Good evening and a late post today im afraid as i have been out this evening at the monthly meeting for Ripley Rangers at the pub of all places as we discuss all business details of Ripley Rangers.
Im the very proud sponsor of the Under 7′s of which my son Jaiden plays for along with Adam and Josh from his school and Castfireplace are the shirt sponsor for this.
I firmly believe in helping the communtiy wherever we can and to sponsor the under 7′s is something we as a company are very proud to do.
We have had a good month with a win a draw and two losses one of which desrved a win and the other i admit a sleepover at our house was not the greatest idea.
So with our front two of Adam and Coby scoring each week and Jaiden and Josh holding it together in defence i feel they are really improving week after week and should have had more wins than we have.
Cast fireplaces one of the websites leading fireplace and stove suppliers will continue ther support for our local ripley team and will continue to support our team wherever we can and are also going to purcahse some man of the match trophies to encourage our boys to do well.
So if you are reading this and are local come and join us and like castfireplaces we are a very local club and welcome all newcomers to the fold and hope to improve week on week.

A fireplace is one of the most desirable features of a home, but it’s surprising just how little time some of us devote to looking after it. A fireplace is not to be taken for granted. Look after it and you will get more out of it.

Hiring a chimney sweep is a decent place to start. Your flue will gradually accumulate soot when you have regular fires and it can catch fire. By having the chimney cleaned every now and again, you avoid this eventuality. Once a year is usually often enough, or after roughly every 70 fires.

You can also reduce the build-up of creosote by taking a few simple measures. If you burn dry hardwood, there is less moisture and improved combustion. Also, ensure there is adequate ventilation, as this can be a contributory factor as well.

You should also clean your fireplace properly, removing all ash. Wear a dust mask when you do this and wait until at least a couple of days after your most recent fire to remove old coals, which can stay hot for longer than you would think.

As always at Castfireplaces once you have fitted your chosen fireplace or stove our service does not end there we are on hand to answer any questions you have relating to your fireplace
This morning i have replied to an email we recieved yesterday

“Good Afternoon,

I recently bought two of the Pembroke black cast iron fireplaces from Cast Fireplaces.
When our fitter was installing them, he got a bit of dust/cement from the inside of the fireplace onto the casting.
It looks like he has tried to rub it off and now the fireplace looks marked and not as black and new looking as it was before installation.

I don’t want to wipe the cast iron fireplace with a wet cloth in case it starts to rust. I tried brushing a section and that started to go shiny.
Can you suggest anyways to remove the marks to restore it to its original appearance before it got dirty?

Your help is much appreciated!”

Now for the solution to this is not a happy tale im afraid, as the fireplace has been rubbed to a shiny finish on the matt black paint it has gone to far for cleaning.
As it was only dust marks this could have been removed with a slightly damp cloth and then dried of with a clean cloth.
Now i know this sounds odd for cleaning dust of cast iron fireplaces but we have found it the best way.
As it is now though im afriad there is no other option than to respray the affected areas using a high temp matt black spray, not the easiest job it has now been fitted.
So if you are unsure what to do with your fireplace before you try anything give us a call we can then save you some time and expense and hopefully restore it to how it should look

Here at Castfireplaces we sell the gallery range of fireplaces and stoves and the limestone mantels we supply most of them have been presealed in the factory.
We always insist our customers reseal the limestone fireplaces before us to ensure it is done correctly so your fireplace will look good for years to come.
With all our Limestone Fireplace Packages we offer a free Limestone sealer saving you £17 for you to seal it with.
The limestone sealer we send is the gallery stone sealer we now sell on our website.
I have been asked before if we sell a cheaper limestone sealer then the Lithofin we offer so have today added to our care products the Gallery stone sealer.
This is now for sale at £17 a 500ml bottle whaich is more than enough to seal any fireplace and still have plenty left.
It is also for use on natural stone , marble, slate, brick and terrazzo.
It is invisible and soaks into the surface of the stone and once seled will last for a long while it will then protect your stone prodcut from everyday dirt and grime but any liquid spills must be removed straight away do not allow them to sit on the surface of the stone.
So dont forget seal your stone fireplace before use to avoid any damage occuring to the product

We have had some customers visit our showroom today enquiring about the Pembroke Black Fireplace and Tiger Clean Burn Stove.
In particular they were on about the finish on the fireplaces as they were not to keen on the polished finish but also thought the matt black was to dull.
On display in our showroom we have a barcelona fireplace with a black lead grate polish finish to it which is basically a paste that is applied to the top of a black fireplace which is then left to dry and buffed with a clean cloth to the desired finish.
I explained the process fo this and they were very interested as they said it was a perfect tradtional look
This finish is available for all Black fireplaces and we charge £15 for polishing them, it is also something you can apply yourself and we do sell tubes of black lead in our care section on the website.
So our customers were very pleased with this finish which was not mentioned by any other shop they have been too.
As i have said before here at Castfireplaces we are different and go alot further than others to make sure our customers have the perfect fireplace whether it be a bespoke mantel or hearth or simply black leading a fireplace its all little details that ensure you have something that you want.

If you’ve moved into a new home, the first thing to do is to check the state of your fireplace to ensure it is suitable for a fire. If there are signs of there having been a fire there recently, that’s a good start. Also, check inside the chimney to see if the flue is open. If it is not, there is ordinarily a latch or similar device to open it.

With the flue open, you should be able to see an opening so that the smoke can escape. If you can’t see this, it may be that a previous owner has blocked off the top of the chimney for some reason.

You might also notice that the walls of the fireplace are caked in soot while you’re doing this. A certain amount is unavoidable but a very large quantity demands that you have the chimney cleaned. If big chunks fell when you opened the flue, this is a good sign that the chimney is due a clean.

If the chimney seems clean enough, test the air flow with a match. A lit match held within the fireplace should produce a vertical flame as this means the air is being sucked upwards and out of the chimney.

This should mean that your fireplace is suitable for a fire, but if you’re still uncertain, it’s better to be cautious. You can always contact someone to do a more professional inspection.

Again we have been contacted today by someone browsing our website looking for a single fireplace tile that the builder had damaged whilst fitting the fireplace.
It was an original one they had decided to replace the tiles in and now wishes they had not bothered.
It is hard enought to fit tiles in the new cast iron fireplaces we supplied but the old ones are even harder, yes they do have tile cheeks which support them very well but over the years with them rusting in it does take a while with penatrating oil and sometimes a little heat to get them moving again.
On quite a few of the old original fireplaces the tile cheeks actually form part of the structual part of the fireplace and should only be loosened to remove or replace the tiles this one was the same the builder expalined to me and basically fitting the fireplace back together he overtightened on one side of the cast which happened to be resting on the corner of the tile as it had silipped and it cracked the top tile in too as he tightened it up.
We do not normally supply spare tiles unless we have had any damaged sets in stock which we then keep for spares.
this particular tile was from the most popular set Tulip Ivory and Burgundy and was of course the top flower which is the most common one to break when fitting tiles so we did not have any in stock im afraid.
So new set packaged up and on there way to Bury St Edmonds on next day delivery so he can finish the job, just a quick bit of advice tiles will crack if they are over tightned please be careful when fitting the tiles as at £80 set and postage at £14.95 its nearly £100 if you break them

If your fireplace is used for natural fires, then from time to time it will need cleaning. This is unavoidable as a build-up of soot can prove dangerous. You should make use of a professional to clean the chimney. However, there are other elements of the cleaning process which you can carry out yourself.

First of all, remove all the major debris from the fireplace and dispose of it. Having removed any larger items and swept up, you can now vacuum, although ash is likely to clog the filters, so it can be tough going.

Next you will need to scrub away the layers of soot from the inside the hearth. It would be best to put down a tarpaulin or something similar as well as a layer of newspaper before you begin. Having done so, add a small amount of bleach to warm water and get scrubbing.

When you’ve finished, dispose of the newspaper, lift the tarpaulin and get to work on the floor of the fireplace. The grate can be cleaned with oven cleaner for good results and any exterior metal can be polished after cleaning.

This is not a task that you will want to take very often, but when complete, you get the satisfaction of seeing your fireplace returned to its best.

On our website we sell a varied range of Multi fuel stoves which are working heating devices and are designed to be used regularly.
As this is normal and they are working it is quite hard to keep in perfect clean order as they are a solid fuel device and no matter how hard you try solid fuel is still dirty.
Ash and soot etc form around the door and when opening for refilling it often spills onto the stove and the hearth it just can not be avoided.
Over a hard winters use it is a good idea as covered here before in a little mainteanace but today we are going to cover the refinishing of the cast iron stove.
All our gallery and Carron stoves are made from cast iron which has an applied heat resistant finish which works very well.
With all working appliances a little maintenace is needed, the gallery stoves come with a touch up kit which is ideal for small scratches and blemshes but over time it will be neccesary to recoat the stove.
On our website we sell two good products the firest being stove and grate polish which comes in around tin and is ideal for reapplying a matt black finish to the appliance.
It needs to be done when cold and is just stippled into the surface with a short brush excees wiped clean with a rag and then left to dry for 30 mins before buffing with a shoe brush.
We also sell balck lead grate polish for the more traditional black leaded finish again apply using the same methods.
Following this will keep your fireplace or stove looking great for years to come