Hi all, I want to make a stand to hold a 20-gallon copper kettle over an open fire to make traditional apple butter.  It looks like antique stands usually had angled bar stock support that matched the angle of the pot taper such that you dropped it in from the top and the taper grabbed it.  Since the copper is thin and has a lot of weight I think it is important to spread that force out vs having it all bear on a piece of round stock.  This is an interesting problem to forge that ring and I don't know how to go about it.  I guess if I calculate the upper and lower circumferences needed I could cut out triangles until the remaining length that was left in the lower circumference was what I calculated then bend each shut.  Does anyone know the traditional method to do this?  I imagine barrel hoops are a similar problem. 

I don't have it with me right now but Mark Aspery's third book has a procedure for making a cone frustrum (is that the right word?) for the ring project.  basically making a truncated cone from a piece of flat bar with the ends cut at an angle, scarfed, and then forge welded together.  seems like the same procedure as what you would require, just a different scale and application.

I would get some oaktag and make an exact pattern directly on the kettle.  Then transfer that to the flat stock, being sure to include the necessary overlap for welding or riveting.

I just found aspery has a great instructive video showing how to do this.  Thanks for the steer. 

Carbon steel will react with the copper, ... and the application of heat ( and sugar ) will accelerate that process.

 

Traditionally, Cast Iron "Butcher" Kettles used a "3 foot", ... and Copper Kettles were hung from a tri-pod.

 

 

For what it's worth .....

 

 

 

 

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happy to help :) I wanna see a picture of this though, 20 gallon copper pot filled with cooking apples has got to weight quite a bit!

The easiest way is to use a traveler to measure the top and bottom of the where the ring meets the kettle. Then make the ring match the measurements.

 

A client ask me to make a holder for her grandmothers apple butter kettle. Top support was just under the bail (handle) and second ring was to support the bottom of the kettle at the taper. Either could hold the weight but I still used both. Made the legs with large feet to support the total weight with contents, and welded everything up.

 

Time to put the kettle into the frame and it would not fit or settle down as it should. I traveled the outside of the kettle, and the inside of the ring and it matched with a little left over as designed. Still would not fit and settle down.  I remeasured ever which way I could think of and the numbers were right. Come to find out the kettle was warped. Now I had to warp the frame to match the kettle. When I finished the kettle fit and would settle down into the frame for a perfect fit. 

nothings ever easy!!!!

hung from a tri-pod x2