Plate steel behind stove?

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rwhite

Minister of Fire
Nov 8, 2011
1,986
North Central Idaho
The wall behind my stove is blah. Rather than a rock veneer I was considering some plate steel and have the wife draw some designs on it so could cut it out. Nothing super intricate as I only have an oxy-act torch. I am thinking that 1/8" would be thick enough. Could I go 1/16"? It would be about 36" tall or so, a few inches shorter than the wall switch. I don't need it for clearances but I figured I would put a 1" stand off behind it as there are plug ins on each wall and a red night light might really bring out the patterns.
Thoughts or ideas?
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I know you didn't come in here looking for this....but are you comfortable with the current spacing between your stove and the wall? It looks tight...real tight.

That said I like the idea of metal shields. You can buy some pretty slick materials (in sheet) from places like McMaster Carr. I bought some perforated AL a few years back to make custom speaker covers. They turned out great.
 
I know you didn't come in here looking for this....but are you comfortable with the current spacing between your stove and the wall? It looks tight...real tight.

That said I like the idea of metal shields. You can buy some pretty slick materials (in sheet) from places like McMaster Carr. I bought some perforated AL a few years back to make custom speaker covers. They turned out great.
Clearances only require 6" for corner install if equipped with side shields. I've actually got 7.5 " .
 
You can use any non-combustible material you wish at this point, because you meet the clearance requirements. Side note - 1/16th material might be tough to torch without warping. I would go with gold ingots. Just think how cool that would look.:p
 
You can use any non-combustible material you wish at this point, because you meet the clearance requirements. Side note - 1/16th material might be tough to torch without warping. I would go with gold ingots. Just think how cool that would look.:p
The whole gold ingot thing crossed my mind but I don't want to dig up the entire back yard to get enough to cover the wall. Your probably right on the 1/16. I can only find a torch tip recommended down to 1/8"
 
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I set down the torch for work like this and grab the jigsaw. Now a plasma cutter might be more reasonable. Cooler, smaller cut, more control, less warpage, etc. People use diamond plate, old galvanized roofing panels, since you are outside of the CTC you could even use wooden things.
 
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I set down the torch for work like this and grab the jigsaw. Now a plasma cutter might be more reasonable. Cooler, smaller cut, more control, less warpage, etc. People use diamond plate, old galvanized roofing panels, since you are outside of the CTC you could even use wooden things.
Man, i wish a plasma cutter was in the cards right now. Didn't think about the jig saw. I'm going to get a 000 tip and practice on some stuff to see what I can do.
 
Man, i wish a plasma cutter was in the cards right now. Didn't think about the jig saw. I'm going to get a 000 tip and practice on some stuff to see what I can do.

The cool thing about torching out artsy stuff is that is discolors the sheet metal into a cool blue color around the cut. You'll want to scuff off the factory coating to shiny steel with a flapper or brush but then that color can be part of the art.