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Refinish or retinning old 30 quart commercial mixing bowl

I am considering refinishing and/or retinning an old commercial galvanized steel 30 quart mixer bowl. Can a knowledgable reader/provider help provide guidance and/or the correct procedures/considerations?

Steve Rabin
mojo burrito - Miami, Florida, USA
2004

Hello Steve. A lot of people don't recognize that there is a whole of industry of metal finishing jobshops out there who are capable and experienced in this kind of work. This sounds like a food container for a restaurant, so you need to bring some experience to bear on it. For example, you are mixing 'tinning' and 'galvanizing' as if they were synonyms; I mention this not to nitpick but because the first is a fine finish for a mixer bowl and the second should never be used to hold food.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2004

September 9, 2010

The issue of re-tinning a commercial mixer bowl is a hot topic these days because of concerns that the tin that wears off gets into the food. Some states no longer allow the use of tinned bowls and require those made of stainless steel I believe that Hobart no longer offers tinned bowls.

There are fewer "tinners" around these days due to environmental requirements, and those that do tin can be expensive.

I am biased because our firm sell only stainless steel bowls.

Roger Madigan
- Armonk, New York

September 9, 2010

Thanks, Roger.

Do you have any references to those state laws? The NIH seems to feel (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3291572), if I'm reading right, that exposure to metallic tin was absolutely never a problem at all, that the exposure levels continue to decline, and that it is even vaguely possible that tin could have a future small role in cancer prevention and treatment.

Of course, organotin compounds would be something else entirely.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

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