Hey the weld doesn't have to be pretty as long as it holds. You repurposed something you probably would have thrown away . I made mine 28 inches the same as the poker and other tools so I could hang it on the extra rack I have but, I never put it in the rack anymore, I just lay it beside the stove
My welds usually look like globs of steel boogers, but as long as they hold, it's nothing that the grinder can't fix.
Here is the rest of my tools, barbecue tongs I use once in a great while to move things around and once in awhile I use it to fetch the big coal when they fall onto the tray, the poker, the coal rake the, little ash shovel and then the Big one. I use the little ash shovel to move the coals to one side and ashes all to the other, then, usually one big scoop and straight out the back door and into the ash bucket and I'm done , this way I don't have ash dust flying around while putting them in a bucket inside
I used a big shovel like that on my old Sierra, but it had about a foot of handle left in it. Eventually I found a hugh metal dust pan at a hardware store and started using it. Hauling the ash outside before dumping it in a bucket really cut down on the dust.
Yeah I stole that idea from someone on here, I already had the old shovel out in the shed. There are small embers in the ashes also but so far, nothing has ever fallen off the shovel on the way out, knock on wood
I won't ask you how you know that the cat almost screwed me up one time now I lock him in the den for a few minutes
I just go buy a cheap ash shovel put it in the vice to flatten it out then put a 90 degree bend in it. There you have it.
Oy, that right there is the same shovel I use. Funny thing up here is,there are very few people who have ever heard of a coal rake. We have to make our own stuff up here
Just a week with the new stove and already have to confess I've contemplated something like this a few times. I'll keep my eyes open when in the stores and see if something jumps out crying 'take me' ... then up to the garage for a little -low skill- high imagination- home crafting.
I bought a poker at Lowe's and cut the end off, made the rake on a plasma table and welded it onto the poker. Works great
