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My mother texted me asking if i could drop off a steel plate for her stove to sit on 2 burners like a huge frying pan to make pancakes and steak and stuff onMy hesitation is food on the plate, should something specific be used like stainless? Is mild plate that's been descaled and polished smooth going to be ok with repeated heating and cooling cycles and what kind of lip should be put on it? i am thinking a 1/2-5/8 plate or should it be thicker, stove is propane.Thoughts?ThanksJoe
Reply:I have made plenty of BBQs with normal mild steel plate, never caused any problems. 1/2" seems overkill to me, I would look at more like 1/4". Heat up around the edge with OA and it will put a nice curve on the plate so fat and juices run to the centre.Obviously clean any scale off first.Cheers Andrew
Reply:For the sake of maintenance, I would look at some stainless, it wont rust up as easy and will be a lot easier to clean up.
Reply:You should be able to go with stainless and still be less expensive than these. Yours won't be "Pre-seasoned with their proprietary oil" though. http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...light=key+ringjrw159Last edited by jrw159; 02-05-2013 at 04:14 PM.
Reply:I would agree I would look at more like a 1/4" and mild steel should be just fine.  Clean it up good, season it and you will be fine.I would also agree stainless would be nicer and easier maint.But then again if your mom still has cast iorn skillets/dutch oven and still uses them, won't be awhole lot different.
Reply:dont make it so heavy momma cant get it to the sink ..
Reply:There really is not a reason to wash a griddle. They season well and can just be wiped of when you are done cooking. I don't know how old your mother is but if she wants to cook hot cakes on a griddle she must know how to season and take care of it. I've used the same griddle for 40 some years and the only reason I quit is I have so much arthritis in my hands that I can't get it off and on the stove anymore. I can never remember washing it, but I did sand it down one time when I forgot to turn the stove off for a couple hours.   Mac
Reply:13x19 is the size and even at 1/2" thats only ~35lb i know her lifting limit is 50+lb lolAt 1/4 its roughly 18lbas for dressing it up ya grind all the millscale off then hit it with the flap wheel and a fine grit to make it shine then she can do the rest.Thanks guys
Reply:I bought one that covers all four burners. It didn't work because there wasn't enough airflow underneath and the flames wouldn't burn properly. Just something to keep in mind. I'm gonna weld something to raise it a little......... some day"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:If you could find a piece of cold rolled it would be much better. Discadas are made from plow discs and are cold rolled and they cook well and last a long time and they are less than a 1/4".
Reply:If you make it too thick the issue will be heat control, it takes ages to heat up and then ages to cool down. My brother in law made a BBQ out of 1/2" stainless and it's horrible to cook on.Cheers Andrew
Reply:3/16 -1/4" CRS or HR will work fine. 1/4 takes a while to heat up. I use mine for tortillas, so no edge around it. Just use veggie oil and heat until it smokes off, then it is seasoned. No different than a cast iron frying pan.
Reply:Stainless is tricky to cook on. For example you have to get a stainless skillet hot before you put anything on it or it will stick like a mofo. Most ladies dont know that and dump them at charity shops, but then most folks also dont know to never cook with a teflon frying pan hotter than 7 or med high because it ruins the coating then you eat the coating and god only knows what that does to you.But if you use mild steel make shure you lift it up high enough for the flame to breathe. prolly a 1 to 2 inches above the burner youll have to make it and have mom make you some pancakes and check it out. prolly only need 6 or 7 in heat to cook, I would think. let us know Im interested how it goes.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:Originally Posted by dumb as a stumpStainless is tricky to cook on.
Reply:I would think that 1/8" would be better since it will heat faster and be easier to handle.  1/4" is still pretty heavy.One advantage to heavier cook surfaces is that they distribute heat more evenly, but they hold heat for a long time.Hobart LX235Victor 250 Oxy-Acetylene Rig (welding and cutting)Bobcat 773F-350, 1999, 4x4, 16' 10K# trailerOutdoor Wood Burner - 10 cords/year
Reply:Originally Posted by Tool MakerThere really is not a reason to wash a griddle. They season well and can just be wiped of when you are done cooking. I don't know how old your mother is but if she wants to cook hot cakes on a griddle she must know how to season and take care of it. I've used the same griddle for 40 some years and the only reason I quit is I have so much arthritis in my hands that I can't get it off and on the stove anymore. I can never remember washing it, but I did sand it down one time when I forgot to turn the stove off for a couple hours.   Mac
Reply:People have been cooking their food in cast iron post and skillets and on cast iron griddles for hundreds of years!  Get her a slab of 1/4 or 3/8 plate, clean off the mill scale with one of these beauties:Weld a couple of short handles to it for easy handling then season it by coating it with vegatable oil or canola oil (PAM) and baking it at 350°F for an hour.  Enjoy!- MondoPS: that reminds me to cut out a round disk from 1/4" plate to fab myself a bacon press for the skillet.....Last edited by Mondo; 02-07-2013 at 12:17 PM.Reason: add post script.Member, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:If you want to get fancy and have a mill you can use a ball end bit to mill a shallow groove around the perimiter to catch any excess oil or grease so it doesn't dribble onto the stove and catch fire!- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:Hey guys. Not to hijack the topic, but it is right in this neighborhood and I figured I would ask while you were thinking about the subject. Are their any steel alloys you should NOT cook on that could be easily mistaken for mild steel? How about welding rods or wire that could present problems?I have started to make something to cook on and hesitated at the last minute several times because I started to worry about things that could contaminate food that I was clueless about.I don't always eat steak, but when I do I prefer unleaded.
Reply:oh very good question Browncoat, to which i have no answer myself
Reply:Originally Posted by browncoatHey guys. Not to hijack the topic, but it is right in this neighborhood and I figured I would ask while you were thinking about the subject. Are their any steel alloys you should NOT cook on that could be easily mistaken for mild steel? How about welding rods or wire that could present problems?I have started to make something to cook on and hesitated at the last minute several times because I started to worry about things that could contaminate food that I was clueless about.I don't always eat steak, but when I do I prefer unleaded.
Reply:I would also definitely put some kinda lip around that thing... you dont want a grease fire if shes cooking eggs and bacon on there.Miller Dynasty 300 DXMiller CST280Miller Maxstar 150 STH
Reply:I made one for a restaurant out of 3/8 mild steel so they could cook pancakes. It covered two gas burners. I removed the mill scale with a hand held belt sander. I then skirted it with 1/4x1 flat bar with the top edge flush with top surface of the griddle. I skip welded the fillet underneath and welded the top of the seam all the way around. This weld provided the grease retention. The skirting provided enough heat retention to even the heat out well enough to prevent hot spots and also seemed to prevent the griddle from warping. The only cleaning it received was its daily scraping and it never stuck once it was seasoned. The legs were made long enough to hold the griddle about 2-1/2" off of the burner.They ran it hot and it worked well for pancakes, meat and hashbrowns. They even used it for the occasional stir-fry.They ran it way too hot to fry eggs properly though.
Reply:I have a big four burner griddle.  It's raised maybe a half inch off the burners with dowel legs at the corners. It's made of  3/16 thick steel plate and works great.  As someone said you should raise the edges to keep the grease in.