"Terry Coombs" wrote in message
...
I have decided to give up and admit those wood stove grates have
defeated me . I have done a lot of research in addition to the
excellent advice y'all have given me and this just ain't happening .
These grates have been repeatedly overheated in a high-carbon
environment , and have apparently absorbed so much carbon as to
render them unrepairable ...........
--
Snag

I've heard that hot cast iron can oxidize along the grain boundaries
and become brittle and unweldable. That apparently happened to the
hanging side baffles in my woodstove, which first warped and then
cracked and crumbled along the lower edge. The stainless repair plates
have survived though they warp too.

-jsw