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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Getting started

So I'm starting a blog. A couple good friends of mine have encouraged me to start one, and put some of my work on here. Well last year a good friend of mine(Mark Hawkins) got the notion to start maple syruping(sugaring). We were in the middle of a huge all stainless job at work, and he approached me to make his pans for him. So I made a set. One flat pan, a cross flow pan, preboiler, and finishing pan. He built his own forced air arch and used my pans. They worked great. He told me I should start making them. So I built a few at work, and to not burn any bridges I stuck my neck out and bought $4,500 worth of equipment and started making them at my own shop. It was the last few weeks of the season and I got a few orders. This year I bought some better stainless, some more equipment, and am going to get a head start on the season. So here are a few pictures of my pans so far.

Mark's setup. This is a 3x4 cross flow pan with preboiler, Mark's handbuilt arch and equipment.
I snapped this minutes before I passed it off to the new owner. I included a brass valve along with this pan as a gift. I also have a startup sheet that I send with all my pans. It explains how to care for and get started with your pan. These stainless pans will last a lifetime if you take care of them correctly, and always keep liquid them while over the fire.

Like I said I got some new metal this season. This is 22 ga. 316 stainless instead of the 304 I was using. This is a 2x2 pan with 7 inch walls. I sold this one before I was finished. This was a prototype. Welding this 22 ga. is much more tedious, and time consuming than the thicker ones I was doing last season, but the final product will be more efficient, and has a better finish.


I made these for an Ebay customer that wanted to boil over his double burner camp stove. He was very happy with this.



Flat pan, pre boiler, and finishing pan set, 18 ga. #4 finish




Close up of drain on preboiler





2x3 with preboiler 18 ga. #4 finish






Leak testing the 4x8 pan







16x16 finishin pan 18 ga. #4 finish


















2x4 pan (side view) 18 ga. #4 finish










2x4 flat pan 18 ga. #4 finish

3 comments:

  1. Awesome stuff Andy! When I need some metal work done. You will be the man for the job!!

    Later, Adam.

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  2. It doesn't really say anywhere on here what the pans are for. Are they for maple sap?

    ReplyDelete
  3. They are for maple sap. It was implied in the first paragraph, but not really specific. Note: the first set of pictures were of a prototype and not to reflect on finish quality of pans for sale. If you would like a quote on any size pan, contact me.

    ReplyDelete