Got a little solid fuel stove in the front room. Nice little thing - two settings: meltdown and inferno.
Anyhow, during one of the episodes when is went supernova, the grate that the fuel sits on seems to have a got a touch hotter that perhaps it should and has literally sagged.
I'm not sure if this is cast or wrought iron nor if it can be hit wiv a big hammer until back in shape again.
Anyone know?
Worried that it may shatter/snap if it's the wrong type of iron.
I could put a picture of the problem, but it's currently incandescent so I'll have to wait till it's cool enough to be touched by mere mortals again.
Not taking the piss mate (although it WILL read like it) but you tried turning it upside down?
If the grate will sit in the other way, flip it and it should rectify itself in short order.
Pain in the arse doing it every time I suppose, but even I would have the fear of unleashing the BFH on it once it's cooled.
Love the description. :rollin
Yes, it's likely to be cast iron which will shatter if you start hitting it when it's cold.
If you're using wood as your main fuel, that is best burnt on a flat surface rather than a grating (if the design of your stove allows for that). You may be able to get a firebrick base pre-formed to suit or could cut a suitable shape from vermiculite sheet.
Andy - nice idea, but the grate isn't flat - it has 'fingers' at the front that turn up and form part of the front of the fire basket.
Fazerrider - We mostly burn wood, but during deepest darket January we use coal too, as a full charge will burn slowly all day or overnight with the air shut down.
Will try and get a pic tmr when it's cooled down.
I wonder if I can build a barbque blast furnace big fire in the garden hot enough to create the thermonuclear level energies needed to get the grate hot enough to hammer flat..?
You will NEVER hammer it flat if its cast end of... best you could try is to sit a firebrick in the ash box with the sag of the grate resting on it then try your thermonuclear antics again hoping that the outside sags a bit...then stop using coal....sounds as though its either a cheapo stove or a woodburner....our woodburning cooker was destroyed by a previous owner of the house burning coal and melting the firebox
The Frying Scotsman
As above............ get it red or white hot again then turn it upside down and put something heavy on it, or tap gently wiv a big 'ammer.
I used to not give a foc, then I discovered Red Bull and now I don't give a flying foc !!!
As others have said, if you wanna bend it get it red hot. But be careful it's very easy to burn yourself or have some sort of other nasty crises if things go pear shaped. That thing will hold a lot of heat.
It seems to be a current model, so you should be able to get a new grate.
But yup it's a cheapie. It looks not bad for a budget stove though.
Best bet is to bodge it till it's focced, while saving for a new un. You'll probably still get years of use out of it. Good stoves will give you plenty of control.
Be careful what fuels you burn. Wood is best, but I burn smokeless fuel during the week, or when I want it to smoulder away while I do other things or go out for a good few hours, or overnight burn in winter etc. The smokeless I use is sure fire, burns to a powder and only smokes up the glass when set near minimum burn, but usually just wipes off.
Coal is a no no, particularly if you have a lined chimney. Lined chimneys are really a must for small stoves. But even without a lined chimney coal isn't good, the flame is too long and hot, eventually you may crack the top plate.
Good grates should last almost forever with wood, but with coal or smokeless they will eventually burn right through. I've seen many wrecked grates propped up with tin cans in hostels.
wood i burn on a bed of ash, never on the grate, coal i burn on the grate, and mixed i burn on the grate, but wood on its own i burn on a minimum 4" of ash, my woodburner was expensive at the time and thats what the instructions told me and thats what i have followed - no pictures to view, so i cant see if its possible with yours picasa says the album is not available
Fat Maggot Clothing Company - remember FOCU15 to claim your foccers discount
forgot to share pics :rollin
Should work now?
Yes, pics now work OK. And is that a crack at the back of the grating?
I was going to make the suggestion Diligaff came up with, but the prongs at the front will probably make that impractical.
Where does the air enter the firebox itself? If it's designed such that it flows through the underside of the grate then this won't be any use, but otherwise you could get a slab of firebrick cut to set in the grate. The drawback is the ash pan won't be collecting the ash, but it's easy to shovel out anyway. A flat refractory surface is much better for burning wood.
Yeah - that is a crack. I should be able to weld that (you can weld cast iron according to a welding forum I asked on).
The bloke up the road has a proper anvil I can use - only problem is, being an anvil, it's too heavy to move.
