Repairing a Cast Iron Food Grate

[Kelly C]

Does anyone know of a safe product that can be used to fix a cracked portion of a cast iron food grate? I don’t want the crack to get worse and break off.

 

[ChuckO]

might work

 

[JSaus]

You might get someone to braze it.

 

[JKalchik]

@Kelly C Can you post a pic of the crack in question?

Brazing is probably an option, I'd have to look at the alloy to make sure that it's food safe (shouldn't contain lead, etc.) A potpential downside is that may be a very glaring repair to some people due to the different colorations.

Me, I'd be more likely to clean it up, grind it out, pre-heat, weld it up with a high nickel rod, and grind it to match, but I also have the equipment here to do all of that.

 

[Bob Bass]

Drilling a small hole where the crack begins/ends would be my first step. Then follow what JKalchik suggested. Note : Make sure to properly pre-heat and post-heat !!!

 

[Joe T Gomez]

JB weld ?

 

[Kelly C]

Here are some pictures of the two cracks on the right side of this new cast iron food grate for a 22” kettle. If I do nothing it may crack at the top of the right side and the whole piece will detach.

 

[DanHoo]

New?

Is it returnable?

 

[Kelly C]

Yes they are new but I bought them as an open box in an online auction. Did not see cracks in pictures. No return possible.

 

[DanHoo]

I think worst case is they would still work fine, even if the section came completely off.

I'd try @JKalchik suggestion.

 

[JKalchik]

Here are some pictures of the two cracks on the right side of this new cast iron food grate for a 22” kettle. If I do nothing it may crack at the top of the right side and the whole piece will detach.

View attachment 45110View attachment 45111View attachment 45112

Wait a sec.... I see at least 3 cracks, not 2. If I had to fix this grate, I'd flip it over to work from the cooking side, grind down half way through the cast iron (maybe two thirds,) heat it all up, clamp it together, and hit it with a hot nickel rod. Cover it up to keep as much heat in as possible and let it cool down as slow as possible, then grind down the cooking surfaces. The bottom won't really matter.

Personally, I'd be more than a little bent out of shape, these, as sold, are simply not suitable for use, IMO. Even with the above sort of repairs, there's always going to be some residual tension left in it, and susceptible to more cracks. Even 10 cents on the dollar would be too expensive. In short, I do NOT expect to get broken parts in an open box special, at least, not the main piece. I'd expect dings & divots. These are broken.

 

[Ed P]

Assuming you are not a welder, if it were me I'd go ahead and cut the remaining section off so it doesn't break somewhere else and use it like that. Like Dan says, I don't think that broken off section is going to cause an issue.

 

[Steve Hoch]

Open box or not, that isn't acceptable. It's broken. I would be looking into getting my money back.

 

[DanHoo]

Yes they are new but I bought them as an open box in an online auction. Did not see cracks in pictures. No return possible.

if the cracks were not evident in the sellers pictures, I'd file a claim with the shipping company.

 

[Ed P]

Yes they are new but I bought them as an open box in an online auction. Did not see cracks in pictures. No return possible.

It sounds to me like you are saying that the cracks were visible in the pictures but you didn't notice them.

 

[Kelly C]

Ugh…did not see the third crack until reading JKalchik’s response. The seller used a picture off of the manufacturers website and did not disclose any damage. The ad did not show the actual grate being sold.

 

[LMichaels]

Cast iron is POSSIBLE to repair but very complicated. It requires being heated to near melting point PRIOR to trying to weld. I don't even know if it can effectively be done on something that small. If you bought the item off EBay, contact them. Explain the situation. They're ususally pretty good at stepping in and getting it made right

 

[Dustin Dorsey]

There's a product called baling wire that should fix that up nicely.

 

[JKalchik]

It requires being heated to near melting point PRIOR to trying to weld. I

Uh..... no, I don't think that's quite accurate. IIRC, it's only a few hundred degrees, home ovens are capable of it.

https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/how-to-weld-cast-iron#:~:text=Preheat%20pieces%20to%20at%20least,of%20machining%20required%20after%20welding.

An electric arc between the electrode and welding area melts the metals and causes fusion. The arc should be directed at the weld pool, rather than at the base metal, as this will minimize dilution. It is recommended to use the lowest current setting approved by the manufacturer to minimize heat stress. Preheat pieces to at least 250°F prior to welds with cast iron or copper electrodes. Nickel electrodes can be used without a preheat.

Short story in this case is that the grate simply is not as advertised. It may be repairable, but if you have it done by a pro welder, it'll cost significantly more than the grate is worth. I also would not use any non-metallic compounds to fix those cracks, I'd expect direct exposure to hot charcoal to be rather detrimental.

 

[Ed P]

Ugh…did not see the third crack until reading JKalchik’s response. The seller used a picture off of the manufacturers website and did not disclose any damage. The ad did not show the actual grate being sold.

Oh, man, that is soooooo dishonest. Bait and switch all the way! First course of action is to contact the seller. Hopefully, you scoped the guy out and he has a high feedback rating with a lot of sales and has a reputation to uphold. If that doesn't produce results, contact the CC or PayPal and open a dispute, then report the seller to eBay.