Retinning Copper Cookware

[menon1971]

I purchased this lovely old pot from e-bay and when it arrived I realize that it has what is called a 'dovetailed' seam along the side and on the bottom which appears to be brass.  I'm comfortable with boiling sugar in copper, but I'm not so sure about the safety aspect with the brass dovetailing.  Anyone want to hazard an opinion on this?

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I am pretty sure that what you have is an old confectioners pan. Unless you plan to use this with something really acidic I think you are ok. Brass is mostly copper, so you are at the same risk of corrosion from acids, but not sugar. Brass has similar heat distribution properties to copper, but melts at a lower temperature which makes it better for welding.

[budrichard]

The lining is tin, SS will not wear out in your lifetime. Continued use without retinning will eventually cause a hole in the pan and this is not fixable. -Dick

[Smithy]

On 9/8/2003 at 2:16 PM, slkinsey said:

Not in Chicago, but:

Atlantic Retinning and Metal Refinishing

Rocky Mountain Retinning Company

Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop

A look through the Chicago Yellow Pages brought me to:

Archer Tinning & Retinning

 

I'm bumping this up to see whether anyone has updates. My sister, in Reno, ruined the tinning in her copper teakettle and things she may want to get it retinned so that it's functional rather than merely decorative. Rocky Mountain Retinning Company seems to be still in the business. Fante's Kitchen Wares Shop does not.

 

Has anyone worked with a copper retinning business in the past few years? Got any recommendations or warnings?

[Laurentius]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

Has anyone worked with a copper retinning business in the past few years? Got any recommendations or warnings?

 

Sure.  In addition to these, you can add:

 

Brooklyn Copper Cookware (Ohio)

Hammersmith (New York)

LJ Gonzales/Lucullus (NOLA)

Duparquet

 

I've used these, plus Rocky Mountain, and can recommend them all.  Of note, many places that offer retinning quietly ship to others for the actual work.  I suspect Fantes is one such.

 

Teakettles can be tricky, because the joinery can fail and leak and the spouts are not wipeable.  So that may require special expertise in repair and maybe electroplating.  My first recommendations would be Rocky Mountain or Hammersmith.

Edited September 17 by Laurentius
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