How to Add Tin to Copper Pans
It is necessary to keep your copper pans well tinned for health reasons. If food comes in contact with copper during the cooking process, it can damage valuable vitamins and minerals in the food like folic acid. Worse yet, absorbing too much copper into your system can make you ill over time. Keep a vigilant eye on the tin layer of your copper pans and pots. If you see the tin wearing off, it means it's time to add tin to the copper pans. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Copper pan
- Steel wool
- Tinning stick
- Flux
- Moleskin
- Brazing torch
- Firebricks
- Handheld brazing torch
Instructions
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1
Clean the inside of the tinned copper pan with steel wool. Rub the inside until the tin shines and any of the copper that is showing through is apparent.
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2
Rub the moleskin loaded with flux such as tallow over the cleaned surface. A moleskin is a thickly sewn pad made from layers of denim or corduroy sewn together. Flux is an agent that will help the melted tin to flow and stick to the inside of the pan.
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3
Build a makeshift oven from the firebrick, which will help efficiently build up the heat of the pan. Put down a layer of bricks to create a floor. Set a couple bricks on their sides and set the pan on top of them. Stack up two or three levels of brick on four sides, leaving one opening per side through which the head of the torch can be inserted to heat up the outside of the pan.
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4
Only heat the pan from the outside with the brazing torch. A brazing torch uses a combination of gas and forced air to create a hot flame. Tin melts at 450 F--you can tell it's melting by touching the tin stick to the inside surface of the pan periodically.
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5
When the pan reaches 450 F, take the tin stick and rub it against the inside of the pan to coat it. Take the flux-coated moleskin and immediately wipe the tin around on the inside surface of the pan. Work the tin into any areas that had copper showing through.
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6
Allow the pan to cool down slowly.
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Tips & Warnings
Re-tinning is a bit of a lost art. You can also send your pans to professional re-tinners.
