type of stainless

[csanborn]

what type or grade of stainless should i get to weld for a pan? any special ways to make dividers?

[Justinmaple]

Hey,
My pan was made of 304 stainless it is 18ga. Most pans are 304 -20 or 22ga.

[brookledge]

I would also recommend 304. 304 is non-magnetic and will stand up better than 403 will
Keith

[KenWP]

How thick is 18 and 20 or 22 gauge steel. Compared to lets say roofing material or the tin you pan your floor joist with. I have accsess to rolls of SS sheets in rolls and wonder if its thick enough to make a small pan as its only 24 inchs wide and a bit of it 30 inches.

[nas]

The gauge is the fraction of an inch. 22ga is 1/22 of an inch thick. Metal roofing is generally 28ga I believe.

[KenWP]

Thank you. I also would like to know if anybody has tried to solder it. Like cut sides and attach to the bottom so you can make a wider pan. I could also brake half inch bends in it to attach to the bottom to give me a inside and out side edge to solder also.

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

I think most metal roofing is either 26 gauge or 29 gauge if this helps for reference to thickness.

[Sugarmaker]

KenP,
That rolled stainless might make good hoods if to thin for pans.
Chris

[Beweller]

20 B&S gage is 0.035 inches. 22 and 24 gage are 0.028 and 0.022 inches.

I know of no gage system where the gage is the reciprocal of the thickness in inches. (References frequently list six different systems.)

[DanE.]

Also The same gauge of steel is not the same thickness in inches as galvanize, aluminum, stainless (300 Series vs 400), copper or non ferrous material.

For example:

gauge 20, Steel=0.0359, Galvanize=0.0396, Aluminum=0.0320, Stainless 300+ = 0.035 & Copper=0.032

But for what we are going to use it for, being this detail really does not matter.

Dan...




20 B&S gage is 0.035 inches. 22 and 24 gage are 0.028 and 0.022 inches.

I know of no gage system where the gage is the reciprocal of the thickness in inches. (References frequently list six different systems.)

[Fred Henderson]

316 or 318 SS will withstand more heat that 304. I made my first evap out 316.

[Beweller]

Sorry, the figures I quoted are Birminghan or Stubs, not B&S.

Birmingham is the most used gage for metal sheet. Gavanized sheet gage is based on the steel. The zinc coating adds some thickness, very little for electrogalvanized steel.

I have never heard of a gage system or systems that match those quoted by DanE. His 0.0359 sounds like 19 gage B&S. 0.032 is 21 gage Birmingham or Imperial, or 20 gage B&S. (B&S is the usual wire gage. One reference says it is also used for non-ferrous sheet, but I have never encountered it in practice. Wall thickness in copper water tube is usually Birmingham.)

DanE, can you supply references for those gages?

[PARKER MAPLE]

so what is the best gauge for a pan. and does it matter what you are firing it with, wood, propane,oil???? i measure my pan and its measures just over 3/32s

[DanE.]

It is from my machinist reference book. But if you do a quick Google on: gauge to inches

here are a couple from the web:

http://www.engineersedge.com/gauge.htm
and here is one that is very close to my ref book.
http://www.renovation-headquarters.com/metal-gauge-converter.htm

d.


Sorry, the figures I quoted are Birminghan or Stubs, not B&S.

Birmingham is the most used gage for metal sheet. Gavanized sheet gage is based on the steel. The zinc coating adds some thickness, very little for electrogalvanized steel.

I have never heard of a gage system or systems that match those quoted by DanE. His 0.0359 sounds like 19 gage B&S. 0.032 is 21 gage Birmingham or Imperial, or 20 gage B&S. (B&S is the usual wire gage. One reference says it is also used for non-ferrous sheet, but I have never encountered it in practice. Wall thickness in copper water tube is usually Birmingham.)

DanE, can you supply references for those gages?

[csanborn]

Thanks for the info. justin why did you use 18ga instead of 20? any special trick to the dividers that I need to know about?

[seclark]

I was wondering if anyone has ever brazed a stainless pan and if so what was the out come.Would the syrup have a bad taste or not,or can't you braze stainless.Thanks for any info. Stan

[Beweller]

DanE,

Yeah, I looked on the web and saw your numbers. Something has changed since I retired, quite a few years back. Steel, stainless steel, copper and I think brass all came Birmingham. I never had much to do with aluminum.

So, You are right, I was wrong.

[PARKER MAPLE]

I Saw A Whole Kit For Sale At Homedepote For Brazzing Stainless, It Was Cheap. But I Dont Know If I Would Harm The Taste Of The Syrup?? Can Anybody Help..

[KenWP]

What one has to know is if there is any lead content in the brazeing. I wonder if there is any other kind of wire you could use instead. We used to use baling wire with brazeing torch to weld things out in the feild many years ago. So I would assume if you used a low grade steal wire your could braze it that way. Another thing you could check is if they make brazeing rods for food purposes.

[PARKER MAPLE]

Going To Check Into This Also. Thanks

[woodbit]

I was given some stainless from some cabinets used in the carlisle hospital pharmacy. They are large cabinets (7'high X 4'wide X 2'deep) with several shelves and drawers. I'm not certain of the guage however they are thicker than the steam tray pans I used for this year. do you think that I could use them for pans? and if so, where can i get some ideas as to pan construction? I know i would like to make my arch a raised style and the back pan to have dividers running long ways (2) and the front pan running crossway(3). Am I thinking correctly? and also where do i source the hardware for the valves? sorry if this is to many questions. I have been gleaning information from this site and from a visit to the Pa open house a few weeks ago. I have about 120-130 trees so far. this year i did 85 and made about 10 gallons, i think, less what we had on pancakes at the shack and what "friends" walked away with.
Dick

[Dennis H.]

The thicker the stainless the more heat is required to get the liquid to boil.
Most pans for what I understand is made out of 20ga SS.
My pans are made out of 18ga a little thicker than it should but I figure it will be a little more durable so less pron to warping if I happen to run the liquid a little to shallow.

As for valves and hardware, check out MSC or Mcmaster/Carr.