Stove finishes?

[john.s]

Hi All,
Have looked through many old postings but still feel the need to ask this question - having just purchased a secondhand wood burning stove! Basically, the stove is in good solid condition, with light surface rust - not sure what the original finish would have been, but wondering wether best to spray black with high temp paint or buff up with zeebrite. I'm not sure what kind of finish I would prefer, and either way do they both need redoing each year? The stove looks like a villager bl, (wood burner low canopy), but does not have the logo on the doors. I'm basically after an authentic, easy to maintain black finish - if there is such a thing!
Thanks
john.s

 

[Penners]

I'm not sure what the temperature limits are for products like Zebrite (now defunct), Zebo and other similar grate finishes. They contain graphite, but also (I believe) some wax.

You might be best to use stove paint. http://www.calfire.com/section.php?session=new&section=3

Personally I wouldn't use a gloss or matt - satin finish is nicer IMO.

 

[john.s]

Thanks for that - I think I will take your advice and go for Satin black - gloss was never on the agenda, but I was thinking about matt and felt it would look rather dull (hence I thought perhaps the zeebrite), right, that's one thing sorted!

 

[christianb]

I vote for a matt finish.

 

[Penners]

IMO, matt just looks contrived and phoney. I'm for allowing the metal to look reasonably metal-like, and a bit of a sheen does that best.

Sorry Christian!

(And sorry Matt!)

 

[Cloudscape]

I didn't like black - matt or satin. I went for graphite - Zebo, I think. I applied it very sparingly* and didn't try to buff it up much. It smells a bit the first couple of times you light the stove, but it soons settles down. A year later, it still looks good.

*I thin it down, and paint it on.

 

[john.s]

Hmm, the Zebo sounds interesting. I am just cleaning out the firebox now and am wondering wether I need to paint the inside as well? Will it help with longevity? Or just nice to look at for a while till it gets all smogged up? Well, I want to get things ordered soon!
john.s

 

[Cloudscape]

I just checked. What I used is Stovax Traditional Black Grate Polish - but it has a label stuck on the box saying "Graphite". It's in a tube.

http://www.stovax.com/products.htm?cid=7&sid=22&pid=491

I literally put about 1.5 inches in a jam jar, and a couple of brushfuls of turps and paint it on. I waited a long as I could for it to dry and then buffed it up gently with brush (a cheap shoe brush from Wilko).

Applying the stuff straight from the tube means you invariably use far more than you need to, and some of the moulding details on the fire can get a bit clogged.

Painting the inside is a bit like painting the bricks in open fires - the paint can just burn off again. I wouldn't bother.

 

[john.s]

Hi, and thanks for going to the trouble to let me know the details. I have decided to brush paint the inside - I guess it wont last great (or grate!) but after half a day sanding and cleaning I feel it is worth going the extra mile just for the satisfaction of it. I think the brush on stuff will be easier to apply internally, and work out cheaper so will prolly get a couple of good coats out of a tin. Now I am proper torn between satin paint and the tube stuff for the outside. I have a feeling that the spray paint may not adhere as well to any rust, the surface is good but about 50% original black paint 50% rusty/dusty/metal, theres a sort of orange peel texture to the metal (in a good way).
Anyway - just for the archives, I will take a picture today, and then when I have finished and post and show everyone the outcome - good or bad!

 

[Penners]

I didn't like black - matt or satin. I went for graphite - Zebo, I think.

I'm interested to hear that, Cloudscape. As I said above, I wasn't sure whether to suggest Zebo or other grate polish because of its wax content.

Did you use it on a woodburning stove that's regularly used? If so, has it survived the heat without any problems?

 

[Cloudscape]

I put the polish on in October last year. The woodburner was used every evening for several months, before the warmer weather kicked in, and a couple of times recently. The appearance hasn't altered. I must stress, I applied the polish thinly with a brush, as a liquid. That's how I always use Zebo-type products. The polishing brush and a rag take off most of the excess. It pongs slightly the first couple of times you use it (nothing objectionable), and that's it. One quick coat and about 24 hours drying time, before rubbing over. Then about another 6-12 hours before I lit the burner.

Flash photos are notoriously unkind, but this is what the woodburner looks like tonight. (Housework isn't fashionable round here at the moment).



I appreciate that taste's differ. The woodburner was black and it looked a bit naff in the room for some reason. I'd been graphiting the range with a water-based polish, and I got hooked on graphite, I think. This was just a quick job, but it looked better in the room at once.

The flash has made it the colour look lighter than it is.

 

[john.s]

Wow! That looks excellent, it's a lovely finish. Definitely something to consider!
john.s

 

[Penners]

this is what the woodburner looks like tonight.

Excellent! Just the way a stove should look, IMO.

 

[michael]

Interestingly, one side of the packaging on my tube of Zebo black grate polish states it “polishes and protects cast iron and steel objects such as grates, firebacks, barbecues, stoves, boilers and pipes” and on the other side of the packet in capital letters it says “FLAMMABLE” and also “if swallowed seek medical advice immediately”. It seems therefore that my wood burning stove would catch fire or at least give off fumes from the burning Zeebo and I would be poisoned by my barbecue???

 

[Cloudscape]

As I said... I applied the stuff (which wasn't Zebo) very thinly. It's flammable while in it's gooey form, before the solvent evaporates off. Very little smell was given off - I ventilated the room the first couple of times I lit the stove. Basically, I took a chance. The graphite paste was either going to fall off, or it wasn't. It didn't.

My thinking was... some of the items listed for treatment on the packaging also get hot. I've had inset open fireplaces that got hot, especially near the actual fire and the polish never burst into flames. I was driven to use the polish because the black painted stove seemed to shout '20th century' at me. The graphite finish instantly looked better - to me, and in situ.

Please note, I didn't follow the manufacturer's instructions (read above). I don't like being told what to do. 8) But I don't recommend that anyone copies what I did.

 

[Cloudscape]

I just checked the product again. Have a look:



The two inset pics are shots I took of the 'examples' on the packaging.

Please note... the product is harmful if swallowed, so don't eat it. :wink:

 

[john.s]

Hi All,
Well as promised here are pictures of the stove before and after. I used satin black sprat for the outside, satin black brush on for the inside - and used thinners to clean beforehand. New firebricks, new glass, seals, door rope, the lot. It looks like new - just one problem , I took the baffle out and have no idea which way round it goes - perhaps someone can advise? It has a curved down lip at one end, not sure if this is to face upward or down, front or back!
Anyway, here's the before...

During...

And after...

Does anyone think it is too big for the fireplace? I hope to leave the living room door open and let the heat circulate around the whole flat!

 

[john.s]

Also - there's a gap at the front of the firebricks where the stove curves out - should I fill that with fire cement or just let it ash up? (bout 1/2")
john.s

 

[Ushy M]

Hi All,
I took the baffle out and have no idea which way round it goes - perhaps someone can advise? It has a curved down lip at one end, not sure if this is to face upward or down, front back

John, our stove isn't the same model as yours but I've checked ours and the back of the baffle rests on the cast iron chamber at the rear of the stove, with the front lip facing downwards.

In terms of size in the fireplace - aesthetically - up to you of course, but in terms of Building Regs, I guess you've got it sited bearing in mind the Part J Regs about hearth size and distance from combustible walls etc....

 

[Penners]

As Ushy sys, there are regulations about the way stoves are installed, and it might be an idea to read these.

But aesthetically, I think it looks fine. A very nice restoration job!

In practical terms, it's almost impossible to be able to forecast how effective it will be in keeping your whole flat warm, but the chimney brickwork should act as an effective heat sink and store up warmth to keep the chill off for some time, even when the stove has gone out.