Homemade copper pans

[sapsucker]

I've read about copper pans on some other threads and that has sparked my interest in building one. One company (www.coppersupply.com) sells 3' X 8' 16oz. copper sheets for for $82 + shipping (cheap in my opinion!). I was thinking about buying two sheets and making two evaporator pans out of them. They would obviously need to be supported by some kind of a steel frame. This sounds like a great idea to me, but I am interested in any input you guys might have before I start spending and building. Obviouly there are pros and cons. I will have to bend and solder (lead free) the metal. However, the heat conductivity and price of the copper are what makes me think this is a viable option.

Ken

[Rockingham Maple]

I am a coppersmith by trade and this will be my "improvement" for next year. I am going to duplicate my 2' x 4' pans in copper. I was looking at 16 oz. but it is way too thin for my taste. If you take of your pans or move them around you will have to worry about dents and dings. Unfortunately copper is very soft but the good thing is that heat transfer doesn't really change as you get thicker.

I will go with something like .032 to make it more rugged so I can throw it around a little.

Good luck and let me know how it works out!

[BarrelBoiler]

that sounds really neat. Just a question what about electrolis (sp) between the copper and the steel? would you need to electrically insulate them from each other?

[sapsucker]

I finally made my copper pans! I attached two pictures of the one. Rockingham Maple, you were right...16 oz copper is too light, but it fit my budget much better. You just have to be careful when moving them and adequately support them from below. As you can see in the pictures, my setup is quite primative, but the pans work great. I use two stainless pans as preheaters.

[buck3m]

You've got a good boil going there!

[sapsucker]

Yes, I can tell a world of difference between my stainless steel pans and my copper pans. There are a few downsides to the copper though. It's not as strong as SS, it more expensive, and it's a bear to clean! But all of that is offset by its excellent heat conductivity.