Trying to improve boil rate

[tessiersfarm]

I went to Maine Maple Sunday this past weekend. I looked at some drop flue pans and I would like to make one to replace the back pan on my home made evaporator. The trouble is I would like to experiment with a galvanized pan before I do stainless. Can I boil sap in a galvanized pan, I will still be finishing in a stainless pan. Will the galvanized pan have any re-sale value when I do build a stainless one. I am good at welding galv. but I have never done stainless. I work for a large construction company, and I can get the stainless welded reasonable cheap but I would like to experiment before I waste $200.00 worth of stainless sheet.

[chipa]

I would not boil sap in a galvanized pan.

[Mac_Muz]

I wouldn't either, but I will in plain mild steel and just did Easter. I got clean fancy from that boil. My pan isn't worth a hoot, even though the steel cost me 21 and change from NAPA. It will rust and I will clean it.

This is 21" x 33 3/4" x 6" with 2 dividers and worked a lot better than my 24" x 24" single pan did.

[maplekid]

i wouldnt recommend boiling on galv. it has lead in it and the galv coating will burn off.

[Big_Eddy]

I was once given an old steel pan with a galvanized nipple and valve on it. I boiled on it for a day and threw out 5 gals of syrup as I could taste the galvanized. And that was just from one pipe nipple to the valve. Never used the pan again.

Lots of folks boiling in mild steel pans - secret is to leave the soot on the bottom and not wash it out between boils. The layer of sugar protects the steel and prevents it from rusting. Give it a good cleaning at the end of the season and hang it up somewhere dry. It will last forever.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Might want to put a light coat of some kind of food oil on it at the end of the season to help prevent rust. Crisco might work good and would just have to wash it off at the beginning of the next season. I have never boiled on one, but I would think it should have a higher evaporation rate than stainless as it would have better heat transfer.

[maplesyrupstove]

Did you ever see a galvanized cook pot?

[Mac_Muz]

This pan is new, just made, with my own hands. After the season I will clean the pan and use a food grade oil to coat it, then hangit in the barn rafters upside down.

My wife put up 10 pics so far here http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk274/Gwynagerie/

[tessiersfarm]

I never gave regular steel a thought. Its easier to weld too. I guess it would be like a cast iron pot if seasoned correctly. I will try it, its probablly a little cheaper too. Thanks a million.

[Mac_Muz]

tessiersfarm NAPA has the 28 ga for 21 and change. I layed the pan out and folded the steel with a rubber dead blow mallet over a bench.

I allowed 1.75 inches excess on the lay out, and folded these first to be .75 inch, before I hammered the sides to be 6 inches. That helped stiffen the pan.

I never had a divided pan before, and so with a size of 21" x 33 3/4" x 6 I added dividers. That last 3/4" is a screw up. I made the pan before I cut the barrel and made an error measuing the crimp on the barrel.

The should have been 33" even... I had left steel on the barrel ends in a way I was able to modify a pretty nice fit just the same.

If I can get any sap I will take a few pics myself as my woman is a real woman and she has no sence for details in steel.

I used a tig torch and stainless at the corners and that was a error too. I wanted to solder in the corners after wards and the silver solder I use with NO LEAD didn't like that stainless much.

If I used mild steel again, I would mig weld, or gas weld the corners, so solder would flow better, and I would do that from the outside rather than the inside like I did.

If you go with dividers I made another error not laying the top edge over at least 90 degrees to stiffen the top of the dividiers.

None of these errors add up to much, but still the pan being so thin the added stiffness I could have had I lost..

Mild steel with rust if you don't care for it... it will rust a little anyway .......so what. Some say it is less healty, but I say a little iron in my food won't harm me and might even be good.

Of course I grow my own veggies and I would never eat any dirt... Not more than maybe 15 pounds of dirt a year!

You eat clams doncha? There is iron in the lobsta's too, not to mention idodine.. We just can't sell what we make.... I am not sure about you, but I don't want to sell my gallon anyway.

[lpakiz]

MacMuz--
Did you fasten those dividers to the bottom of the pan? Or do they just "set" there?
Larry

[Mac_Muz]

Anyone can call me mac. All mac's were taken when I came on line. Saves typing.

Yes, the dividers were tack welded, and then silver soldered to seal them.

They are set to stager the flow, and the triangle cut out is 1.75" x 1.75" and I'ld have to say that worked perfect. Bill Mason who makes evaporaters and SS pans tipped me off.

I set them so each pan portion is apx 11.25", which makes scumming easy and helps in clean up.

The pan spigot is screwed on to 1/2" pipe thread, and the pipe is black iron, welded to the pan as low as it could be.

The spigot itself is brass, with a teflon seal that can take 400'F and the valve inside is stainless. The tube to extend it is galvi' because this is what I had hanging around.

I washed that galvi well, real well, and brushed it. The only time sap is in contact is when the drain is open, so not much contact. next time I get to a hardware store I might get black pipe. (This is steel black pipe not cast iron)

Today we had first pan cakes, and my LL and wife give this stuff 10 thumbs up! Since i make so little, I run the indoors finish pan up a bit, like 219.5 as a guesstimate. The real test is the apron that forms on a spoon.

I use doubled up paper filters, and that isn't a single grain of sand in any of this.

I do filter twice. Once right off the fire, and once more at about 217/ 218. The last one takes some time to pass thru the filters so I use a ss caldron thingy , I don't know what you call it, but it is a raised ss bowl with lots of holes.

When that drains enough I get the near syrup to 219.5 and bottle it in boiled jars coming from the 10 minute boil hot.

I don't belive it is possible for a better quality, but it is very likey most folks make a lot more.

[tessiersfarm]

I work for a large construction and fabrication company and I have acess to most any steel working tool you can name. The problem is I have never welded stainless and this is an expensive project to "practice" on. In my own shop I have a finger brake and mig welder and I am pretty good with both. My plan is to make a drop flue pan and refine the bending and welding details, then buy the stainless, bend and form it, and hire one of our shop weldors to weld the stainless for me. Thanks for the reply's