Re: MtMan-List: Tinning

[NaugaMok@aol.com]

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. >>

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