First question..

[Newbie78]

Hi all!

This is my first post after lurking and re-learning for about a year. Thank-you for the information and advice freely given!

Last winter we just started burning wood again after about 25 years without. With a ready supply of wood very handy as well as the necessary tools always at hand what the heck were we thinking? The wood heat is wonderful, warm, and comforting.

Anyway, I was wondering if it is ok to lay a plate of steel on top of a plate-steel stove to use for a cooking surface. Not a surface to put food on, but a surface to put pots on. I just happen to have a piece of 3/8" plate laying around that would work nicely if I cleaned it up and painted it. I just want to try to keep cooking splatters off of the stove as much as possible and since the steel sheet is a bit oversized I'm thinking it would give a larger temperature range with which to work. Also, it would be easier to clean and re-paint a sheet of steel from time-to-time rather than the stove. This would be on a Drolet Legend III. Would this compromise the stove-top in any way?

regards and thank-you very much!

 

[bholler]

Hi all!

This is my first post after lurking and re-learning for about a year. Thank-you for the information and advice freely given!

Last winter we just started burning wood again after about 25 years without. With a ready supply of wood very handy as well as the necessary tools always at hand what the heck were we thinking? The wood heat is wonderful, warm, and comforting.

Anyway, I was wondering if it is ok to lay a plate of steel on top of a plate-steel stove to use for a cooking surface. Not a surface to put food on, but a surface to put pots on. I just happen to have a piece of 3/8" plate laying around that would work nicely if I cleaned it up and painted it. I just want to try to keep cooking splatters off of the stove as much as possible and since the steel sheet is a bit oversized I'm thinking it would give a larger temperature range with which to work. Also, it would be easier to clean and re-paint a sheet of steel from time-to-time rather than the stove. This would be on a Drolet Legend III. Would this compromise the stove-top in any way?

regards and thank-you very much!

Yes that would be fine. I would even put some flat gasket under it to protect the stove top from scratches

 

[Newbie78]

Thank-you for the quick response!

what is "flat gasket"?

ok, I looked that up for a sec.. would that transfer heat effectively and what would be a good sheet product to use?

 

[bholler]

Thank-you for the quick response!

what is "flat gasket"?

ok, I looked that up for a sec.. would that transfer heat effectively and what would be a good sheet product to use?

Just flat stove gasket

 

[Newbie78]

Like just lay a couple of pieces along each edge or end and leave an airspace?

this will be nearly 4 square feet of 3/8" steel. About 60-70 lbs I think. Probably heavy enough to not slide around at all, tho I don't want to scrach the stovetop. My thought was to have full contact steel-on-steel. I am just wondering if that would harm the stove top from a heat perspective, or even discolour the stove top. I thought I would use the same stove paint on the piece of plate as what's on the stove.

I don't understand. Maybe a small airspace would be good under the plate?, idk.

 

[bholler]

Like just lay a couple of pieces along each edge or end and leave an airspace?

this will be nearly 4 square feet of 3/8" steel. About 60-70 lbs I think. Probably heavy enough to not slide around at all, tho I don't want to scrach the stovetop. My thought was to have full contact steel-on-steel. I am just wondering if that would harm the stove top from a heat perspective, or even discolour the stove top. I thought I would use the same stove paint on the piece of plate as what's on the stove.

I don't understand. Maybe a small airspace would be good under the plate?, idk.

Yes the gasket would leave a small airspace. I wouldn't paint the plate at all just oil it like a cooktop

 

[Newbie78]

Oiling was my first thought, but what kind of oil can take repeated 650-700 degrees? This steel plate will stay on the stove..that is, if it becomes handy.

 

[bholler]

Oiling was my first thought, but what kind of oil can take repeated 650-700 degrees? This steel plate will stay on the stove..that is, if it becomes handy.

Grape seed oil it what I use on pans etc

 

[Newbie78]

I have used that too. And I've thought enough about this. Oil and gaskets it is!

thank-you!

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't worry too much about the stovetop. It's fairly easy to repaint as a touch-up.
Take a grinder and radius the corners so that they are not as sharp if someone bumps into one.

 

[Newbie78]

That's my plan on the steel sheet. If I get lucky the corners will match the stove's