Replacement Shaker Grate

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Sun. Jan. 04, 2009 10:20 pm

The reason is nothing else can survive in there. Cast has a 4-500* edge before melting and can dissipate heat at a faster rate than steel. A steel grate won't last long in the hell that is an anthracite fire.

 
CapeCoaler
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Post by CapeCoaler » Sun. Jan. 04, 2009 10:29 pm

At what tempatures does cast iron melt?
I'll post a picture of a grate that is now 'art' when I can get to it.

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Mon. Jan. 05, 2009 3:47 am

CapeCoaler wrote:At what temperatures does cast iron melt?
It depends on lots of factors, but around 2,100F. I don't think it's that much different than steel, BUT, steel sags way before it melts, cast iron doesn't. If you make one from steel make it thick thick thick.


 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Jan. 05, 2009 12:39 pm

I have seen numbers between 2100-2800* F, my guess is somewhere in the middle. It really depends on the grade of the iron being used.

 
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Post by Dann757 » Mon. Jan. 05, 2009 6:26 pm

I have a plumber's lead melting fixture that mounts on top of a propane tank, and a small crucible sits on top of it. I've melted lead for chess pieces with it. Not nearly big enough or hot enough. Someone mentioned about making a wood pattern for the forgemeister- that would be do-able I guess, I think that would take me a day to do. I don't shake my precious grate! I just poke up underneath and am keeping a fire going continuously! I just revived it after a bunch of handyman work today, it will take an hour or so to come back up out of the sixties.
My customer backed into my Ranger with her big Ford and took out my tail light today. I picked up the pieces and epoxied them back together like a jigsaw puzzle in their home workshop. That's how paranoid I am of getting a ticket! Just until I get a new tail light assy.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Mon. Jan. 05, 2009 7:01 pm

For you adventurous souls, sand casting is quite easy to do. There is plenty of info, Google is your friend. If you don't want to play with molten metal, you can make a wooden pattern to fit the your local foundry's boxes. I bet they would cast a set of grates and frames dirt cheap. It is the pattern that costs so much, your only looking at a couple of bucks worth of iron.


 
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Post by CapeCoaler » Tue. Jan. 06, 2009 12:31 am

Got some scrap!
Someone ran their stove a bit too hot!
Left side is what it should look like.
Right side the oops side.
Yea it melted and pooled in the ash below.

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Gary L
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Post by Gary L » Tue. Jan. 06, 2009 8:59 am

WOW, A fire that hot could cause some serious damage to the stove.

I think a simple round grate would be pretty easy to cast and make a mold for but when you get to ones that have the dump handle and the grate has tabs fo it as well a a drop down off the round grate to accept the dupmer and shaker handle the mold pattern gets pretty intricate.

As mentioned above, the cost of the iron itself is next to nothing but if you ever need to replace your grates and can find them they sure do get pricey quick.

Gary

 
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Post by gambler » Tue. Jan. 06, 2009 10:23 am

coaledsweat wrote:For you adventurous souls, sand casting is quite easy to do. There is plenty of info, Google is your friend. If you don't want to play with molten metal, you can make a wooden pattern to fit the your local foundry's boxes. I bet they would cast a set of grates and frames dirt cheap. It is the pattern that costs so much, your only looking at a couple of bucks worth of iron.
In my area the local high schools have small scale foundries. If you needed something cast it may be worth a look at the high school.

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