Stainless Pipe Cap Needs Cleaning For Spot Welding

[PlankSpanker]

The cap for my Class A stainless stovepipe separated from the ring that has the threadlock type punchouts used to secure it to the top of the pipe. It appears to have been spot welded in manufacturing to maintain a smooth inner surface where it mates with the pipe. I need to clean all the nasty creosote off before I take the cap and ring to my neighbor (spot welder owner), as I wouldn't want to present him with such a nasty looking project. I've tried a little wire brushing but that seems hardly worth the effort besides being very difficult while holding a beer. Is there something I can soak the pieces in for an extended period of time that will facilitate cleaning and not create a monstrous chemical hazard? Would kerosene or fuel oil be a good choice followed up by some carb cleaner? Open to all suggestions. Should I just throw them in the woodstove for a while?

 

[cjcocn]

If you try soaking it in anything that you mentioned, then it may not be a good idea to opt for burning it off as your second option.

According to my computer, you posted this about 3 hours ago. Have you tried soaking it since then?

Personally, I would try soaking it in something to see if it softened it up enough to easily brush the creosote off. Because of the potential dangers involved I won't offer any suggestions, tho!

No offense meant, but if your cap has that much creosote on it, I hope you found this out by being on the roof and cleaning your chimney?

Good luck and please post up your fix as I am interested in knowing how you resolved this (and I am sure that probably 23 others are as well).

 

[chowdozer]

Oven cleaner. Rinse. Oven cleaner. Dishsoap wash + scotchbrite and warm water. Grind with sanding disk to expose new material. Weld.

 

[PlankSpanker]

I haven't tried anything yet but will probably try the oven cleaner per Chowdozer's suggestion and will let y'all know the result. Yes, I was up on the roof yesterday wire brushing out the pipe. I've got a stainless insert inside an old chimney and it burns pretty clean (9" diameter). I've got an old (1977) Vermont Castings Vigilant w/ no catalytic crap and 8" stove pipe inside that heats like a champ. Gobbles up the wood pretty fast though, but it gives me peace of mind knowing that I'm not getting a lot of creosote buildup inside the pipe. It's just where the cap meets the cold air that I have a problem. Thanks for the suggestions so far...

 

[Metals406]

http://www.5bears.com/welder.htm

This guy made his own spot welder...

Check it out.

 

[PlankSpanker]

Update

The perfect tool for this job turned out to be a wire wheel mounted on a 4 1/2" Milwaukee Sander-Grinder. Just make sure you have eye protection, dust mask, heavy-duty leather gloves, and a space where you don't mind having nasty bits of creosote dust flying about. Also critical is staying aware of the rotation of your wire wheel so that you don't inadvertently catch an edge of the metal thus launching it into space or creating a nasty bend where there wasn't one before. Please don't ask. I tried the oven cleaner and a standard wire brush but it was a slow and laborious process. Power tools. What a concept!

 

[BIG JAKE]

A wire wheel on an air or electric die grinder should work. Clean off a spot about an inch in diameter is all you need for a spot weld. Just don't grind too much with it tho or you will reduce the wall thickness of the pipe and the spot weld may not hold. If it's gooey creosote you might give the carb cleaner a try and follow with the wheel. You might consider what your burning and how-sounds right creosote will form on cold surfaces where it otherwise would not. Maybe nothing you can do but if you choke your stove down at night try letting it burn awhile before you choke to get the moisture out of the wood -may burn a little cleaner that way and your cap won't get glued again

 

[cjcocn]

The perfect tool for this job turned out to be a wire wheel mounted on a 4 1/2" Milwaukee Sander-Grinder. Just make sure you have eye protection, dust mask, heavy-duty leather gloves, and a space where you don't mind having nasty bits of creosote dust flying about. Also critical is staying aware of the rotation of your wire wheel so that you don't inadvertently catch an edge of the metal thus launching it into space or creating a nasty bend where there wasn't one before. Please don't ask. I tried the oven cleaner and a standard wire brush but it was a slow and laborious process. Power tools. What a concept!

Thanks for the update. It'll save the rest of us some guessing if we run into the same deal.