What size vertical bars for my grill?

[jmlcolorado]

Im about to finish up my grill shell, and I have a few different materials in mind, but can't decide on the size.

I used 1 1/2" tubing for the frame and have 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" in mind for the grill inset itself.

What's everyone's thoughts?

Here's the grill shell:

I think this is 3/4":

 

[Snake Farm]

I think a one inch center bar flanked by 1/2" bars would look cool

I think it would be cool to incorporate a crank hole into the lower part of the center bar too for that old timey look

Just my two cents........and worth every penny

 

[Willowbilly3]

I think the smaller the better for the majority of the bars

 

[jcdvw66]

I think a one inch center bar flanked by 1/2" bars would look cool

I think it would be cool to incorporate a crank hole into the lower part of the center bar too for that old timey look

Just my two cents........and worth every penny

I like this too

 

[jcdvw66]

BTW, love the windshield[cl

 

[Dirtyrat]

I was wondering what a fade from thicker bars in the middle to thinner on the outer would look like...

 

[rainman]

I think a one inch center bar flanked by 1/2" bars would look cool

I think it would be cool to incorporate a crank hole into the lower part of the center bar too for that old timey look

Just my two cents........and worth every penny

I was going to say one inch center with 3/4 bars to the side!!
Great minds Snake!! ha ha ha

 

[jmlcolorado]

Well I hadn't thought about doing a large center then smaller outers. That's a pretty good idea!

Actually, I REALLY like that idea!

 

[jmlcolorado]

BTW, love the windshield[cl

Thanks! It's original intention was to make finding glass easy, but it worked out to be stylish too

 

[jmlcolorado]

To toss another wrench into the mix on the bars, I want them to be brass, or at least look like brass.

I priced thin wall brass tubing, then I cried myself to sleep.
SO, then I started looking for brass beds on Craigslist. Nut all the beds I've found have all fancy arty decorations, and the bars are too short, not to mention not enough.
Frustrating.
So I started looking into brass plating...... Once again, tears streaming out my eye holes till I fall asleep.

I found a guy and he mentioned a way to plate brass using heat and a brass brush. I thought he was crazy.
Went out today and bought a cheap brass brush, went home and heated a tube of bare metal and brushed away.
What I found is quite promising. Looks like brass, not shiny, which is good cause I don't want shiny.


Any of you that have read my build thread know ther was some conversation about brass and steel not liking each other and causing the steel to corrode faster then normal. I'm going to throw caution to the wind and try it. After all, if the grill shell rusts beyond repair, I'll build another one.

Here's the results.
Bottom bar is the bare one, top is after about 5 minutes of work.

I also tried it on my door handles:

I also tried it on my headlight rings:

I think it works pretty well. The chrome pieces I didn't do anything to, just cleaned and heated then brushed on. It takes a few layers to really get the brass shine, but it looks solid.

I took the bar to the bench grinder with a wire wheel to see how easy it came off, and I'm impressed. It took some effort to get it off. About 3 times the effort it took to get the primer and paint off the bar prior.

 

[Snake Farm]

Any of you that have read my build thread know ther was some conversation about brass and steel not liking each other and causing the steel to corrode faster then normal. I'm going to throw caution to the wind and try it. After all, if the grill shell rusts beyond repair, I'll build another one.

Now you're talking [ddd That's what I've been thinking all along but was afraid to say it

I also tried it on my door handles:

^^^ That looks AWESOME [cl[cl[cl

 

[jmlcolorado]

Now you're talking [ddd That's what I've been thinking all along but was afraid to say it




^^^ That looks AWESOME [cl[cl[cl

The one that's afraid of failure will not be the one to succeed

The guy that I got this from said he got it from an old blacksmith. Blacksmith said he did it to a fence years ago and 15 years later, it still stands and the brass is still there too.
Must be good for something my guess is the brass finish is thin enough not to have enough chemical reaction to be fatal to the ferrous metal.

I really like the handle in brass too! I don't want any chrome on the truck. Eventually just satin black and brass

Funny thing is the brass plate trick works perfectly on old REAL chrome, but not on newer "real" chrome. Interesting.

 

[rainman]

Might not last long on pieces like the handles, but you could always clear coat it, to help it hold up longer! Would probably give it more shine though!!

 

[jmlcolorado]

Might not last long on pieces like the handles, but you could always clear coat it, to help it hold up longer! Would probably give it more shine though!!

That's the best part, if it wears thin it takes about 2 minutes to re coat
I did about 3 layers to get that look. It gets more and more like brass the more you go, somimwould assume that it's adding layers each pass.

 

[GJunktionMike]

Cool trick with the brass. I like the idea of bigger bar in the center and smaller on the sides.

 

[Dirtyrat]

That is the freaking bomb, I love the brass!

 

[Old Iron]

[/QUOTE] Funny thing is the brass plate trick works perfectly on old REAL chrome, but not on newer "real" chrome. Interesting.[/QUOTE]
Chrome is the final finish it's clear and shiny, what you see is actually Nichol.
On the old pieces the chrome is gone and leaves the Nichol exposed which takes on the brass easily, the new chrome protects the Nichol and can not be penetrated without removing it first.

I like what you're doing [P
How hot do the pieces have to be before they accept the brass ?
Can't this be done with a tank, battery charger, solution and using a piece of brass as a donor metal ? just asking
Oh ya, I like the big in the middle with crank hole and graduate down on sides

 

[jmlcolorado]

Funny thing is the brass plate trick works perfectly on old REAL chrome, but not on newer "real" chrome. Interesting.[/QUOTE]
Chrome is the final finish it's clear and shiny, what you see is actually Nichol.
On the old pieces the chrome is gone and leaves the Nichol exposed which takes on the brass easily, the new chrome protects the Nichol and can not be penetrated without removing it first.

I like what you're doing [P
How hot do the pieces have to be before they accept the brass ?
Can't this be done with a tank, battery charger, solution and using a piece of brass as a donor metal ? just asking
Oh ya, I like the big in the middle with crank hole and graduate down on sides [/QUOTE]


They need to be hot enough to just start to turn colors, so pretty hot. I found if the steel starts to blue, you can brush on the brass pretty easily, but it takes a little effort to brush the blue off.

As far as a tank electrolysis method, i'm not sure. I see that this is the typical way for plating but it involves a few step chemical process. I doubt its as EPA friendly as brushing.

It will tank some serious time to brush all the bars ready for install, but i think it'll be worth it.



Last night i played around with it some more and found its easier to have a small mapp gas tank in my left hand and heat a little spot, brush then move on. If you try to heat a few inches at a time, the parent metal cools too quick and you have to reheat anyways.
Also, dont get a plastic handled brass brush. The heat from the metal eventually softens the handle enough you'll loose the bristles.

Im getting a wood handle as well as a small wire wheel (hard to find real brass wire wheels, not just brass coated steel wire) and will give that a shot too. It would be nice to install one on the bench grinder for doing all the bars.

 

[jfg455]

I would use the 1" or the 3/4" tube for the center bar but then I would use 1/4" for the uprights on the sides. I think what you are going for is the old 20's to 30's elegant grille inserts with the brass. If you go with the larger tubes on the sides then you get more of a cattle crossing grate look. More industrial than elegant. Just my $.02[P

 

[Old Iron]

I'd say not EPA friendly
Welding shops have the wire wheels in brass and the wood handle ones