"soft" fireplace tools?

[mar13]

Do you know of any softer alternative for a stove shovel and rake, besides metal?

I have a enameled wood stove on order. That said, like a new car, you try your darndest to avoid that first scratch/chip. I saw some people write that the chips on their enameled stoves were caused by them accidentally banging their stoves with their tools. To add to that, I have two young kids whom I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point, they manage to whack the stove with a tool sitting nearby.

So common sense would suggest just keep the tools stored away from the stove & kids, and be careful when shoveling ashing or raking coals. I'm thinking another option might be some silicone cooking utensil or wooden poker nearby. Anybody try such things? (I use leather gloves which helps me tolerate using shorter tools.)

I have a friend who uses a wooden stick poker, but then it often comes out of the smoking. Silicone cooking utensils are advertised to be heat resistant to about 600 degrees. I guess I could experiment in a camp fire this summer to see how they hold up?

 

[Microduck17]

You could use aluminum tools that is lot softer and less likely to do damage. Otherwise wood would be good if you dont keep it in the fire too long. Maybe a can of water nearby to dip it in.

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[Llilith]

I'd love to hear an update on what you ended up using. My enamel stove is coming soon and I'm trying to answer this exact question. Do you really need woodstove tools anyway? I mean, I could find a brush and dust pan for cleanouts but not having a set of hard tools near the stove would lessen the probability of chips. I'm thinking of just using a wooden stick for stirring and keeping it in a bucket by the hearth.

 

[EbS-P]

Don’t use any. If I have to move some coals I use a piece of kindling. Same to rake coals into ashpan. When I must shovel out I use a toy plastic sand shovel. I don’t need to clean it out when hot. If I use a metal tool more often than not I grab my grill spatula from the kitchen.

 

[Llilith]

good to know, thank you! Do you use a steamer on top? I'm thinking I prob shouldn't use mine on the new stove.

 

[EbS-P]

good to know, thank you! Do you use a steamer on top? I'm thinking I prob shouldn't use mine on the new stove.

No. I should add we have 5 kids.

 

[StoveInNH]

No. I should add we have 5 kids.

Congrats!

 

[Llilith]

How has your enamel finish held up over the years?

 

[EbS-P]

It’s only five years old but flawless so far. Spills splatter and they burn on. Then they just burn off after a couple weeks. I’m pretty sure most were coffee.

It was the enamel choice was definitely only made for looks. I wanted a white/ivory colored stove for our pink sandstone fireplace.

 

[Llilith]

Same here, I just really like the look of the brown porcelain. Someone on here said something that made me go ahead even if its more delicate - "it's furniture 6 months out of the year." Might as well be beautiful!

 

[fvhowler]

Keep some touch paint handy. I'm pretty careful with tools around the stove but have nicked my timberline brown enamel stove a few times. Just use touch up paint and it still looks good. Like a shiny new car, the first nick is always the most painful. After 5 years the stove still looks good...not brand new but still good.

 

[Llilith]

Keep some touch paint handy. I'm pretty careful with tools around the stove but have nicked my timberline brown enamel stove a few times. Just use touch up paint and it still looks good. Like a shiny new car, the first nick is always the most painful. After 5 years the stove still looks good...not brand new but still good.

good point, and that makes me feel better, thanks!

 

[xman23]

The poker to move around burning wood gets used on the inside. Hard to imagine wacking the stove with it.

 

[Ashful]

The poker to move around burning wood gets used on the inside. Hard to imagine wacking the stove with it.

Hah... you haven't spent much time around kids! Mine are the careful and cautious type, would never dream of whacking the stove with a tool, but my son at age 2 did draw a nice picture for me on the side of my pickup truck... with a sharp stick.

As to the question about really needing tools? Yes, you're going to want tools. My daily-users are an ash rake, for plowing ash to the back and raking hot coals forward before each reload, and a metal dustpan and stiff brush for sweeping up wood swarf and ash after each reload. Getting said swarf and ash off the dust pan and into the stove is a clumsy maneuver prone to banging the stove with the dust pan, but you don't ever want to put that stuff in the trash, as it could contain an errant live coal.

Other tools used less frequently are the poker used to lift the ash plug out of the floor, the ash pan itself, a small ash shovel, and a pair of grippy tongs for when things go seriously wrong.

600F silicone falls a few degrees short of the temperature of coals and fire in your stove, I'd guess. Hot reloads, anyone?

 

[BillBurns]

I see no reason to not use metal tools. As long as you are even semi-careful, you will be fine. I assume it would take a pretty hard hit to chip the finish.