Pan material

[Danielb]

I have a line on some sheets of 24ga 304 stainless for a good price. I had planned on buying either 20 or 22ga for making my pans, but was wondering if 24ga would work, or if it would be so thin it would be more trouble than it is worth to try to weld or silver solder.

Also, it is a #4 finish on the sheets, which would be a "brushed" finish, and was wondering if that would cause issues with miter buildup, or cause difficulty with cleaning

[maple flats]

It will make good smoke and steam stack, but 22 ga is most often used for pans. It would be harder to weld , and a formed heat sink at corners would be necessary I would think.
I'm not sure on the finish, I know many use a dull finish on budget pans because mirror finish costs more.
I guess the pan sizes might make a difference as far as the strength of the finished pans, what size pans are in your plans?

[Sugarmaker]

I have a line on some sheets of 24ga 304 stainless for a good price. I had planned on buying either 20 or 22ga for making my pans, but was wondering if 24ga would work, or if it would be so thin it would be more trouble than it is worth to try to weld or silver solder.

Also, it is a #4 finish on the sheets, which would be a "brished" finish, and was wondering if that would cause issues with miter buildup, or cause difficulty with cleaning

So 24 gage is .024 thick? If you can tig weld it I am sure it would make you some good pans. Soldering is not as easy but with the right tools it can be done too. The brushed finish should work OK, I have the dull finish on my pans and they seem to work fine.
Good luck with your pan build. Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris

[Jim Foster]

Noob question.... I hear everyone using stainless steel for the vats. The one I made last year was just plain 1/8" steel plate, polished smooth. Seemed to work just fine and at a fraction of the cost. What's the correct material? Jim

[Danielb]

Pans will be small, 2x3 and 2x1 roughly. I am hoping to have the time in the next few weeks to build my own oil tank evaporator, as the wood stove in the greenhouse last year wasnt much to write home about. had planned before to run 22ga, but with a really good deal nearby, it was tempting to jump on the 24. I appreciate the input.
I will once again plan for 22ga, im not too coxerned about the finish if it doesnt affect things much, since these will likely only be short-term pans.

[snakes14009]

First question to answer is can you weld or solder it if the answer is yes then it will be just fine
Actually it will be better than 22 or 20 gauge. 24 gauge is what the amish SS shop near me prefers to use for syrup pans... so do you have experience fabricating 24ga?

[Danielb]

Truth be told, I have never done any work with stainless. I have done plenty of welding, fabficating, and soldering, but none on stainless, so this will be a learning curve. I have the equipment to silver solder,but I also have access to a TIG welder through my wife's grandfather's airplane float manufacturing business, as well as shears, box and pan brake, etc. And I'm quite comfortable with the brake and shears.

[Sugarmaker]

Go look at some pan designs. take all kinds of pictures of the seams/ joints and holes and attachments. The og practice on these types of joints. If your comfortable with tig and steel you will be fine. Having those tools and the skills I think your set up to do a good job. Dont make your pans too shallow! I see this a lot. Also not sure of your pan design/ size. There are some many options to move sap/ syrup through pans. I would recommend getting a good design down on paper and follow some of the current designs out there
Regards,
Chris

[Danielb]

I have looked at as many pan designs as I can, but there arent many producers local to me to be able to see their equipment firsthand. I have looked as closely as I can to as many pictures of different pans and designs online through photos and videos, so I think i have a decent idea of what i need to do to put together a decent pan or two. The loose plan is a main pan with 3 dividers, 10-12" high sides. Second pan will be a simple, single divider, smaller syrup pan. Somewhere around the 18 x 24" size.
I know that even for me I have my work cut out to get everything done before the season really starts, but if all else fails, I do have some steam pans that I can use, as much as I dont want to resign to that.

[Sugarmaker]

Daniel,
Good plan! Get the materials and get started. You will be surprised how quick you get your new pans ready for the season.
Keep boiling!
Regards,
Chris