Copper Heat Shield in the chamber?

[q88]

Hello, we are currently looking at installing a wood burning stove and I like the idea of a copper metal interior in the - see pic (this one is actually gold leaf with glass over the top).
Any specialists or installers out there that can tell me if and how this idea is feasible? Or how I go about doing this?
We are looking at the Stovax Chesterfield 5 at the moment.
Thank you

 

[begreen]

Yes, it's quite feasible. A good sheet metal fitter that specializes in copper should be able to do this.

 

[EbS-P]

What or how will keep the cooper shining. If it gets a clear coat what will you use? Temps will easily exceed 100C.

 

[begreen]

Good point. I was thinking it would be left to age to a natural patina. Keeping it shiny can be a challenge.

 

[q88]

Good point. I was thinking it would be left to age to a natural patina. Keeping it shiny can be a challenge.

Thank you, yes would love an aged copper look. How would one go about doing it?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

What is the material inside the fireplace?

 

[Ashful]

What or how will keep the cooper shining. If it gets a clear coat what will you use? Temps will easily exceed 100C.

That's easy!

Amazon product ASIN B006ZLQ0JI

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That's easy!

Amazon product ASIN B006ZLQ0JI

With 2000*F protection and it’s rust resistance, that may be a solution to those worried about rust in the firebox off season.

I imagine it’d wear off, but rust doesn’t form during the burning season.

 

[Solarguy3500]

Hiring a sheet metal expert is a great suggestion already made in this thread. However, if you have some time and want to do it yourself, it can be done.

You will need to make templates or patterns out of some type of material that is somewhat flexible but rigid enough to hold its shape when held up against the inside of the fireplace. Cardboard works well for this purpose. You need to make templates for the back and sides of the fireplace, likely as separate pieces, and make them a bit smaller than each area they will cover so as not to have them be too tight.

Once you have the templates cut out how you want them to be, lay them on the piece of sheet metal and use something like a scratch awl to mark the metal in the shape of the template. Make sure to put heavy tools or something on the cardboard template when you are marking the metal so the template doesn't move. You should decide how you want the pieces to fit together beforehand and make tabs about 1" - 1.5" long on the piece(s) that will go behind the others. This gives you a way to attach them together using screws or bolts. To make these tabs you need to add the 1" or whatever size you decide on to the marks you made on the metal from your template so you have 2 sets of lines. The outer lines are your cut lines where you actually cut the material out of the sheet, and the inner set of marks are your bend lines that when bent to the proper angle make your tabs. You'll need to make relief cuts at all the corners from the outer cut lines to the inner bend lines to allow the tabs to bend up properly. It takes a lot of practice to get this right.

I would recommend practicing with something less expensive than copper in the beginning, as that could get expensive quick if you make mistakes the first time.

One other tip: Get yourself a really good set of metal snips. You need two pairs of snips, one with a left-hand offset jaw and one with a right-hand offset jaw. In the US, the only brand I use is Midwest snips. They have color coded handles red and green for the different offsets. Trying to cut out intricate shapes from sheet metal with poor quality snips is a miserable experience that will make you give up on the project quickly.

 

[Ashful]

I'd just make it from three flat sheets, no bending, no brake. I would use brass angle to anchor it to the masonry in the corners, and brass flat stock on the exposed forward edge, as well as maybe across the top of all three sheets. If brass doesn't match polished copper well enough for your liking, then consider black anodized aluminum or black painted steel angle and flat stock, for a contrasting look.

I would also back the angle with a larger piece of angle in aluminum or brass, between the masonry and sheet copper, to give a regular surface for the purchase. In other words, 2" angle fastened to masonry, then sheet metal, then 3/4" angle on top to capture it. No matter how flat and straight your masonry looks, it will be magnified 1000x when telegraphed through nice shiny copper.

Trying to bend anything to fit anything as irregular and amorphous as a masonry fireplace is going to be an exercise in frustration. If you go the bent tri-fold method, I'd just leave it free-standing, not affixed, as it's probably the only way it will stay straight. Again, three panels lifted off the masonry by flat stock is going to keep things flatter. A few lines or dollops of adhesive on the back of the sheet metal, prior to installation, will help provide rear support bridging sheet metal to masonry, and prevent it from being too easily dented or creased over time.

 

[Solarguy3500]

Some excellent suggestions in the previous post from @Ashful . That would probably be the easier way to go especially if the OP has little to no experience with sheet metal work.

I just reread the earlier post from the OP in which they state that they would like a weathered copper look rather than a shiny new look. I have heard some say that you can use things like lemon juice, vinegar, and even urine to expedite the weathering process and obtain a patina on copper. I have not personally tried any of these methods, so I can't recommend any of them from experience.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I’d use a brake. If I didn’t own a long enough one, I’d rent it. Making crisp cuts by scoring would alone make it worth it. Making sharp bends to hide fasteners and being able to hide a wavy edge with a hem would push it to a no brainer to me.

Depending on the fireplace construction material, I’d probably use copper nails and use a bit of copper wire in the hole with the nail to act as a Molly and to hold the nail.