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How to fix hole in cast iron chiminea?

I am fixing up an old cast iron chiminea which has a hole in the bottom. It also has some clay fire-pit tiles which are is reasonable condition. What do I do with the base of the chiminea to prepare the bottom for a wood fire? I have look on the internet and most information says to use sand but what do I use to cover the hole at the bottom so the sand doesn’t full through.

We originally bought the cast iron chiminea from Bunnings at Rockdale. It is one where the chimney comes off and has a metal shelf that lays on top for cooking.

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Comments

EricL

Hello @lle

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to ahev youjoin us, and thanks for sharing your question about your cast iron chiminea.

In order to give our members a better idea of what the hole looks like, would it be possible for you to post a photo of the damaged section? This will tell us how big the hole is and how much of the material has deteriorated. Once we see its condition, we'll be able to give you recommendations on possible repair options. In regards to protecting the bottom of the chimenea placing sand is a good way to insulate the bottom surface. When combined with the clay fire pit tiles it should provide even better insulation and protection.

Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1 and @AlanM52 for their recommendations.

Eric

Dave-1

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/57357#Comment_57357

Good Afternoon @lle

I will also wait for some pics for a more exact idea 🙂 In the inbetween time I have seen my grandma use other cast off bit for filling in sections that have cracked or burn through on cast off fireplaces. Depending on where the hole is and howbig, maybe you could use some cast iron bits, then fill with large stones up to smal stones like you would for repotting and then sand. So thesand wont drain through.

Dave

AlanM52

Good afternoon @lle,

I have done this before... more info.

I like to recycle/repurpose stuff so over the years when I purchased a new BBQ I always kept the plates (both full and grill) before putting out for annual hard waste collection.

511152197_10238532667758135_193963004539476573_n (1).jpg

When I made the recycle/autofill birdbath I used one for the base.

I got involved with two Chimineas that had holes in the bottom.

My first thought for the first one (similar to @Dave-1) was to cut pieces from a spare plate to cover the holes.

Thinking about it how long before more holes would start to appear so I lightly tapped the bottom with a rock pick (hammer) used for cleaning used bricks - more holes.

I came up with the idea to cut a BBQ plate so it would neatly sit in the bottom and then cut in half so the two pieces could be manoeuvred in there to sit on the bottom. The 2nd one was larger and we had to use two plates and I made a note to collect more of them.

Cheers

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