Engineering in the Kitchen: Aluminium Pan 2.0

Cooking is hard, and the vast majority of us are not chefs. Cooking requires careful thought, patience, adjustment, and other steps that are not appetizing at 3 in the morning. Do you know what sounds good in the early morning an egg breakfast, maybe some sausage or bacon, a piece of toast, whatever?

A simple breakfast can require various components and utilizes multiple pans, and each component should be treated differently. So why not just make everything in one pan, but with dividers and different heating to create an ideal meal in just one pan?

Materials

• Aluminum pan
• Aluminum scraps
• Blazing rods

Tools

• Propane Torch
• Kiln/Furnace
• Tongs
• Crucible
• Hacksaw
• Welding Environment

A large solid aluminum pan will be needed for this project. The pan size should be relatively large and provide a good workspace for modifications. A good size ranges from 10.25 inches to 12 inches, the pan should also be relatively tall, a good size is 3 to 5 inches. providing a large amount of surface area for cooking, however, any manageable size of aluminum will work for this project.

Create a workspace sutible for welding, this could be your garage or shop of your choice. Ensure all materials are organized, your workspace's overall layout is easily navigable, and conditions are clean and neat. For this project, the welds needed are relatively simple. A large working table with your tools easily accessible to you is mandatory, and an illuminating light is required, to cover the area.

A welding friend would be helpful, but if you don't have friends, you'll probably do fine, hopefully, maybe.

Measure the diameter of the inside of your pan, this number will be the length of the first divider. Using an aluminum scrap with a thickness of 0.5 inches, cut out the size of the diameter of the pan. Aluminum is generally softer than most metals, so you could use a hacksaw, be sure to get a precise measurement and an even more precise cut. This divider will be placed in the middle of the cast iron. The edges of the pan will be rounded or angled, using a protractor or ruler measure the arc or angle of the outer pan from the inner pan. Cut the edges of the aluminum piece along the measure of the arc or angle. The divider doesn't have to be completely perfectly with the pan but should fit enough to be welded together, leaving no gaps.

Once the first divider is complete, more or less fitting the pan, prepare to weld.

You do not need a welder to "weld" aluminum together. A simple propane torch can connect these two pieces.

Begin with heating the pan's diameter, and apply even heat across the center of the pan and the edges. Heat the bottom of the divider as well, it should not be melted but thoroughly heated. The metal will begin to melt at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, which should take a while. Once the metal is melted, place the divider, on the pan's melted area; the divider will begin to set. Once the has cooled a little but still hot, using the brazing rods, rub them in the gaps between the edges of the metal and the pan surface until it is filled with the melted metal.

Let the aluminum cool completely before beginning the next weld.

Measure the distance between the first divider's edge and the pan's outer area. This measurement is the length of our second divider. Cut out the aluminum piece, adjusting accordingly to ensure a snug fit.

As you can see, this second divider will create two smaller compartments in the bottom half of the pan.

Now it's time to weld the second divider, you should have gained a little feel for how to do this. Once again, heat the center of the other half of the pan, once it has melted, place the divided and allow it to cool but not completely. Rub the brazing rods on the edges of the divider and pan surface. Make sure to fill the crevices and any gaps. Let the pan cool completely after this step.

Now here's the complicated part, creating the different depths of the three sections of the pan requires a few things. A kiln or furnace, heat-resistant gloves, safety glasses, tongs, and a crucible. This process should be conducted in a safe and closely monitored area. The kiln should be heated up to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, this is the melting point of aluminum. You could use the scraps from creating the dividers, of find additional sources of aluminum, like old soda cans.

A friend who owns a kiln would be helpful, if you don't have a kiln available to you, then...

Place your raw materials in the crucible, using your tongs place the crucible in the kiln, and set it to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the metal is liquid carefully lift the molten metal from the crucible and place it into your molds.

Pour the metal into the smaller compartments of the pan. Pour the metal halfway into one of the compartments, and pour the melt a quarter of the way into the other smaller compartment.

The metal should take around 15 minutes to cool.

Using a variety of grit sandpaper, sand down any impurities you see in the pan. This could be an uneven surface of the pan surface or slightly coarse dividers.

Once you are content with your work, you are done. This pan can cook a variety of items separately, each with their individual temperatures and cooking times.

It may have taken a while, but anything for a good breakfast.