Crane 404 Firepot found

Many people ask how to obtain a firepot for the 404 without having to pay woodsman $850.00! The best way is to keep your eye out for used Crane 404's (Thanks to Justin, i forgot his forum name) He informed of a Crane 404 near me which was in such perfect condition for $350 (but did not have the firepot because it had only ever burned wood a few times), thankfully we spotted the brand new firepot sitting behind the nice lady's oil tank unused for 40 years.

There out there!

Amazing what we can find when we look--:) Nice D

There have been a few decent crane stoves on FB, Let go and offer up. I believe you found the nicest one except for one in uxbridge that had a soap stone package.

looks like a great time for a group re-cast at Tomahawk !!

Yes, ill run it past a local foundry just for kicks to see what a recast cost, but i cannot believe how much it is even to recondition something with basics at this point... I just bought new window, door gaskets, one piece ceramic glass, 4 cans of stove bright paint and it came to almost $200.00! are you kidding me! :/ god forbid you ever try to recondition something with castings, nickle plating, welding, etc. (cost ya thousands LOL)

IT will cost you thousands due to inflation. Everything is insane these days because we are OLD, and remember what things USED to cost.

Kevin

KingCoal wrote: ↑

Mon. Jul. 20, 2020 8:07 am

looks like a great time for a group re-cast at Tomahawk !!

Great thought.

I don't think it would be too hard copy one of those and make it out of castable refractory cement. Tracing a pattern, a little thought, a little will power, I think it could be done. May not hold up like the cast iron, but could also be made in pieces as well possibly. I'm just thinking out loud.

Hoytman wrote: ↑

Tue. Jul. 21, 2020 2:14 pm

Great thought.

I don't think it would be too hard copy one of those and make it out of castable refractory cement. Tracing a pattern, a little thought, a little will power, I think it could be done. May not hold up like the cast iron, but could also be made in pieces as well possibly. I'm just thinking out loud.

it would require something to sit on though still (therein lies the problem), the cast iron has a "lip" which holds it suspended above the grate system. therefor it would require angle iron system in the stove to hold the firebrick off the grate system (I visited an ole friend of the forum who has since passed who did exactly this) and im afraid now with these prices (even a couple lousy buckets of rutland refractory cost like $60.00 per bucket and it requires two to do...insanity!) add form building, add welding and angle, and all of sudden a simple trip to the foundry might be just what the doctor ordered...

I smoothed this one beauty like the proverbial baby's azz (42 lbs.) ill keep in truck and try to get a quote from a local foundry before i ever use this firepot.

Original post deleted by me.

I've done plenty of forming of odd shapes like that. Would be a piece of cake even with the lip that when I poured it would be on the bottom and on a super flat surface.

Hoytman wrote: ↑

Tue. Jul. 21, 2020 3:31 pm

Original post deleted by me.

I've done plenty of forming of odd shapes like that. Would be a piece of cake even with the lip that when I poured it would be on the bottom and on a super flat surface.

My fear is the lip could never support the weight, the poking, the abuse long term.

Understand that. Is there a particular thing keeping the lip from being made thicker? No reason castable refractory can't be strengthened with fibers just like concrete IF you could get by making a thicker lip to also increase strength. Just a thought...

The best way to make a new pot would be to
make it from a sand mold and pour your gray iron into it, then machine finish. The ones you have could be used as the pattern. You might want to call G&W in Foundry or a local mom and pop foundry, the only problem they aren’t around anymore.

Bad news... it cost $400 to replicate this firepot in a sand mold! $200 or even $250 I can see doing but not $400. there for, i wont be making any (i prefer to keep my eyes open for mint condition used ones).