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Breaking a cast iron bath |
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| message from Howard on 24 May 2004 |
Has anyone broke up a cast iron Bath, how is it done and is it easy? is it
ok to do it in situ ?
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| BillV replied to Howard on 25 May 2004 |
Depends if its a really old type or one of those which are more or less
modern shape from the 1960s.
The latter are very easy to smash up with a sledge hammer.
I took a big swing at one and was surprised the hammer went straight through
and hit my foot... I wasn't wearing reinforced shoes ... but my big toe
ouch!
Smashing up the bath was easy but had to watch out for the flying shards of
enamel.
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| MJ replied to Howard on 25 May 2004 |
Start on one top edge corner, then progress from there. Once the first
piece breaks off it's not that hard going. If you try hitting the
central areas the hammer will just keep bouncing off.
MJ
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| BigWallop replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
A cast bath is so strong that it needs two people hitting it with sledge hammers
to make any sort of effect on it. Doing it in situ' would cause you to fall
through the floor with pressures you need to exert. Best to lift it out in one
go, which is easy when the bath is lifted on to one end and walked out of the
way. BY walked I mean that swivel one edge out, then the other edge, and so on,
and the bath is easy to handle. When you stand the bath up on end, remember
that all the weight is in the belly of the bath, so if you want to stand it up
against anything, the base of the bath should be against it and not the surface
side.
To take one down a flight of stairs is easy when the bath is laid on a board, or
a bit of old carpet, and slid down. They're not really that heavy. The old
lady and I have lifted three or four up two flights of stairs before. The only
look daunting but their not.
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| The Natural Philosopher replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
Its more springy than you think.
Could awlas use an angle grinder to get things started..
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| MBQ replied to BigWallop on 25 May 2004 |
Wimp :-)
Wife's grandfather used to carry them up alone, on his back, turtle-shell fashion.
MBQ
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| Bob Mannix replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
It's not quite as difficult as (the appropriately named ) BigWallop says,
but closer to his description than some of the other responses (IMHO).
My story: Get ktted up with 2lb lump hammer (no room for anything bigger)
goggles etc. Take aim. Hit edge of bath as hard as possible. An auditory
experience akin to being trapped in the Big Ben bell tower occurs and a tiny
flake of enamel comes off. No other damage. ****. Put on ear defenders. Try
again. Nothing. ****, either I'm stuck with a damaged bath or what I thought
was "as hard as possible" wasn't.
10 minutes later, bathed in sweat, tinnitus, headache, had managed to start
a crack and propagate it through the cast iron. Eventually two halves of
bath with jagged edges. On my own, they are too heavy to lift. **** again.
Start over halving the two bits. end up with 4 quarters I can (just) carry
down the stairs pointing the razor sharp jagged bits away from me.
It was some years ago and I haven't forgotten.
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| BigWallop replied to Bob Mannix on 24 May 2004 |
Hee Hee !!! It's not something you forget in a hurry is it ?
I remember the first attempt I made at breaking a cast bath. I, like you,
kitted myself out with all the defensive devices I thought I would need.
Prepared the area for flying debris thinking the bath would succumb on the first
hit. Boy, was I wrong. I belted the bath clean in middle and all I ended up
with was the enamelling looking like a street map of Peking.
It's best to leave them whole and drag, slide or walk them out of the way.
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| The Natural Philosopher replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
Thats what sorts the men out from teh boys.
You have to close your eyes, think of Barney the Dinosaur, or Tony
Blair, or Margerate tHatcher, or Posh Spice, and then imagine that
everyone who ever really made you life miserable is IN THAT BATH.
Its sopon ends up in pieces.
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| Huge replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
[14 lines snipped]
Bwahahahahaha. I could barely pick up the larger of the 6 pieces I cut
ours into.
Howard - wear ear and eye protection, use a big hammer and hit it *hard*.
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| Dave Liquorice replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
CI is brittle, like you say in compression it's good but not in
tension. Having read the comments here about whacking with a hammer
repeatedly along the same line I think I'd employ a 1" cold chisel to
concentrate the impact and thus the area for crack propergation,
similar to cutting a brick.
I don't think I'd like to be in the same room when it went...
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| Ian Stirling replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
Should work.
Wear ear and eye protection.
I suspect a notch at an edge achieved however (angle-grinder, hacksaw,
unloved axe) would cause it to break lots easier at that point.
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| The Natural Philosopher replied to BigWallop on 24 May 2004 |
Bollocks.
You need to hit it at a weak point. Rim is good. Or near tap holes etc.
Floors are stronger than you are.
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| nick smith replied to The Natural Philosopher on 24 May 2004 |
Yeah - BOLLOCKS !!- I smashed mine up with just a club hammer,
but then I'm a bit of a violent **** when I set my mind to it, especially when I have a
chunk of iron in my hands
Have a nice day now ....
Nick
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| Ian Stirling replied to nick smith on 24 May 2004 |
For a dare, or was it that or watch daytime TV.
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| Terry D replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
It's fairly easy, although very noisy. Use a sledgehammer. Once you make
the first break, it's easy. Eye, ear, head and body protection are
essential. I managed to fit mine into about five stong plastic sacks and
got a fiver at the local scrapyard.
Terry D.
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| The Natural Philosopher replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
yes, with a sledge hammer and ear protectors, no, yes.
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| John Stumbles replied to The Natural Philosopher on 24 May 2004 |
I think I'm up to 3 now. I also use sledgehammer, ear defenders and goggles.
Some seem to break more easily and cleanly than others. Great fun :-)
I also saw outside someone's house recently 2 halves of a CI bath that had
evidently been cut with an angle grinder.
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| Andy Hall replied to John Stumbles on 24 May 2004 |
What happened to the one at the lady in Henley's place?
Did you float it down the river in the end?
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
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| Mike Taylor replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
Use up your aggression with a big hammer but wear ear defenders and eye
protectors
Keep hitting along a line acros the bath and it will brake eventually
No problem in situ other than the noise
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| Huge replied to Mike Taylor on 24 May 2004 |
I suspect it's far more likely to break.
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| Marcus Fox replied to Mike Taylor on 24 May 2004 |
A cast iron bath will weigh about the same as a very fat man. If you are
going to break it, maybe use an old wet towel over where you're striking
with the sledge. If it doesn't partially deaden the noise, it will at least
stop flying splinters.
Marcus
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| John replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
Its hard work but entirely possible. Get a hefty lump hammer and some
goggles as the enamel will chip and fly about. Unless you are already hard
of hearing some ear defenders might be a good idea also. Draw a pencil line
across the bath and beat the **** out of it all the way along and back until
a crack appears and runs along your line of impact. then having mastered the
art make some more cracks until it falls into pieces. Note that your
neighbours will think WW3 has broken out and be not best pleased if they
work nights!
Alternatively if you have some "horsey" neighbours offer it to them for a
horse trough intact on the understanding they remove it for you.
Does anyone remember plumbers walking about like turtles with the bath
inverted over their backs?
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| nightjar replied to Howard on 24 May 2004 |
I cut mine into three with a 9" disc cutter. Just make sure that you protect
everything (especially yourself) from the bits that fly off. I have a window
at my factory that has debris from a disc cutter (courtesy of a previous
occupant) embedded all over the glass. Cutting is less noisy than hitting
it, but you will still need ear defenders.
Colin Bignell
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