For the house this time , as the one that has been on it for the last ten years was only a quick and dirty makeshift aluminum sheet job that got forgotten for too long and was beginning to rattle in the wind a bit too much .
So I scrounged through my stock of scrap steel to see what I could come up with and found some gray two inch wide channel iron I must have dumpster dove for at some point long enough ago to have forgotten about .
After some measuring and cutting , some beating with the two pound hammer to fold one flange over
I tack together a roughly sixteen by twenty inch frame with my chinesium stick welder so it fits over the top of the chimney .
And after some more fiddling come up with this rig . The sharp eyed among you will recognize the ridge as part of an old box spring bed .
A quick test fit
And a quick blast of Rustoleum hides most of my chicken-shit welding
If you don't stand too close it looks OK , yea the front of the frame has a curve to it to fit the corresponding curve in the bricks on the chimney .
Cut , score and fold some 20 ga stainless steel sheeting I rescued from a dumpster a few years ago .
120 grit in the random orbital sander buffs out most of the scratches and gives it the brushed look .
Some polyurethane caulking
And clamp the crap out of it overnight
Next morning set it out in the sun for a couple of days to cook-off the polyurethane a bit .
Built like a brick out-house, not bad for a hack , almost looks like we knew what we was doing .
And it even fits the chimney
See that's the curvy side where back in 1937 the brick layer was polishing of the last six-pack , fits perfect .
And the gratuitous shot showing my two-toned roof job on the barn .
Looks good!
ReplyDeleteYea, just don't look too close LOL. It really turned out heavier than I intended but I was making due with what I had on hand. Must be at least 15 pounds all told.
DeleteThat’s not bad, Mike. You need a tig welder for that light gage stuff right?
ReplyDeleteIt’s good to see ya posting again. 😉👍
Yes a TIG welder is one of the items on my wish list and would do a nicer job of it but anyone of the foot controlled ones are quite spendy. I've had my eye on one of the Eastwood ones that seem to run about a grand these days.
DeleteI'll post so long as I have something for show-and-tell and that is somewhat dicey lately. My mobility these days is seriously impaired with major back problems. PWT genes and five decades of crash and burn living and have done me in. If I were a horse you'd be licking me off the back of a stamp by now.
I could sell you some of my Miracle Dandelion Tea Mike. Cures rickets, scurvy, cancer and arthritis! Medically prepared on a Jet Boil - the King Of All Stoves! ;)
DeleteHippy snake oil cooked on the devil's own bunsen burner eh?
DeleteNice chimney cap, M. You worried about birds and critters getting in the open sides of your cap? Expanded metal would work. At fifteen pounds only a hurricane could make that a yard kite Sorry about not commenting earlier, wi fi has been real spotty over the last month and I didn't want to make a snarky comment about what I couldn't see (pics would not load), not that has ever stopped me before...
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin, the previous cap was of similar configuration. Just a wooden base frame with an unsupported piece of folded aluminum nailed to that. But I never had birds fly down the chimney. They would not last too long as the furnace fumes would "terminate" them quickly. The old cap did get blown off a couple times in storms and was worse for wear. This new one is jammed on there tight. Any storm that is strong enough to blow this one off and we have bigger problems to worry about than the cap going for a ride.
Deleteno coon screen? have to have them up here.
ReplyDeleteIt has not been an issue in seventeen years I have owned the house. Can't recall ever seeing a racoon around here. We do have plenty foxes and coyotes around so I suspect they keep the population in check. Possums were making frequent visits a few years back but haven't seen any of those in a couple years.
DeleteM, getting a little closer for you to build something... the peons are getting testy.
ReplyDeleteHey Kevin, still waiting on tile guys and flooring guys to do their thing so I can go back to the paying gig and do interior trim. Though I am not looking forward to it at all as the back has been giving me a whole heap of trouble so have been laying low. So haven had much for show and tell lately.
DeleteBacks can be a pain in the maximus... I don't envy you. I never had any back problems outside of over doing it like i was 18 again. My beef is my right kidney, it never developed and starting giving me fits and a shunt was put in a year ago, no joy. Doc now wants to split me sideways to remove it, not looking forward to that. Take good care or yourself, you are unique and we need all the niques we can save... Enjoy your Fathers Day Sunday, hope the tie matches your work attire.
ReplyDeleteA lifetime of crash and burns on assorted wheeled and motorized vehicles and forty years plus of swinging a hammer have done me in. Back in 85 I fell 16 feet when a staging plank broke and I broke both ankles. Did some serious damage to my back. Had spinal surgery five years ago. Gave the dock a fright when I flatlined on the table. I was told then to find another line of work. Some of us are just thick and don't know any better so we pay the price. There are days I just can't even stand up.
DeleteThat mortar does not look so good. How old is the chimney? If you were real ambitious you could mix up some fresh mortar and patch it.
DeleteYes, the house was built in 1937 so the mortar is quite old. At some point previous to us buying it 17 years ago someone lined the chimney with modern flue tile. But I see no evidence of the joints being repointed. So among many others, that's a project for some time later in the fall.
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