Plugging small holes in cast iron stove?

[cron]

I just completed my first wood stove install. It is a Taiwanese parlor stove (questionable quality, I know). It has 3 holes on the top corners where some removable chrome decorative pieces go. These pieces fit loosely into the holes, but not enough to create an air-tight seal. When I open the front chamber to feed in wood, smoke slowly pours from each of these holes. I would prefer to not to use the decorative pieces at all and permanently seal the holes.

My question is: how can I effectively plug these 1" holes?

 

[begreen]

Fill them with stove cement.

 

[cron]

Following up on this stove fix.

Stove cement was certainly my first thought, but the products I've found state that it is limited to bond and seal metal to metal or metal to masonry joints less than 1/8". As I stated in my post, the holes I was trying to fill are 1" in diameter. If you are aware of a stove cement rated for patching a hole that size, please share! I'm new to the world of wood stoves, so I'm not familiar with all the products out there.

Here's what I did. I bought some 1 1/4" steel washers and 1.5" bolts from the hardware store. I applied a light skim of stove cement around the edge of the hole, then gently positioned the washer in place over the cement. Then, I applied another thin later of cement over the washer and nested the screw into place. Finally, I applied a generous layer of cement over the top and all around the bolt, using a gloved hand to produce a tidy smear around the hardware, wiping off any excess with a wet rag. Once I started a small fire to heat cure the cement, it settled to produce a nice smooth and clean look. Most importantly, it completely seals the three holes and I no longer have a draft issue when opening the grate.

I hope that others my see this post and find it useful. Cheers.

 

[Prof]

Following up on this stove fix.

Stove cement was certainly my first thought, but the products I've found state that it is limited to bond and seal metal to metal or metal to masonry joints less than 1/8". As I stated in my post, the holes I was trying to fill are 1" in diameter. If you are aware of a stove cement rated for patching a hole that size, please share! I'm new to the world of wood stoves, so I'm not familiar with all the products out there.

Here's what I did. I bought some 1 1/4" steel washers and 1.5" bolts from the hardware store. I applied a light skim of stove cement around the edge of the hole, then gently positioned the washer in place over the cement. Then, I applied another thin later of cement over the washer and nested the screw into place. Finally, I applied a generous layer of cement over the top and all around the bolt, using a gloved hand to produce a tidy smear around the hardware, wiping off any excess with a wet rag. Once I started a small fire to heat cure the cement, it settled to produce a nice smooth and clean look. Most importantly, it completely seals the three holes and I no longer have a draft issue when opening the grate.

I hope that others my see this post and find it useful. Cheers.


View attachment 288089

Looks like it was made that way. Nice job!