Vent: My old coal forge firepot cracked right down the middle yesterday

I was working on a set of fireplace tools for a customer in Springfield, and the fire just wouldn't get hot enough. When I let it cool and cleaned it out, I found a big crack splitting the cast iron pot. I patched it for now with some furnace cement and a steel band, but it's a temporary fix at best. Has anyone here had to replace a firepot on a vintage forge, and did you weld it or just cast a new one?

4 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

4 Comments

barbara8277mo ago

That furnace cement patch might hold longer than you think! Cast iron can be surprisingly resilient.

3

stellac667mo ago

My old furnace cracked for good after a patch, barbara827, so I'm not convinced.

4

felixramirez6mo ago

stellac66, it's like that old saying about patches never really fixing the core problem.

4

lisa56mo ago

How long did that patch last for you? I had to weld mine after a similar crack, and felixramirez is right, a band-aid fix never really works for cast iron under heat.

3