Survey: Should I paint the bricks around my stove insert?

[Gothichome]

Gina, I would not paint the bricks. I would just trim out the sides with sheet metal painted flat black with heat paint, leave the bricks showing across the top. To my eye the top row of bricks give it a rustic look. There is no hiding the fact that it is an insert in an old fireplace. The tin can be had for cheap at your local sheet metal work shop, and they will cut it properly and may be capable of adding the nice rolled edge. I bet it would cost no more that $20

[Mick_VT]

I would not paint the brick - a black sheet metal, or brass (if you want fancy) to cover it

[GinaC]

Thank you all! I would not have thought about adding another piece of metal, but I do think that is the best option. And using the fireproof paint in flat black would set my mind at ease. Now to find a metal shop in my area!

[phil]

if you have a pro make it I'd likely just have them make the same part but to the dimensions you want. but if it's hard to remove you might just decide what the edge should look like.
make up a pattern from some thin cardboard and fold it if you want bends. If you want any holes drilled mark them too. You could let them spray bomb it or just do that yourself easy.
sheet metal shops or tinsmiths cater to the HVAC industry, for something like a commercial kitchen the parts are often made to order. they tend to work mainly with thinner metals like for ductwork but probably have other abilities.

also you may find steel fab shops or even a machine shop or welding shop may help.
I'd just walk in with the pattern see if they will give you a price. Often a little shop is easier to deal with for a little one off job like this.

they will take your sample and mark up the tin and use that for their layout. this way if you dont talk to the person doing the work they will know what to do and make it match the pattern you brought in, If you can keep any communications about what you are doing to a minimum, that might help. You just want to make it an easy job for them so they wont charge too much.

if you bend metal you could specify the radius if you want a curve, otherwise just let them determine that. a tight bend is simpler.

there are various ways to approach making it which may depend on their equipment. some will make the dimensions on a computer file and send that to a burning table. the torch on a burning table runs around and cuts perfectly but it needs the graphics file. It can cut precise holes and leaves a nice edge so you can do silhouette patterns and things. making them do the graphics file would be pricey but if so inclined you might be able to play with a file at home and put fancy little cherubs around the edge or something like that. I know I'm good at finding more difficult ways but since it is sort of a centerpiece perhaps you'd enjoy some fancy customization.

it is possible to use a graphics program, you could ask what type of file they use, maybe google sketchup or similar. with that idea you could cut fancy little designs through the steel plate. I just enrolled in a graphics course for sketchup for things like that because I know a bit about 2D graphics but when it comes to 3D I get lost so it should be fun and good to learn. the burning table only needs 2D not 3D so the file isn't super complex for the technically savvy. there are other programs they may favor, some are free downloads so if you are inclined you can do that.

If you haven't seen a burning table run it's fun they go so fast and are so accurate it's amazing. the torches cut with plasma while the torch is driven in two dimensions with motors lined to the graphics file. You can hand cut with a plasma torch too. by comparison to cut a row of little cherubs out of steel would take a huge amount of effort. CNC can do that so fast you can hardly follow the cuts with your eye.

if they dont have a burning table they may just do a manual layout and use the shears or brake press or whatever they feel appropriate. If I did that at home with just basic tools I could cut it out with a zip disk and I could clamp it between two pieces of angle iron and make a fairly even fold by placing a hunk of iron on it and hammering on my hunk of iron to make the fold fairly even, or bolt on a separate piece of angle where I want the bend to be. That's pretty much like blacksmith methodology. .

a manual brake clamps the part and forms the bend more evenly just a man pushing a big lever. a hydraulic brake does the work using hydraulics so the method depends on what equipment they have onhand. a hydraulic brake may have dies like for example to make a 1/2" radius curve instead of a right angle fold. you need hydraulics for heavier metal , a hand brake will work for this job.

to make a pattern just use stiff cardboard, You can add more pieces by just taping them on. I'd make the cardboard fit the way you want then it will be accurate and remove guesswork. If you removed the one that is there you could trace the outline then modify what you need to. or you can add to it.
you can decide the gauge of metal or just ask for what the other one is, its probably just 18 gauge or something but you can have thicker if you want. 1/16" max you dont need 1/4" plate.

the paint will be fine, I'd just do that myself, save the cost there. No way I'd paint the brickwork. you wont even need primer just use the hibachi paint on your tin and call it done. let them do that if the stink is an issue for you. It's 5 minutes unless you do multiple coats and sanding. Just shake the can for at least two minutes,put it horizantal and do light coats to avoid runs. If you want more coats wait a day between. it dries in an hour if you dont go thick but off gasses for 24 hours or so, you can have problems if you do more coats before it's really dry because if the first goat is sealed but still offgassing the next layer can crinkle up as the gasses get trapped in the layers. If you do two thin coats together within a few minutes, that's ok.

if you send it out they will dress the sharp edges. If you did that yourself it would be a matter of using a fine mill file to take off sharp corners and you can use wet or dry sandpaper. If I did that I'd just say dont worry about dressing edges Ill look after that myself because its just handwork. It would be in bad form to hand the customer something they would cut themselves on so many wouldn't let sharp edges leave the shop.

If you need any holes to attach it let them be a little large and give yourself wiggle room for any inconsistencies in the position of holes. washers will probably hide that anyway.
Just mark the dimension of the holes on the pattern.

when bending steel there are actually two radius's. ( radii? ) the inside and the outside. You probably dont need to concern yourself with that but when you bend metal one side stretches the other side shrinks. with thick pieces where high accuracy is important there are bend allowances but that's probably not something to be concerned with since its just thin metal.

[Manalto]

Now to find a metal shop in my area!

If I remember correctly you mentioned a handyman that you've been working with. This job is not so sophisticated that you needed metal shop.

[1918ColonialRevival]

Now to find a metal shop in my area!

If I remember correctly you mentioned a handyman that you've been working with. This job is not so sophisticated that you needed metal shop.

This.

It can easily be made with a piece of ordinary flat steel you can get at a hardware store or somewhere like Tractor Supply. Apply a good quality stove or engine paint and it will be done. Total investment should be under $20. A metal shop would charge a whole lot more.