non stainless steel pan

[joe]

I have a 32'' x 32'' x 8'' non ss pan I am planning to use to evaporate with over an open fire. Is this a good idea? Should I build some sort of oven around it? How can I clean it before my first batch? It has some slight surface rust and I just had it welded. I made 7 gallons of tasty syrup last year (my second) using much smaller pans. I tapped 15 trees with 2 taps per tree. I have access to over 350 huge (over 50'' circumference) trees and many more smaller ones....thinking about getting or building an evaporator next year and tapping alot more trees. :rolleyes:

Many thanks,

fishpal

[Fred Henderson]

Be sure that the pan is NOT galv metal.

[brookledge]

you could boil water first and scrub with scotch brite pad. But I'm not sure how you are going to keep it from rusting and making off flavor syrup.
Keith

[Big_Eddy]

I have a 2x3' steel pan I have been using for almost 20 years. Makes great syrup. Don't clean it after each batch - let a layer of sticky stay on the inside and leave the soot on the outside - both protect it from rust. At the START of each season, I clean mine back down to the base metal on the inside - never at the end of the season as you need the layer for protection over the year. Store it hanging where it is dry and it will last you forever.

Cast Iron pans have been around for years - not an issue. No off tastes, no colour issues as long as you keep it protected from rust.

DO NOT USE GALVANIZED STEEL - or any steel with a Zinc Chromate or other rust protection finish - all are very toxic. I would not use previously painted steel either.

[Haynes Forest Products]

A quick way to get the cook mad is to put a well broke in cast iron skillet is to put it in the dishwasher. She will hit you with it.

[Big_Eddy]

Joe to answer your other questions about an oven.

Here's my rough setup.
I build a cement block arch using solid blocks, 2 blocks high. I make my arch about 8" longer than my pan, and about 1 - 1 1/2" narrower. I spend a lot of time levelling it when I build it, adding and removing gravel under the first row of blocks.

I have a 1/4" flat steel plate that is 10" wide x 24 long that I have welded a 8" dia ring of 1 1/2" x 1/4" bar stock to. This sits on the blocks behind my pan and my 12' stove pipe mounts into it. I run 3 wires from the top of the stack to hold it up (Well flagged and mounted off to the sides so I don't hang myself!!!!!!!!!!!)

I have a welded angle iron grate that I put in the front of the arch, and use an old piece of sheet metal for a door.

I boil in batches (I know sacrilege!!) of about 60 gals of sap which ends up about 3/8" deep in my pan when done. To dump, I rotate the pan diagonally across the arch, and then pour off the corner into a stainless pot to finish on a propane burner.

I do 100 trees a year, about 60 litres of syrup, using this setup.

There is a picture of my setup in a thread on sap carrying.

[KenWP]

I actually found a syrup pan stored in the greenhouse the other day that had belonged to the fellow I bought this place from. Its galvinized and he had been useung it to pot plants in. Owell such is life.

[joe]

Big Eddy I can't locate your pics....what thread should I look in?.....

many thanks,

joe

[82cabby]

I'm not trying to hyjack the thread, but I was under the impression regular steel pans were a no-no. Would it be ok to weld up a pan out of say 16ga weldable (not galvanized) steel sheet from lowes or home depot? It would save me big bucks!

Dave

[Clan Delaney]

Big Eddy I can't locate your pics....what thread should I look in?.....

many thanks,

joe

I think this is the thread (http://www.mapletrader.com/community/showpost.php?p=65867&postcount=15).

[Big_Eddy]

82Caddy - I think it depends on what your intent is. I'm sure that no commercial producer would want to deal with a plain steel pan, but for me, making syrup for the extended family, friends and the occasional hostess gift, I have no issues using my plain steel pan. I'd be a lot more concerned using galvanized steel buckets or a lead soldered pan and there are a lot of both still out there.

Big Eddy.