Cleaning stainless steel wort kettle?

[MTFrank1]

(1) What's best to clean the scorched LME on bottom of the inside
of the kettle?

(2) What's best to clean the sooty residue on the bottom of the outside of the kettle?

[TeufelBrew]

Inside, soak overnight in caustic solution (PBW), hand scrub to finish getting little particles and wash with lots of clean water. Outside, elbow grease and a scotchbrite or 3m pad. Maybe some soap. Outside won't matter much and has no impact on what happens to the inside. Check what you used to heat with, new turkey fryers may have coating on them that will cook off after a couple of uses.

[darylM]

You can also boil white vinegar on SS to clear up junk. I have used it on my pots and pans at home and it clears up problem areas quick.

[tbone937]

To take this a notch farther, I've had a stainless steel pot built in a metal shop and need to get it ready to brew in. I think the joints (bottom edge all the way around, side seam, 1/2 inch nipple, and 1/2 inch NPT port) were all TIG welded.

My cousin (who is a pretty experienced welder, but not in sanitary stuff) said just to take a wire brush to them and make sure any and all slag (there's not muc) was gone and then maybe to boil some water/vinegar in it maybe.

Input?

Not to thread hijack, but *shrug*

[ClaudiusB]

(2) What's best to clean the sooty residue on the bottom of the outside of the kettle?
Ask any housewife or boy scout, simple solution saved my but during boot camp..
All my pots look like new after many years of brewing with gas.
Only water and a sponge required.
No elbow grease. (http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff156/ClaudiusB/Animation/Bottom_Pot-1.gif)
If you can't get the answer I will tell you.

My edit:
My cousin (who is a pretty experienced welder, but not in sanitary stuff) said just to take a wire brush to them and make sure any and all slag (there's not muc) was gone
Stainless steel can be contaminated by pick-up of carbon steel and this is likely to lead to corrosion. The workshops equipment should be dedicated to only stainless steel work.
Avoid pick-up from:
Tooling used with other metals
Wire brushes, grinders etc.
Contamination by grinding or welding sparks
Please Google!

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

[tbone937]

Seems like I've heard to put soap film on the bottom outside of a pot before putting it on the burner... is that the answer?

I've heard that makes it easier easier to clean. Not that I've ever done it with my hiking pots before since I like to think that the black buildup increases my heat collection from my homemade alcohol hiking stoves.

[ClaudiusB]

Seems like I've heard to put soap film on the bottom outside of a pot before putting it on the burner... is that the answer?

Correct:D
What you see in the animation is the soap being reactivated by the water.
My edit:
Not that I've ever done it with my hiking pots before since I like to think that the black buildup increases my heat collection from my homemade alcohol hiking stoves.
A good absorber of radiation is also good emitter.

Cheers,
ClaudiusB

[dparsons]

PBW. Not bleach.