MtMan-List: Re:Tinning-A clarification!

[Roger Lahti <lahtirog@gte.net>]

Dear list mates,
John is adding some good advise to the original post of how to tin the inside of a
copper pot. I do want to make VERY CLEAR that I do not recommend that you use 95/5
solder for this type of job. I say this because the attachment below implies that
I do. It is an innocent coping of several posts and I do not take offense. I use
lead free silver bearing solder and consider it safe and not THAT DIFFICULT to
use. I do not know if 95/5 solder is safe and so will not use it or recommend its
use. No offense is intended to any contributor to this thread.

John Kramer wrote:

> The old recipes and instructions I've seen call for using wads & swabs made of
> "oakum" -- it should still be available from a plumbing supply house -- if not
> try marine suppliers to wooden boat builders.
>
> John...
>
> At 01:19 AM 10/20/98 -0400, you wrote:
> >In a message dated 98-10-19 00:45:46 EDT, you write:
> >
> ><<  I haven't been
> > able to find "tin" at affordable prices and just finding it has been
> > frustrating so what I use is "lead free Silver bearing Plumbers Solder". It
> > goes for about $10 per roll and that is enough  to do many pots. >>(This is
> an  excert from Capt. Lahti's' original post)
> >
> >You can also use "95-5" solder which is 95% tin & 5% antimony.  The antimony
> >makes the tin flow better & is not toxic.  Runs about the same price or a bit
> >cheaper as the lead free stuff.  Seems to flow & adhere better than the lead
> >free stuff.
> >
> >The old tinners used asbestos pads to swab the tin/solder around inside the
> >pots, but as we now know, asbestos ain't good for us, so it's nearly
> >impossible to find, & hazardous to use.  I've read that some used heavy
> >leather pads, but I think the steel wool trick might be easier --
> especialy on
> >smaller pots where you can't get your gloved hand inside with enough room to
> >move freely.  Some autobody sypply houses still carry the pads for "leading"
> >which was the process used for autobody repairs before "Bondo" came
> along.  It
> >was a process in which melted lead was wiped on the body metal to fill in the
> >imperfections/dents.  For large pots the pads used for this process should
> >work well because you're workng sith simular temperatures.  The small
> >stainless steel "tooth brush" (so named for it's size & shape) might work
> well
> >in some applications.  Some fluxes remove easier with alchohol -- the plain
> >old "rubbing" variety seems to work as well as ethanol & methanol & is easier
> >to find (local grocery store) & much cheaper.
> >
> >Above all -- remember you're working with molten tin / solder that's in the
> >600 degree range & ANY contact with bare skin is imediate pain!!!  Be
> >careful!!!  Any contact between this molten metal & water has explosive
> >results that usualy splatters the hot tin & generates large amounts of super
> >heated steam.  As Capt recommended heavy gloves are a must -- check your
> local
> >welding supply.  I'd also recommend long sleeved cotton shirts & heavy canvas
> >or leather work aprons.  I learned the hard way & have the scars to prove
> it!!
> >
> >I've done a lot of radiator work & some "leaded" body work & had recently
> >gotten the urge to make a pot too, but I was intending on using brass shim
> >stock.  This question came at a good time for me because I was doing some
> >heavy thinking about how to spread the tin inside the corn boiler sized pot
> >knowing I couldn't get my hand + glove + pad inside to do the spreading.  I'd
> >already decided simply sloshing the tin around inside wasn't a good idea with
> >questionable results.  I DO know heat is the secret to getting the tin to
> flow
> >properly & have it leave a usable thickness of tin deposited on the surface
> >the wife won't scratch through it the first time she scrubs the pot out.  You
> >want the pot just hot enough for the tin to flow & stick -- too hot & the
> >resulting coating will be pretty thin.
> >
> >NM
> >
> John T. Kramer, maker of:
>
> Kramer's Best Antique Improver
> >>>It makes wood wonderful<<<
>         >>>As good as old!<<<
>
> <http://www.kramerize.com/>
>
> mail to: <kramer@kramerize.com>