Hi Everyone, I'm having a dissapointing time with the enamel finish on the top of a Rayburn Supreme that we bought on E-Bay around 9 months ago, and would like to understand what the problem is.
When we bought it it was in apparently good condition, with all the internals OK, and the top (despite having clearly been regularly used) chip free. However, when I collected it it was already removed from the property and had been standing outside sheeted up. It was the ususal sable/mink colour.
When I got it installed it ran beautifully; I have been mainly burning dried wood on it, although I am finding that it is also great for disposing of all the plastic bottles and packaging that flows into our house - recycling to get the energy value out.
About 2 weeks after I had installed it I was shocked to find that several
50p piece sized bits of enamel were lifting from the top, which when they finally fell off revealed that there was a layer of rust underneath. They had come off with the priming coat attached - the failure was on the metal / coatings boundary.Since then this has continued, so the top of the Rayburn now looks as though someone has had a good go at it with a hammer. As u can imagine, I'm pretty pissed about this, but am now starting to think about causes and next steps.
Causes. Before I can even think about taking remedial action, why?? Any comments on the ideas below:
- It had been stored outside under sheeting. Had water got into very fine crazing in the enamel (I saw no evidence of it), started the rusting process, such that when I started it up again the stuff just flaked off??
- The fuel I am buring. It's pretty hot stuff sometime, such that you couldn't keep your hand on the enamel. Am I pushing it too hard?
- Intermittent use. We use it on & off, so there's a lot of temperature cycling going on. More chips seem to come off when it has been standing cold for a while.
Solution. Well, I'm afraid that this one is looking pretty sad now, so if I could really pin down what the problem was, I suspect I'd just replace it. I know all the cautionary tales about not taking these things to pieces to get the top re-enamelled due to casting twist, and I doubt very much I'd be preared to risk that kind of approach. As a quick and dirty fix, would I have any chance (I feel guilty even typing this, but lets explore all the angles!) with a suitable high temerature paint, and if so, any recommendations?
All thoughts gratefully received.
Cheers
Tim