Crane Grates

Crane grates seem to available format least one retailer but the price is what I consider salty. Does anyone know of other suppliers ? They consider the grate and the center slider as two separate purchases. I would have nearly $200. wrapped up for the grate pieces, so that tells me how important the grate system is when looking at a used Model 44. Anyone have a good source for the grates? Mike

There was a set on CL yesterday. It included every part but the pot.basking price was $450.

I can price having some crane model 44 grates produced at a foundry. But my guess is that the savings would not be that much. Anything custom made today is pricey. And especially if you are only making one. So make more, but are the customers lining up ?.....
Then there is the time to deliver and pick up the batch or shipping of said, and individual shipping to the customer, as well as customer interaction.
I did have a one piece 6 inch round grate priced and it turned out to be $100 including shipping both ways, using usps flat rate box.
So , a 2 piece, mod 44 would be, more $, due to its bigger size and its dump piece. I know the other source is high, rock and hard place.

Did you contact Dcrane? Perhaps Doug has a set hanging around? Come to think of it has anyone seen Doug hanging around these parts?

He hasn't signed in since April 7th.

I will send Doug an email and tell him he is "missed".......

there is no good retailer for Crane 44/88 grates, I do have some old ones if anyone on the forum is in a pinch let me know and ill send one out that will get you by. If I had a new one I would have some made (but the knucklehead who had a new one up in NH sold it for $50 to a stove owner like an idiot instead of allowing me to have some made )... if that stove owner who bought it sends it to me I will have some made just to have some on hand (there is ZERO money in doing this, its done because you wish to help others). I don't have time to beg some idiot for a new grate... but if someone has one and wants me to reproduce it simply send it to me.... I can do 10 or 20 up at the Taunton foundry.

404 grates are almost never needed and the few times one of the pieces may brake I have plenty of those.

I had talked to him , Doug, around then, late March early April. He had told me about the multiple grate order method that he had done in the past. He might still have a # of them, but I do not know if he does or does not.

Hi Doug, That guy who bought it from the "knuckle" was me. It is a new grate but was not a CRANE grate from one of your 44s or 88s. I have seen pics of both the Crane pea grate and the Nut grate and it is neither. I think he got it from woodsman and it is the correct diameter, but the dump handle is a bit shy in length, and the thickness is much less, ash holes very small. It would work in the 44/88, just not the correct one. I will post a pic of it. I do not have any "extra" grates , but I do have one that is , I believe, good for use in a sand cast mold. No cracks or distortions, I have inspected it thoroughly and it looks good to go to a foundry. The foundry I was going to use is the Auburn foundry, near Portland Maine. Let me price them with some numbers, as I need to do one of my other stoves grate anyway, so it might fit in the same box for shipping. Rob
I can sand blast and clean these up, if it would help. I would need to separate the dump from the main, rubber hammer, wood block, tap tap tap ...
I get a pic up of the other ( non crane ) grate when the sun comes up again.
I have considered playing with some green sand in boxes and coming up with a flame maker with a leaf blower, break up some of the old cast 350 eng blocks(lawn ornaments), but the big deal is the crucible, I need some knowledge on that area, that will not melt at 2200f. There are some nice forge designs on the cheap. to be used for other possibilities after. I think handling /poring red hot liquid metal at 2200 would be fun. They let me do it unsupervised in 8th grade metal shop, no problem.

that's a Crane grate... 100%!
the dump handle is correct.
it appears unused (or very lightly used) and smooth casting, just smooth any imperfections/raised edges with a 5" grinder.
YES.... rubber mallet works or simply flip it up and tap on edge of workbench and you will clear the stop to set the 2 pieces free!

I feel as if I am viewing the Holy Grail.....

Kevin

Doug, Just wondering what happened to the original pattern when the company closed it doors? Was that grate your father's design or was it from a previous endeavor? Mike

this is the new one that I got from the knuckle. it is 10" diameter, the dump handle length will work, but it a wee bit shorter, drill a hole for pulling, flatten the right size tube to grab it for left to right shake. I do not have any history of what it is from.

stovepipemike wrote:Doug, Just wondering what happened to the original pattern when the company closed it doors? Was that grate your father's design or was it from a previous endeavor? Mike

the aluminum patterns for 44 grates usually remained at foundry (though some patterns were kept in the shop), its very hard to know if these were at a foundry OR at the shop at the time my dad simply walked away I know the shop was robbed and I think that was the final straw, at the time I was still young, stupid & oblivious and its extremely hard for me to even think about what my father was going through at that time and how god awful a son I must have been to not have been more aware and more responsible. My dad did things I can only dream, he was so smart, so confident and so determined to have designed, sold, manufactured a product from nothing to a Company that at one time could have sold for millions and employed almost everyone in my family... My dad was everything in my family from work to vacations to coaching my soccer teams to teaching me to ski, talk, sell, etc. and I was not their for him at the precise time he needed me to be.

To answer the question, some patterns may be sitting in the bowels of some obscure foundry somewhere while others were stolen and likely melted as scrape or worst yet.... somehow sold/obtained by woodman (though I find that very unlikely since ive heard so many complains by people that their size is slightly off a few items).

Lighten up DC, I think we all got similar feelings as to what we shoulda, coulda, woulda done as far as our Dads go You were exactly who you shoulda been at the time & I know your Dad knew that as did mine.

agreed... Glad to hear I wasn't the only bonehead/shmuck at age 21 LOL