Bent coal grate
- copper
- Member
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 1:26 pm
- Baseburners & Antiques: Combination range
On my "new" Andes combination range, one of the coal grates has a pretty bad bow in it (say ~1.5 ") – can I heat this red-hot with a torch and GENTLY push it back to straight? Is an oxy-acetylene torch the right tool? Obviously, I would not want to "force it" for fear of breaking the casting. The other grate is mostly straight, so once I fix the one, I am good to go. Just want some info from anyone who has done this to build my confidence...
- Sunny Boy
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- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
From what others have told me who have tried, it will break.
Can you use the other grate as a pattern to cast a new grate ? If they are too different for that you can still use the warped one to have a new one cast.
Try contacting Tomahawk foundry. They do a lot of work for us antique stove owners and the stove restoration shops. They deal with warped and damaged grates a lot. They will section the grate to make it straight enough to use it as a pattern to recast a new grate for you. Email Al the owner with pictures and measurements and he'll give you an estimate.
http://www.tomahawkfoundry.com/
I was able to use the long axle coal grate from my range as a casting pattern. Then, after I got my original grate, plus the new grate bars, back from Tomahawk, I just cut off the extra axle length off to make a replacement for the shorter axle warped grate. That range gets run very hot for 9 months of the year and the 3 year old Tomahawk grates still look good as new.
Paul
Can you use the other grate as a pattern to cast a new grate ? If they are too different for that you can still use the warped one to have a new one cast.
Try contacting Tomahawk foundry. They do a lot of work for us antique stove owners and the stove restoration shops. They deal with warped and damaged grates a lot. They will section the grate to make it straight enough to use it as a pattern to recast a new grate for you. Email Al the owner with pictures and measurements and he'll give you an estimate.
http://www.tomahawkfoundry.com/
I was able to use the long axle coal grate from my range as a casting pattern. Then, after I got my original grate, plus the new grate bars, back from Tomahawk, I just cut off the extra axle length off to make a replacement for the shorter axle warped grate. That range gets run very hot for 9 months of the year and the 3 year old Tomahawk grates still look good as new.
Paul
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- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
If heat warped it, then heat can put it back, but that heat has to be applied evenly amd held long enough. Buried in a coal fire big enough, or an oven hot enough. A shim on each end to allow the grate to slump straight. Cooled slowly. Heat from a torch is too localized.
- copper
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- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun. Apr. 28, 2019 1:26 pm
- Baseburners & Antiques: Combination range
So if I put on a flat surface, shimmed the ends, covered it with coal, started a wood fire on it, maybe added a mild blower and left it to burn I should be good? How long, since I won't be able to monitor the part?
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- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
The fire would have to be contained by fire brick, floor and sides. You need to get it up to bright red approaching yellow and hold it for fifteen minutes or so. Not easy. Cool naturally slow. Will probably need forced air to get hot enough. Like a blacksmith forge.
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- Site Moderator
- Posts: 11417
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Charcoal was used in the old iron furnaces to melt iron from ore. Blacksmiths tend to prefer a type of soft coal. Lots of air as evenly as possible.
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25706
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
There are many coal dealers in CNY now. Where about are you ?
Any of the Tractor Supply Stores - one in Hamilton, one in Norwich, Staelen's Coal Sales in Madison, Top Variety Hardware in Sherburne, Neuman Supply Depot in North Norwich. and more as you go further out from the geographic center.
Paul
Any of the Tractor Supply Stores - one in Hamilton, one in Norwich, Staelen's Coal Sales in Madison, Top Variety Hardware in Sherburne, Neuman Supply Depot in North Norwich. and more as you go further out from the geographic center.
Paul
Last edited by Sunny Boy on Wed. May. 01, 2019 10:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25706
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
Try doing a search for "coal sales, Syracuse NY". There are quite a few dealers near by.
And take a look through the pages of Lehigh Matt's listings for all the Lehigh Coal dealers. Lehigh Anthracite Coal Dealers
Paul
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Trying to staighten a grate by heating it can be a problem. The grate is bent but it is also stretched. When you bend it back, if you do, the grate will be significantly longer than when you started.
I usually break the grate where it is bent, drill the ends and insert a iron rod. then get the grate back in a straight position and use epoxy to bond things in place. Make sure the grate is the right length and use the repaired one as a pattern. the better the job you do, the less the cost at the foundry. This will work almost every time you need to duplicate a grate.
I usually break the grate where it is bent, drill the ends and insert a iron rod. then get the grate back in a straight position and use epoxy to bond things in place. Make sure the grate is the right length and use the repaired one as a pattern. the better the job you do, the less the cost at the foundry. This will work almost every time you need to duplicate a grate.