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Post by Jura on Jan 26, 2021 3:13:22 GMT -8
I found it online via google from a company called Tradehub. As i live on a small island my postcode is never recognised by sellers so it is always difficult to get stuff mail order but whoever i was dealing with was very helpful and it did eventually arrive safe and sound. Great to hear it. I must say that attitude toward clients has improved a lot for past 20 years  Shall you happen to need any other help to arrange sth. in the land of Poles feel free to drop a line. Those two establishments (one family in fact) are leading cast iron producers here in PL. I very often use this set of items in my stoves. firebox dooroven doorsash tray doorsclean out doorswould those doors suit your steam punk style ? |
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Post by Vortex on Jan 26, 2021 7:06:33 GMT -8
Trev that is crazy that your kiln shelf has cracked. I have been using them as cook-decks atop 6" L-feed rocket ovens for years now without a problem. Sometimes seriously over-firing for hours at a stretch. And they are of course meant to take a lot of heat. Could there have been some weird mechanical pressures at play in your set up? Hey Pat, No weight or anything on the shelf, it was just sat in position. Only thing I can think of is that half of the top of the shelf was covered with vermiculite board (Stumbler) and the other half not, the crack is roughly along that line. Maybe that created enough of a temperature differential to cause it to crack. Are yours any special type of kiln shelf? No idea what these are, they were the only ones I could find available in Ireland. Brexit has made it really expensive to buy anything from the UK as we now have to pay import duty and tax on everything. |
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Post by martyn on Jan 27, 2021 6:33:37 GMT -8
A bit more done, i have two 28mm pipes that run through the barrel, into the back the fire box and under the sloping floor. I will have to experiment to see where is best to allow the air out, at the back the front or maybe all along via smaller holes? I cut down a ceramic hob top and i still have my original 8mm steel top. i.imgur.com/JX3NF7t.jpgi.imgur.com/tbDjS0X.jpgi.imgur.com/fiehPG4.jpg |
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Post by fishalive12345 on Jan 27, 2021 8:10:43 GMT -8
Inspired by the links Jura posted for cast iron hardware from Poland, here's a link for kiln shelves from Italy: www.e-cibas.com/product-page/piastre-rettangolari. Composition cordierite up to 1250 degrees and cordierite/mullite 1300 degrees. Not sure if they would send outside Italy but if anyone is interested I'd be happy to contact them in oirder to find out. I'm thinking about using them as a facing material for insulating fire bricks for the top box as well as for the shelf. |
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Post by Vortex on Jan 27, 2021 12:29:08 GMT -8
A bit more done, i have two 28mm pipes that run through the barrel, into the back the fire box and under the sloping floor. I will have to experiment to see where is best to allow the air out, at the back the front or maybe all along via smaller holes? I cut down a ceramic hob top and i still have my original 8mm steel top. i.imgur.com/JX3NF7t.jpgi.imgur.com/tbDjS0X.jpgi.imgur.com/fiehPG4.jpgThat's coming on well, Martyn. How did you cut the ceramic top? I must have a word with the recycling center and get them to save a few for me. Your V-floor looks a bit high, I found it works best with the bottom of the V about an inch below the inside of the door frame: www.vftshop.com/images/others/Stove/V-floor.jpg What's underneath? Did you make an air frame for the secondary air behind the door frame, is that what you are going to connect up the pipe from the barrel to? Best position for the secondary air is in from the sides and down from the top. Your 20% CSA primary air I take it is the rebate behind the bottom of the door frame? The air would be directed vertically up towards the roof of the firebox. The best configuration is with the air directed towards the firewood, not too strongly concentrated in one spot though (hence the diffuser screen). When I tried high thresholds above the height of the primary air inlet, the fire would start off OK then crash about half way though the burn as the level of the fire got below the air stream. This can also happen if the firewood is too far from the inside of the primary air, 4" is about the max. The stream of primary air across the fire seems to be quite important. |
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Post by martyn on Jan 27, 2021 13:18:28 GMT -8
Ok thanks, the floor is just temporary made from vermiculite but I will adjust it as you say.
Right ... the air supply is something I can play around with but as it stands the front vent leads up under the door frame but it can not escape until it travels up the sides of the frame .. it is difficult to explain but I have designed it quite carefully to pre heat the air from the frame and diffuse it either side of the frame.
The two pipes run through the barrel from the back and will have adjustable openings so that should supply pretty hot air under the slopping vermiculite floor.
I figure I can release that air by providing exit holes in the vermiculite.... maybe a line of hole or just a gap in the middle or perhaps nearer the back.
Cutting ceramic glass is easy enough with a standard glass cutter, you need to be set up properly with a firm soft bass (bench with a towel ) and make sure the glass is very clean, I also run a paint brush of white spirit down alongside my straight edge before I make the cut.
It is a very good idea to softly clamp the straight edge.... cutting glass is easy but you need to make a single confident stroke with the cutter and also a very confident snap over the table edge.
In fact ceramic glass is very easy to cut compared to standard float glass, is has a sort of softer aspect, not so brittle and the edges are easy to sand over with wet and dry.
Having said all of that ... I have cut a lot of glass so it might just feel easy for me?
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Post by Vortex on Jan 27, 2021 14:12:40 GMT -8
I worked in a double glazing factory for 18 months back in the 80's, so I'm quite confident cutting glass. I once cut the edge off of a broken piece of stove door glass with a glass cutter, and was surprised how cleanly it cut, but that's the only time I've ever cut any.
If all your primary and secondary air are through small holes or slits, then the ratio of surface area to volume will be high, that might create a lot of resistance and restrict the air supply.
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Post by martyn on Jan 27, 2021 14:35:27 GMT -8
In that case you will have no problem cutting cooker tops.
Well I am looking forward to a little experimentation, that has to be half the fun?
I won’t be doing any finishing work until it all works ok and I always have your established dimensions to fall back on if I really mess up.
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Post by martyn on Jan 30, 2021 6:33:36 GMT -8
Well I have lit a couple of fires, one yesterday and one today.
As it stands at the moment i think it is still damp and i don't want to light a big fire but i have seen the vortex form for a few minutes but it only really burns with the door wide open.
I have seen a bit of smoke appearing for under the glass so I need to seal it better and i can see a few other little issues to tend to .... hopefully in a couple of days i can get a decent fire going..
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Post by Vortex on Jan 30, 2021 11:27:08 GMT -8
I thought you'd have problems with that air configuration. Do you have a piece of stove glass you can prop up over the door frame to get an idea of the size of primary air you need there?
If I was you I'd connect your heated air from the barrel into the airframe and open up the air from below the door frame for the primary, so it has a clear unrestricted flow across the fire. The flat sticky stove rope works well as a seal between the afterburner glass and the body of the stove.
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Post by martyn on Jan 30, 2021 12:36:23 GMT -8
I will see what I can do tomorrow, one other issue I need to address is the ceramic cooker hob glass does not conduct any heat so the centre strip was around 350c but only 60 c 200 mm away on the edge .. again I will have to wait until I get it working better but I think steel might be better fo me.
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Post by 1967gto on Jan 30, 2021 15:24:55 GMT -8
Do you think a 6" system would be enough for a 1700 sq. ft. house?
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Post by Vortex on Jan 31, 2021 2:36:11 GMT -8
A lot depends on the house, climate, amount of mass/ISA & number of fires a day. A modern insulated house in the UK with at least a ton of mass and 2 fires a day, definitely.
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Post by martyn on Jan 31, 2021 4:44:45 GMT -8
Well I got it going ... I modified the main air inlet by cutting a slope in the refactory base and extending the pre heated air and changing its direction.
I also sealed up any leaks I could find... it is all a little bit Heath Robinson at the moment but it is working!
However I feel there is still more potential as the fresh cement drys especially the base under the barrel.
With the bypass fully open the ceramic glass was hitting 530c my barrel top around 170c, with the bypass closed every thing slowed down but the vortex stayed working well.
In the video the bypass is closed and the glass is around 430c
My barrel is not getting very warm only around 90c at the bottom but I think this is due to the base being wet?
The chimney temperature was over 200c with the bypass open and around 60 with it closed.
If I plug the heated air the fire virtually stalls, if I block the main air it almost stalls so they seem to work well together?
I am relieved to see it working even though not quite on song ....
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Post by Vortex on Jan 31, 2021 5:56:10 GMT -8
Oh yes! that's better, well done Martyn As you've seen it doesn't like the air restricted too much, especially at startup, after the fire has peaked you can reduce the air no problem. Your initial shot of the vortex at 1:20 is about the minimum air, you can tell by the amount of flame going around the shelf edge, that would be about 8% O2 and 500ppm CO. Any more flame than that around the shelf and the CO would start to rise fast. Keep the vortex spinning above the port and the CO will stay low, with my best configuration I can get at least a third of the burn below 100ppm that way. The glass is fine up to 800C, doesn't start to get etched till around 850C. Looks like a half load of timber scraps? Try a full load of log wood I'm sure you'll see the temps rise then. Your chimney temp is 60C so you're getting all the heat from the fuel going somewhere. Cant wait to see the finished stove. |
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