Hi Folks,
Not really a jewelry question, but hoping someone might know
something. Some students of a friend are making copper cookware
and are having difficulty locating on how to tin the
implements when they are done. If you know of any resources (or
know how to do it), a response would be appreciated!
Evidently this is done to eliminate potential toxicity problems
from chemical reactions between the food and the copper?
Thanks,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com
http://www.sebaste.com
Some students of a friend are making copper cookware and
are having difficulty locating on how to tin the
implements when they are done. If you know of any resources
(or know how to do it), a response would be appreciated!
Evidently this is done to eliminate potential toxicity problems
from chemical reactions between the food and the copper?
G’day Dave: When 'tinning is normally mentioned, what is meant
is the application of a lead-tin solder to the surface of a metal
like brass, copper, etc., - and this is easy to do on small
surfaces, but more difficult on larger ones, like the insides of
vessels. But on NO ACCOUNT should a lead/tin alloy be used
inside a vessel used for the comsumption and preparation of
foodstuffs. Lead is an accumulative poison, and it is soluble in
many vegetable juices. Which helps us to understand why so many
of the Caesars were so nuts - their wine was brewed and often
kept in lead-lined vessels. So solder is very much a NO NO!
However, the metal tin (stannum)is quite safe as it is non-toxic
and doesn’t dissolve very well in fruit acids. I don’t know how
one would go about tinning the inside of a vessel; the vessel
would have to be scrupulously clean, hot enough to hold melted
tin, and somehow coated with a good flux (ammonium chloride?).
Not a job for the amateur, I would think. But tin can easily be
electro-plated on to clean copper or iron- the makers of
commercial tins for storing and preserving food do it all the
time.
Books on electroplating are available from any public library,
and one could also try local technical schools, or eventually
the yellow pages. I doubt if you would find ‘Tin Platers’ as
such in the book, but if you called they might know who would
help. Finally, have you noticed that some cans are no longer
‘tinned’ but varnished on the inside? That might be another
avenue to explore. A heavy coat of an epoxy varnish might work
well. I use it in turned wood vases intended to hold water - My
wife has had one in use for 5 years. But cheers now, –
/\
/ / John Burgess,
/ /
/ //\ @John_Burgess2
/ / \ \
/ (___) \
(_________)
Tinning is easy to do. Clean the surfaces as you would for
soldering. Heat the area you’re tinning to a point a bit above
the melting point of tin with a large soft flame. Use ammonium
chloride as a flux. Ammonium chloride, also called sal ammoniac,
can be found in block form at hardware stores. It’s used for
tinning soldering irons. Powder a bit of this and sprinkle it on
the surface. Rub the hot surface with the tin. If you melt an
excess of tin onto the surface you can wipe it about or off with
a cloth. I’ve used britannia metal which is the modern pewter,
(tin, copper, antimony) It’s safe for serving food.
Dick Caverly
I’ve heard that one cleans the pot, has a small, tight bundle of
rag wired onto the end of a stick (absolutely no moisture around
please!) and melts some tin in the vessel by heating it up, then
one daubs the tin around the inside of the vessel with the rags
on the stick. Use ventilation! Charles
Brain Press
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
Tel: 403-263-3955 Fax: 403-283-9053 Email: @Charles_Lewton-Brain
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