A fireplace tool you didn't know you needed


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Old 02-14-23, 04:30 AM
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A fireplace tool you didn't know you needed

Quick FYIs for anybody with a wood burning fireplace-

First- there is a fireplace tool that you probably haven't heard of, but definitely need-
'The Dollar Store Chinese Spider Strainer"

Turns out, this little item is PERFECT for clearing out ASH, but it ALSO perfect for separating out small pieces of charcoal and unburnt wood to go back into the fire.

Second- you can avoid getting ash all over the place when cleaning out fireplace ash by sifting the ash (using the Spider-Strainer) into a 5 gallon bucket full of water.

Third - the wood ash + water mixture will settle out. This gives you raw lye-water and raw cement-paste

Pouring off the lye-water and mixing with kitchen fat (bacon drippings, beef tallow) makes soap.
https://youtu.be/ZuzCD7EP1ZM

Re-firing the ash-solids left after the pour-off makes traditional wood-ash cement.
https://youtu.be/DP0t2MmOMEA (enable 'closed captions' to read a narration of what each step is doing.

 
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Old 08-30-23, 06:49 AM
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That is a great idea. I don't need one for my stove, since it has an ash drawer, but I sure do need one for my charcoal grill.
 
 

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