Extending My Evaporator - Adding New Welded SS Pan

[BlueberryHill]

I have a WF Mason 2x3 and I need to boil faster!! I have had some pieces of Stainless laying around for a while that were cut to make a flat 2x4 pan. I had planned to make a oil tank arch with it. I never got around to that. But today I was at a shop and I asked them how much it would be to weld the pan together for me and they said $80.00. I think that is a great price so I am bringing the stuff in for them to do it tomorrow.

I also have the pieces cut to do a 1' x 2' preheater pan that will sit on top of the 2x4 pan. That was not included in the $80 welding price and I don't really think I need it at this point cause I have one on the mason 2x3 already. But the 2 pieces from that, that are 2' wide could be use to divide the 2x4 pan into 3 sections. It would not be divided the long way like you typically see. It would be dividers going across the arch. I don't know how beneficial this would be. My 2x3 front pan already has 3 channels to finish the syrup. Would there be any benefit to having the 2x4 rear pan divided? Is there anything else that I should try to get them to do for me while they have it there? I am just planning t connect it to my front pan with the siphon tube setup that I have seen on other threads. This way I don't have to cut into the original 2x3 pan.

I was thinking that some day I might make it into a drop tube pan, so if I do end up doing that, I imagine that I probably don't want any dividers?

Any other tips or tricks that you guys might have about modifying the arch to fit this new pan would be greatly appreciated. I hope to get this all done this weekend so that I'll be ready to boil the week after that.

[maple flats]

Yes, divided always help set up the gradients better, with less mixing.
Before you have them weld it, have them make a demo weld on what could become the warmer pan. SS is tricky to weld without getting warped pans. You need someone who has experience welding whatever gauge SS you have, the thinner it is the more difficult the weld. If they have problems with that, don't have them weld the pan.

[lpakiz]

And when inspecting the sample weld, be sure to look at the backside to see how much and how bad the "sugaring" is. They can look pretty crude without the proper heat sinks and back-gassing.

[Waynehere]

Yes, definitely ask if they can do food grade SS welding. A lot of use here have had bad experiences with some of the local welders that really cost us a whole lot more in the end. You don't want rough welds that like to collect bacteria and are difficult to clean. I found one at a dairy that I can depend on.

[BlueberryHill]

Thanks for the tips. I talked to the guy a bunch about back gassing and the weld being clean and he does not seem to think it will be a problem. The stainless is thicker than your typical syrup pan. The SS pieces only cost me 1qt of syrup (no, I can't get more, it was a 1-time deal from a friend) So if this welder botches it then it's not a huge loss. My brother has a TIG and he was going to attempt it but he did not have all the stuff he would need to do it right. I got a great rec about this guys work so I figure he would be able to do at least as good of a job as my bro. Guess we'll find out soon!