"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
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Grumpy wrote:
"matthew maguire" wrote in message
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Terry Coombs wrote:
In an old Bearcat potbelly stove . It's broke , and I'm pretty
sure brazing isn't the answer at the temps down there . This is the
grate at the bottom of the firebox , and if the stove gets red hot
, damn sure that grate is just as hot . The "shaker" (separate
piece in the center of the grate , you shake it to drop the ashes
into the bottom) is also broken . My wife sez this thing has been
in her family for quite some time , and she would like it repaired
and installed in our living room . I'm not so sure I want that ash
and soot spewing thing in the house , I'd rather use it out in the
shop . Any suggestions ?

The trouble with old cast and heat is in time much of the iron burns
out and leaves an iron core with a surface of little iron and lots
of carbon. If you just want it for the value (antique), then try to
stitch it
with 7018 or 7014 (yea it'll "tick", "plink" and have some underbead
cracking). But it won't look the same, rust the same, etc.

If you want it fixed for strength then your stuck using bare cast
rod and O/A. Bare rod is available in grade 30 thru 60 and is tough
for some to use but it matches perfectly except for having a less
porous surface than the usual cast iron.

Matt

You can also TIG weld it using cast iron filler rod. (Damned expensive
stuff for some reason) It takes a lot of current and it doesn't hurt
to have somone with a OA torch helping keep the heat up to it. After
you've finished welding it, throw it in a box of vermiculite or ashes
for a couple of hours to let it cool down slowly. We did it recently
on a centrifugal pump casting that was broken by an over enthusiastic
fitter.It worked quite well, but distorted a bit and we had to open
up some bolt holes to re-attach it. If you have time, bolt it to a
piece of plate to keep it stable. Gouge out plenty of material around
the crack site to get good penetration of the weld. If all else
fails, look for a company called Metal Lock in the phone book. They
have a mechanical process that is good enough that LLoyd's Insurance
accepts it for cast iron repairs to seagoing vessels.

Many thanks for all the suggestions from everybody . After discussing it
with her last night , we have decided it will make a very nice flower pot
.
Flower pots don't need burner grates ...
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Sounds reasonable. a lot cheaper than Metal Lock!