The Dreamer
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I thought I'd document our shed build - though I'm starting at a strange spot, most definitely not the beginning, but a little side project that has turned out quite well, so I thought I'd share that first, and later posts will document other stuff.
We put a wood burning stove in the shed, and, while it is in no way building reg compliant, I have made it as safe as I feel it needs.
To this end, I thought I'd better have some sort of heat shield behind the stove and following the run of the chimney (the chimney is just single wall, not insulated).
So here are a few pictures showing our little project.
We took two 1m x 0.6m sheets of galvanised steel, and rivetted them together - also attaching two 'hidden fixings' near the top.
And this is where our project gets a little interesting. I had been googling steel patinas, and came across several YouTube videos on how to add patinas to steel. I was going to 'quick rust' the sheets, but then came across some copper plating videos, which then led on to adding a simple copper patina to steel.
Here we go....
These are the sheets after we have partly (mostly) removed the galvanising. We did this by pouring hydrochloric acid over the sheets, agitating, and leaving for around half an hour. I also used an angle grinder with a 'flappy sanding disc' attached to distress the metal further.
The hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) used was Bostik concrete cleaner - which is hydrochloric acid diluted to 10% strength. It could do with being stronger, as this took quite some time to eat it's way through the galvanised surface - but this being the UK, we aren't trusted with the strong stuff available more readily in the States!
Once cleaned up, it was time to add the copper.
The solution here is Copper Sulphate. Where do you buy Copper Sulphate I hear you ask? Why, any farm suppliers should carry it (in crystal form) as it's used in dips to treat the feet of sheep and cattle. Now, they did ask my wife what she wanted it for, as it's obvious that she isn't a farmer, but she simply replied that her husband asked her to pick it up - which was perfectly true. I don't think it's a dangerous chemical per se, but it is really bad for plants and aquatic life - which is why we were doing this on a bit of garden we don't really use, other than for bonfires and the like.
You can start to see the copper making more of an appearance now....
Then we moved it into the shed to dry off for the evening.
This morning, I was single-handed, so no photos. But I coated the shield with two coats of high temperature clear lacquer. Once it was touch dry, I hung it in place.....
With the hidden fixings mounted to a couple of blocks before screwing to the wall, the sheet sits about 15mm or so away from the wall itself, so there's a nice air gap, producing a current of air flowing up the back of the shield.
I think it turned out pretty well!
We put a wood burning stove in the shed, and, while it is in no way building reg compliant, I have made it as safe as I feel it needs.
To this end, I thought I'd better have some sort of heat shield behind the stove and following the run of the chimney (the chimney is just single wall, not insulated).
So here are a few pictures showing our little project.
We took two 1m x 0.6m sheets of galvanised steel, and rivetted them together - also attaching two 'hidden fixings' near the top.
And this is where our project gets a little interesting. I had been googling steel patinas, and came across several YouTube videos on how to add patinas to steel. I was going to 'quick rust' the sheets, but then came across some copper plating videos, which then led on to adding a simple copper patina to steel.
Here we go....
These are the sheets after we have partly (mostly) removed the galvanising. We did this by pouring hydrochloric acid over the sheets, agitating, and leaving for around half an hour. I also used an angle grinder with a 'flappy sanding disc' attached to distress the metal further.
The hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) used was Bostik concrete cleaner - which is hydrochloric acid diluted to 10% strength. It could do with being stronger, as this took quite some time to eat it's way through the galvanised surface - but this being the UK, we aren't trusted with the strong stuff available more readily in the States!
Once cleaned up, it was time to add the copper.
The solution here is Copper Sulphate. Where do you buy Copper Sulphate I hear you ask? Why, any farm suppliers should carry it (in crystal form) as it's used in dips to treat the feet of sheep and cattle. Now, they did ask my wife what she wanted it for, as it's obvious that she isn't a farmer, but she simply replied that her husband asked her to pick it up - which was perfectly true. I don't think it's a dangerous chemical per se, but it is really bad for plants and aquatic life - which is why we were doing this on a bit of garden we don't really use, other than for bonfires and the like.
You can start to see the copper making more of an appearance now....
Then we moved it into the shed to dry off for the evening.
This morning, I was single-handed, so no photos. But I coated the shield with two coats of high temperature clear lacquer. Once it was touch dry, I hung it in place.....
With the hidden fixings mounted to a couple of blocks before screwing to the wall, the sheet sits about 15mm or so away from the wall itself, so there's a nice air gap, producing a current of air flowing up the back of the shield.
I think it turned out pretty well!
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