Curious as to what would happen...

DWFII

...if I put some Gorilla tape over the hairline crack in the base of my LBGE? Does the exterior get so hot that it would melt or slough off?

pgprescott

Don't

stlcharcoal

pgprescott said:

Don't

+1.....don't.

Lifetime warranty.

JohnInCarolina

Not Flex Seal?

DWFII

Yeah I know dumb question but no, I wasn't thinking about Flex Seal which I think is crap...or at least I've never found a use for it.

Gorilla tape is what first came to mind (only because I didn't know what else existed). But since then I have run across several high temp tapes with silicone adhesives that are rated for 500° F.

Something on that order is what I had in mind really.

I wondered about using it as an exterior seal for the hairline crack but it also strikes me that it might be able to be run around the base to hold that crack closed and prevent it from getting any worse.

slovelad

@DWFII just cook brother. I’ve seen many posts on here about your egg, but no food.

its not that serious... if it cracks it cracks. Putting tape won’t help. 

DWFII

slovelad said:

@DWFII just cook brother. I’ve seen many posts on here about your egg, but no food.

its not that serious... if it cracks it cracks. Putting tape won’t help. 

I wish I could. I'd like nothing better (although food porn bores me).

But, you're off base-- I don't have an Egg...I have pieces that resemble an Egg. And it's 28° degrees here, three inches of snow on the ground and snowing. I don't even have the ability to start putting the pieces together and won't until the weather improves. So don't hold your breath..

That said, I apologize if my posts have been a bother or taken up too much of your time.

slovelad

DWFII said:

slovelad said:

@DWFII just cook brother. I’ve seen many posts on here about your egg, but no food.

its not that serious... if it cracks it cracks. Putting tape won’t help. 

I wish I could. I'd like nothing better (although food porn bores me).

But, you're off base-- I don't have an Egg...I have pieces that resemble an Egg. And it's 28° degrees here, three inches of snow on the ground and snowing. I don't even have the ability to start putting the pieces together and won't until the weather improves. So don't hold your breath..

That said, I apologize if my posts have been a bother or taken up too much of your time.

Throw some charcoal in that beast and fire it up. 

DWFII

slovelad said:

Throw some charcoal in that beast and fire it up. 

I'd just as well throw some charcoal in a hole in the ground...if you really have read all those posts about my egg you say you've read,  you'd know that I have no gasket, no grid, the bands and hinge need to be replaced and the dome centered.  (all things I've identified as needing to be done thanks to the people on this forum who are sincerely generous with their time and advice)

For that matter if I wanted to cook I have a Weber kettle and a Chargriller Smokin' Pro.

JohnInCarolina

DWFII said:

Yeah I know dumb question but no, I wasn't thinking about Flex Seal which I think is crap...or at least I've never found a use for it.

Gorilla tape is what first came to mind (only because I didn't know what else existed). But since then I have run across several high temp tapes with silicone adhesives that are rated for 500° F.

Something on that order is what I had in mind really.

I wondered about using it as an exterior seal for the hairline crack but it also strikes me that it might be able to be run around the base to hold that crack closed and prevent it from getting any worse.

Yeah sorry I was just giving you the business about the Flex Seal. 

I doubt the tape is going to do much of anything, even if used around the base as you suggest. 

nolaegghead

Silicone.  It's what holds the bottom vent on.  In a pinch, aluminum HVAC tape.

fishlessman

i would ditch the nest and put it on a stable patio stone away from the house.  then theres the weber grate at homedepot for less than 20 bucks and a half hour to flip the hinge or use the one someone sent you. you are soooooo close   you really are close to firing this thing up, my egg isnt much better, its cracked, no gasket,sits on a patio stone, cooks as good as a new egg

nolaegghead

Fish has the ugliest egg on the planet, but he knows how to cook!

DWFII

@JohnInCarolina Yes, I knew that...just as I know I am being trolled by another member...but just for form's sake I had to consider it. As for the high temp tape, some of it is fiberglass weave. would that make a difference?

@nolaegghead Yeah, and that is getting at my basic question--if the silicone holds the vent on, then the exterior of the egg isn't gonna get too hot....certainly not hotter than 500°, hopefully. Is it?

But you know I've learned so much on this forum...even seen a video of a guy wiring together his firebox...and I was hoping someone would jump in here with first-hand experience of using the high temp tape in the same way I was proposing.

Some people can wave it off (can afford to wave it off)  if a crack gets bigger or the base breaks--call in the warranty or just go out and buy another EGG. But I got one chance here. One. And if it breaks I lose...more than I can really afford given that I know the EGG has problems. I'm just looking for solutions. 

Thanks for the constructive advice...from all those willing to give it.

fishlessman

the silicone doesnt hold the vent on, its bolted, mines been re-siliconed a few times. ive burnt 900 degree glue of a nomex gasket once, it actually let go at 900 degrees before i found the literature that said good for 900 degrees =)there really is no bandaide for a cracked base, you either cook on it in a safe place or you replace it.  my egg pics are lost to photobucket,  my eggs sit on the ground in the mud in maine on a soaking wet river bank come spring, they are literally frozen into the ground right now. been this way for about 15 years and 17 years with my two larges, they are cracked, pocked, rusted, and oozing with black gooo  those are my good ones. heres the thing, you use the one you have, a couple years later it gives up the ghost, you will have another egg in a few days without the smallest thought of how you are going to pay for it

JohnInCarolina

Fractures in these things are driven by gradients in the temperature field and thermo-Mechanical coupling.  In many cases I suspect there are residual stresses in the ceramic that are also at play, but those probably are more important to initiation of the flaws than their continued progression.  

Tape around the circumference, regardless of what it’s made from, is unlikely to impede the progression.  It’s expanding thermally as well.  I haven’t checked the CTE of Gorilla tape but it’s probably higher than the ceramic, in which case it’s not doing much of anything.

What I guess it could do is to prevent a large structural collapse of the system in the case where the hairline crack propagates all the way through the base.   But I’m not sure that’s likely anyway - a collapse that is.  It seems more likely to me that the crack will continue to propagate and just arrest at some point.  But this will take awhile and if you’re monitoring it after each cook (or even every ten) I think it should be manageable.

alaskanassasin

 Anyone ever seen a crack grow over time? If so has anyone drilled a small hole at the end of a crack to prevent its continuation? 

Eoin

alaskanassasin said:

 Anyone ever seen a crack grow over time? If so has anyone drilled a small hole at the end of a crack to prevent its continuation? 

A good way to reduce the stress raiser, but then you have a hole to fill.

nolaegghead

alaskanassasin said:

 Anyone ever seen a crack grow over time? If so has anyone drilled a small hole at the end of a crack to prevent its continuation? 

That is a classic mitigation method to relive the stress.

DWFII

alaskanassasin said:

 Anyone ever seen a crack grow over time? If so has anyone drilled a small hole at the end of a crack to prevent its continuation? 

That sounds really interesting...how big would the hole have to be? At the top end or the bottom? Wishing for a photo.

DWFII

I just want to thank people here for offering insights and advice. I am a total newbie to ceramic cookers and appreciate the help.

I feel compelled to add that a number of people have come forward to help me with more than advice--they have actually contributed parts. I almost have everything I need. I even have a cracked fire ring and a chipped platesetter. And a new, warranted, firebox. That's the only thing that is warranted, however...so if I lose the base, I lose everything.

The lack of a gasket and the lack of a hinge band that I mentioned above is not a  material lack--I have the parts (thanks again)...I just haven't had time or weather conditions to take the EGG apart and clean the rim and install the gasket  and the bands. I'm thinking  I might fire it up end of May or first part of June.

All that said...I hear you--the tape is probably a wild goose chase and the base will probably not get any worse. Hopefully.

Thanks for that advice...it's not what I was hoping to hear but it is what I come here for.