[TheForge] andiron bar replacement

[Jerry Frost]

Morning Don:

I have a couple ideas I haven't gotten to try yet but here they are anyway.

#1. The company that makes ITC-100 makes a product to shield things from 
high heat and oxidation. I don't know if it'd help against heat warpage but 
it might. This is their URL: 
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~pinches/coatings/

The pic at the top of the page is pretty impressive. Who would've thought of 
using plywood for a furnace door? <grin> I hadn't been to the site in a 
while till I checked before including it here. Maybe ITC-100 is all it'll 
take.

Jay Hays can probably get what you'd like to try, or put you in contact with 
the company at a level that'll sell small quanities. 
xmas4lites at earthlink.net

#2. making the fire grate closely spaced enough there aren't a large 
quantity of coals falling through. Then making the bars deeper than wide, 
say 1" deep x 1/2" wide so they can cool easier. a "V" or "T" cross section 
might help too.

#3. A refractory ceramic grate mounted to or in the andirons.

Like I said I haven't tried any of these but plan on doing a little 
experimenting in the future. Intuitively I don't think a single idea is 
going to do the trick. I "think" it'll take a combination of spacing, bar 
shape and a refractory ceramic coating or contact surface.

Hope my musings are of some help. If you try any of them I'd appreciate 
knowing how they work.

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.


From: <PlumDon at aol.com>


>I have a customer who burns out their andiron bars in a year. She has 
>asked
> me to use wrought iron this time as she thinks it might last longer. I 
> have
> welded on 7/8" wrought to the 3/4" bar but doubt it will make  that much
> difference. I told them they would have to keep the hot coals raked  away 
> to stop
> the deterioration but not confident they will follow through. Any  one 
> have any
> suggestions for a more durable material or approach?
>
> Don Plummer