Don A Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 I hope to forge a crane for my home fireplace (for a couple iron pots). The fireplace is constructed of fire-brick & mortar. Would you recommend expandable anchors for attachment? Would you drill in the brick or in the mortar joint? Thanks, Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John NC Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Don, I just did one for a local cabin. We're using lead anchors, lag bolts and are drilling into the mortar joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Lead anchors? Most cranes I have seen are pretty much inside the fireplace and will reach quite warm temps---least ways if they build fires like I do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 my 2 cents. Ask a brick mason before you do dammage you will regret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Don, Recently saw two recovered forgeed pintels from a stone structure, vintage 1890. Tthe mechanical configuration was a piece of flat stock (8-10 inches x 1 inch x .25) that extended into the stone work and then split into a north and south set up (one up and one down) measuring roughly 4 inches each way, As you would suspect, it was rough and judging on the age of the pieces, very effective for its period of service. The vintage piecees are not pretty but they work well. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fosterob Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 I would use epoxy for concrete anchors into the mortar. I prefer hilti hy150 because it is a sandsone tan color that matches concrete better than most other epoxies. Go into the mortar joint so not to hurt the bricks, mortar is easy to patch later if needed. Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masons forge Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Hilti makes some great epoxy. If not use red head expanding anchors. I would put it in the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Lead anchors will work fine. The whole point of a fireplace crane is to put a vessel at the focal point of the heat which is the center of the fire. If it reached boiling temperature at the side of your fireplace, you'd be making a hook instead of a crane. The lead in a lead anchor is only the outside, the inside is steel which is unmercifully forcing the lead into the hole you drilled. There's a certain amount of shielding done by the bolt head and bracketing which will reduce the temperature of your lead anchors to well below anything remotely worrying. If you were really worried about it, you could also buy steel expanding type anchors, same notion as the lead anchor, just no lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 The lead is set deep enough to be behind the firebrick, so it will stay cool. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fciron Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 the pivot bar can run the entire height of the fireplace with round tenons/pivots in the brick roof and floor. If the top tenon is made longer then it can be inserted first and then the lower tenon can be dropped into place. No mortar at all and I've seen pictures of very old cranes that appear to work this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don A Posted October 13, 2010 Author Share Posted October 13, 2010 Thank you much for all of the input. I'll keep you posted when I ever get started with this project. I do like the idea of at least having a floor pivot. This would mean just one anchor in the side. My wife has developed a facination with open-fire cooking (and she's good at it). I recently cleaned and re-seasoned an iron bean pot I found in my great grandparents house. I'm looking forward to the colder months and a pot of beans (with plenty of country ham in them) and a dutch oven full of cornbread. I'd better get busy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holzkohle Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 For the cornbread, I would suggest that you try to find a spyder, a footed skillet with a camp type dutch oven lid for coals. It is rather a problem to dump your cornbread out of a 400degree dutch oven without burning yourself or messing up the cornbread. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Zinc lag sheilds have a higher melting temp than lead. Also, there are plenty of steel and stainless steel options available. Lag sheilds can be problematical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobblerForge Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 I've used the vertical hole method with two variations. One uses a hole drilled in the hearth and a hole drilled deep into the lentil, as recommended earlier. The other used a hole drilled into a plate. The plate was then pinned to the hearth with rivets for pins. Gravity does the rest. The one problem I have with anchors that put internal pressure on the hole sides is they can and have broken masonry. Stone compresses great but fails with tension. Gobbler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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