Today we have collected the Pembroke Fireplace from the shot blasters that we are making look old for a customer all the nice matt black paint has been removed and we are now down to a grey clean cast iron base.
It looks very strange looking at this item as we are used to seeing them all blacked up ready to go out I must say though it does look more distressed now, the grit they have used to remove paint and some white under coat type material is quite coarse and has pitted the cast iron of the fireplace.
All I have to do now to complete this “antique” process is to black it up with some black lead grate polish I even have an old tube of the original zebo grate polish which you cant but anymore there all eco friendly these days and I must say not as easy to use or is that me being nostalgic.
This little project I have taken on for our customer and also for me I am interested to see how it will turn out and what the customer thinks of the finished article.
So in a sad way I am looking forward to getting back to the factory tomorrow and in between loading the large van for this Fridays Devon Run (that’s 3 time in 3 weeks god it’s a long drive) I will be polishing this fireplace to give it the traditional look.
Can you imagine going into a fireplace showroom and asking for this service you would have more chance winning the lottery we have always been different here at Cast Fireplaces and always try to please our customers in whatever way we can.
Must remember to take camera tomorrow to photo it before I black it up will post photos in later Article showing before and after pictures.
Right off to fill my log store as my mate has just dropped me half a trailer of logs of he had spare he couldn’t fit in his shed.
Thanks that saved me a few pounds no doubt ill pay it back in the pub but hey that’s what friends are for.
Posts Tagged ‘Black Lead’
New or Antique Fireplace collected from Shot blasters?
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009Can you damage a fireplace for me please to make it look antique?
Sunday, September 13th, 2009We have today answered strange Questions here at cast fireplaces I should have rolled over this morning and had another hours sleep to prepare me for answering them but I was out delivering and was up at 5am.
When I first opened up emails this afternoon I was pleased to see two orders from our website and promptly dealt with them and arranged delivery one was 1 mile from where I had been today in Hornchurch Essex but what can you do about that.
I just looked at the question that said do we sell Fireplaces? Now with our website name being www.castfireplaces.co.uk it does suggest we may sell fireplaces so I emailed them back enquiring what they were after.
The next email was a simple fitting query and the third one I read made me burst out laughing it asked whether the cast iron fireplaces we sell can be damaged a little bit to make them look more antique now that is a strange question to ask but to be honest I think I know where they are coming from.
When we were at Derwentside we used to distress (our technical name for rough up) furniture to make it look older than it really was we have been known to use a chain to distress table tops and belt sanders to add wear to Butchers blocks, now I have never attempted to do this to cast iron as it is very brittle so I suggested we could have the fireplace shot blasted and then just black leaded so it’s a little pitted and not as smooth as the ones we do supply.
With this news she was thrilled and ordered a Pembroke Fireplace to be shot blasted and black-leaded and even suggested to polish it sparingly so they could see some bare cast through it so they could get some rust spots.
So off its going tomorrow to our local shot blast to have it grit blasted which is the coarsest you can do im not sure how this is going to turn out I have had original fireplaces bead blasted to remove paint but nothing this severe anyway I will keep you informed of how things turn out.
So if you do have a strange question just email it to us there can’t be that many left that we have not heard off it certainly keeps us on our toes
What is a black leaded Fireplace
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009On our Black fireplaces we can apply a black leaded finish to bring out the features in the cast iron fireplace we do this with a Black Lead Grate Polish It is called graphite polish and doesn’t contain lead anymore but everyone knows it by that old name it used to go under the name Zebo too but they are no more.
This product is what my granny used to use on the old kitchen range and the fireplace grate in their front room.
I can clearly remember her polishing it with a boot brush and then wiping down with cloth to buff it up the required sheen.
These days nobody really uses a cast iron range for cooking or heating for that matter and most houses now have central heating and the fireplace now is a more decorative part of the room and becomes the main focal feature.
The Black fireplace we supply is coated in the factory with matt black heat temperature paint and can be used just like that for solid fuel with no problems.
We can also supply the black lead grate polish for you to apply to the cast iron to make it look more traditional and once applied I think its then hard to tell them from original Victorian or Edwardian type fireplaces.
So if you simply want to treat your existing fireplace or wish to add this product to your order or need any further info on how to apply it, which we will feature in, a further article just let me know.
Restoring an Original Cast Iron Fireplace
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Restoring an original Cast Iron Fireplace is a subject we get asked about a lot due to the fact that we sell Reproduction Victorian Fireplaces. Although we only sell new Gallery Fireplaces we are more than happy to pass on any info and help we can and supply the products you need to restore it with.
Cast Iron Fireplaces are the most likely type of fireplace that need restoring it is easy to restore yourself and if you remove the fireplace so you can work on it a proper height it makes the job far easier. Don’t be tempted to use a blowtorch to remove the paint this can easily crack the cast iron and the fumes are toxic due to old lead in the paint. We suggest using Nitromors paint stripper or any equivalent. Scrape away the dissolving paint using plastic or wooden scraper for the decorative details use a stiff nylon brush don’t be to hasty to remove paint as there will be many layers and it takes time for the paint stripper to work. After all the paint has been removed wipe down with white spirits do not use water or the cast iron will start to rust. A base coat of Heat Temp Paint can then be applied and a top coat if you want the Matt Black finish or if you prefer the more traditional look to the fireplace apply Black Lead Grate polish with a brush leave to dry then buff to the required finish. This fireplace is now complete and will look good for years to come just make sure it’s kept dry and never clean with water to avoid the fireplace going rusty.
 
Restoring a Fireplace To Former Glory
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Â After using for a while particularly for solid fuel use the fireplace you have will show cosmetic signs of wear and tear this can depend on what type of fuel you have been using whether its coal or wood generally the hotter the burning fuel the more upkeep you will have to make.
Full polished Fireplaces are very simple to maintain we tend to use WD40 for normal monthly cleaning but once every 6 months we tend to use Metal Polish which is applied with a cloth working in small sections in a circular motion its polished into the cast and the excess removed and then buffed with clean cloth to finish to a shiny finish this paste removes all the grime left behind and the Cast iron will sparkle like new it can also be used on brass chrome etc.
For our Black Fireplaces them come from the factory with a tough heat resistant matt black spray applied to the surface this will not normally come off or flake away so it can be dusted with a dry cloth to keep it clean DO NOT use Water on it as this causes rusting. Around the Basket area of the fire this causes white deposits to build up these need to be removed with a brush and then normally sprayed over with Heat Temp Matt Black Paint which will cover all the exiting heat marks be sure to spray evenly over the cast iron back to ensure colour match.
For our Fireplaces that have been Black Leaded we use Black Lead Grate Polish this is a traditional Black lead Graphite finish similar to the Old Zebo product which my granny used to polish her range with. It’s very simple to use and is applied by a cloth or small paint brush cover the area you are going to do wiping excess away at all times leave to dry for half an hour then buff to your desired finish with a clean cloth or with a polishing brush this method is very effective and I think it really makes the features of the fireplace stand out just have a look at the photos below the top one shows before and the bottom one is after black lead has been applied its not bright silver more of a pewter look
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Matt Black Pembroke
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Black Leaded Pembroke
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