I know what you mean about time and trouble. It's a good thing I enjoy that kind of "trouble", though it helps to be in the mood. Repair reduces the scrap pile, yet validates it's existence to my wife, when I can save a few dollars by useing some of that "valuable" junk that collects and clutters here and there.
Those $20 cast iron grates are junk. I patched on one for years before splurging on a new one this year that looked heavy duty but it melted and the bottom fell out the night I brought it home. Use your welding skills to build a custom design out of steel. I created a double andiron design from the plowholder thingies off an old cultivator and welded in some 3/4" steel mesh from some old catwalk for the U-shaped grate bed. I originally put on four 3" legs but after some trial runs I opted to cut the front legs back to nubbins, just enough to catch a poker under it and tilt it up for cleanout and re-kindling embers.
I like the steel mesh idea for the grate bed. Does that hold the embers pretty well while you scoop out the ashes? With my very open grate bed, the embers and ashes are all mixed and I have no easy way to separate them. So, come morning, they all get tossed out to make room for a new fire.
Exactly. It's like the grates you see in sidewalks over underground transformers. I'm scheming now on a flip-up front leg(s) to hold it way up to make it easier to clean out the ash and give the fire air for re-kindling. In making the grate pitch slightly forward it makes it easier to rake embers to the front and toss fresh logs in the back. My original design had five convection tubes (tailpipes) which did increase heat output when the insert was in fireplace mode but the welds wouldn't hold and I'll have to agree with the wife in saying it looked like a car had crashed into our fireplace.
Hmmm. You have given me some food for thought. I can see this turning into a longterm project trying to create the "perfect" fireplace grate. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] A new model every year or so.
The kind of stuff that comes through the local steel scrapyard is amazing. I will keep on the lookout for some "mesh". I'd like to be able to keep the embers in the fireplace for one reason other than the obvious one. I don't really have a good, safe place to put semi-burning fireplace waste. I just find a little piece of bare ground out back and toss 'em. No problems, so far, but it would be good to have a safe place to toss.
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