough with an SOS pad I think I will be able to get it off. But, there must be a better way:confused:

[psparr]

A lot of vinegar and bring it to a boil then let it sit overnight.

[PerryW]

A small putty knife to scrape the black off then those green scotchbright pads work good for scrubbing.

[SeanD]

If you are careful, you can use a screwdriver on top of the scrub pad to get some real focused force. Just be careful not the let the screwdriver slip through the pad and scrape the pan directly.

Sean

[Marc Duclos]

1000 grit 3m wet dry sand paper and ruber gloves and a lot of elbo grees. if it didnt happen when it did it was only a mater of time that it would. It is said like this I did every thing wrong and it still came out right.

[Daveyboy]

I used a drill with a wire brush and LIGHT pressure.

[Burnt sap]

Boy that is a pain! If it does not come off with above methods you can try a drill with a wire brush on the low setting. This works great for tough scorch areas. Just know where ever you scratch the pan you will risk burn up in that area again due to the sugar grabbing hold of the rough surface. Post wire brush I would use 160-180 wet sandpaper maybe finer grit to polish the pan up a bit.

[sg5054]

You can get something called a roloc disc made by 3M and back up pad from a Auto parts store like Napa. They are round and available in 2 and 3 inch dia. Chuck it in a drill or die grinder. The disc screws into the back up pad and have at it. Will clean up the pan slick as a whistle, no gouging or damage. They are a round scotchbrite type of material.
I burnt mine pan Saturday night big time!! Didn't realize it until I glanced out the kitchen window and saw a cloud of smoke drift by... Hmmm..... That's odd... OH SH....!!!! Heavy smoke, flames and a 2 inch thick crust. Slowly dumped a bucket of sap in to put out the fire, let it soak a bit, scraped out all I could get, drained the pan and filled it with water and acid pan cleaner. Warmed it up and left it over night to soak. Between the discs and a pad I had it all bright and shiny in less than 2 hours. Banged out the warps and now back in business.
Lesson learned... Don't try to do too many things at the same time.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#roloc-compatible-sanding-discs/=m5a05h

[JuniperHillSugar]

Years ago I used a sand blaster to remove some scorched syrup. I'd try vinegar first now.

[steve J]

Are the pans likely to burn again in the same place after you clean them?

[georgelineman]

I have a 2x3 pan I used 2 gallons of vinegar 2 small boxes of baking soda(it will start to bubble) filled the pan with about 2in of water put a fire in the arch and let it boil for about 2hours adding warm water as needed all my scorched spots came clean. just a little light scrub n. It worked for me.

[Rugburn]

I second the roloc style discs for stubborn areas. they do make different grades so you can get back your finish. As always, when unsure, test on some scrap.

[PerryW]

Are the pans likely to burn again in the same place after you clean them?

They are more likely to burn in areas where the pan has warped and created high spots (shallow areas). I burned mine bad enough to see flames 2 feet high coming out of the front pan probably 15 years ago and haven't burned it since.

[Stamford sugarmaker]

Very few, if any, honest sugarmakers can say they have never burned their pans.

I have been told never try to clean stainless with anything but stainless. Wire brushes, screwdrivers, and scrapers, unless they are stainless, seem harsh. That harshness increases the likelihood of burns in the future. But if they work for you...

I have had the best luck with fresh Scotchbrite green pads. You gotta work 'em pretty hard so they lose their effectiveness quickly. I remember trying vinegar a long time ago and was not impressed.

Good scrubbing and good luck!

Peter

[FameFlower]

We are still learning our new equipment, and in our growing pans have burned it several time. Our hand bag of cleaning the pan have been:

Fresh boiling water
Stiff Nylon brushes
Pressure washer
Boiling with Pan Cleaner (Leader Evap)
Overnight Vinegar Soak

We had some burns that looked very bad, but now are sparkling stainless steel. I worried about hot spots from not getting the scorches out.

[steve J]

Well the good news is I was able to scrub out the burn spot with a 3M pad I apparently managed to flood it fast enough that it did no serious damage.

[lwlvine]

Pan acid works the best. They make some good acids. Just soak for a few minutes then pressure wash.