Sticky Coal?

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traderfjp
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Post by traderfjp » Fri. Oct. 24, 2008 10:41 pm

I painted the hopper of my stove with POR-15. It dries very quickly and to a shiny hard surface. When I bought my coal this summer it was soaked and is midly damp now which is great for keeping the dust down. Anyway, I noticed that there were a few loosely held together clumps from the coal and that some of the coal is sticking to the sides of the hopper. Not a lot but a few pieces here and there and I really have to pull to get them off. Does anyone know why this is happening?

 
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Post by SteelerCoal » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 12:19 am

Trader,

I painted my stove with the high temp paint made by por-15, which is different from the regular por-15 that you used. But from what I've read about the por-15 paints, they are not set until heated above a certain temp. It could be that your hopper was not heated above the required temp and had the paint set, before you loaded it with coal, so the paint is still soft and not fully set. Which could be why the coal is sticking. Just offering a possibility, hope this helps.

 
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Post by LsFarm » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 12:50 am

It's the paint.

Greg L

 
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Post by BIG BEAM » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:05 am

Are you sure the cat didn't get in it ? toothy
DON

 
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Post by traderfjp » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 9:15 am

It must be the paint. There are a few pieces sticking but it's not a big deal. Maybe the dealer mixed in some cornsyrup with my coal. There was a little clump here and there which had nothing to do with the paint. Reminds me of sticky buns. Weird.


 
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Post by LsFarm » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 3:01 pm

Try cleaning out the hopper and giving it a good coat of wax.. Wax repels water, and should make the coal stick less..

Most POR paints are nothing fancy,, just a good quality enamel paint.. enamel typically in automotive [antique] applications had to be baked to harden properly. Can you put a dent or impression in the paint surface with a thumbnail or edge of a coin?? If so the paint is still soft, despite it's 'dry' surface,, the pressure of the pile of coal, and the sharp points on the coal pieces make it likely that the coal will be able to 'bite' into the paint surface.

Greg L

.

 
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Post by traderfjp » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 7:13 pm

Thanks Greg. I'll try the wax idea. I have some butchers wax that I use for wood working.

 
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Post by Freddy » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:46 pm

Maybe the paint was old? Rustolium in the can has a shelf life of about a year. After that it tales longer & longer to dry. I painted my woodplitter with some 3 or 4 yr old Orange, it took two days to not smear, it took a month to dry hard. I called Rustolium & they said "Yup". I asked what I could do with old paint to make it work & they said "not a darn thing, buy new paint".

 
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Post by traderfjp » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 9:31 pm

I ordered the paint for POR-15 and it had all summer to dry. But who knows....

 
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Post by Richard S. » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 1:53 pm

It's not uncommon for rice to stick to something if it's wet or damp and then dries especially if it's a flat piece. The paint is probably providing a good surface for it to adhere to. The flat pieces to start with and other rounded pieces can build off this. I'll venture to guess this problem will subside with time.


 
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Post by traderfjp » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 3:12 pm

The flat sides of the coal are sticking the best but it's not that big of a problem.

 
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Post by Freddy » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 4:38 pm

So, you painted the hopper to make it last longer? Seems right..... a corralary Murphys law .... no good deed goes unpunished. :)

 
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Post by k9 Bara » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 4:57 pm

I painted my hopper also and have a few pieces of coal stick here and there. But like you said no bid deal at all. I would / will re-paint again at end of season. Only difference is I'll prep it first, not just spray like my lazy a$$ did last time. :roll:

 
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Post by traderfjp » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 6:10 pm

Fred: U know it!

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