Manufacture Focus: Cast Tec

Cast Tec has its origins back in 1983 when Managing Director Geoff Moore became a sole trader buying and restoring original cast-iron fireplaces using the family ‘dip & strip’ business premises in North Shields as a base.
Demand for cast-iron fireplaces was very limited in the early 1980’s but with a housing boom looming in the South-East weekly commuting took place to Camden Market in north London to sell fireplaces from an indoor market stall on a weekend.
1984 heralded a small shop unit in Camden Lock called the Victorian Fireplace Co. where original fireplaces purchased in the north-east were sold for 15 years.

1987 saw the restoration and manufacturing side of the business moving to a factory workshop in Washington, Tyne & Wear.
Brian Hart, now Cast Tec’s Operations Director, joined from the company at this time to take on the responsibility for running the workshop.
1990 saw the housing boom turn sour and the recession of the early 1990’s affected trading conditions in the London shop. The response was to open a retail showroom in the Washington premises in the north. Called Grate Expectations, the showroom opened in 1989 and traded for 15 years.
1998 saw the humble beginnings of Cast Tec when it was decided that the Distribution of Reproduction cast-iron fireplaces to the trade would be the way forward. It was the only way supply could meet demand in the future and an approach was made by Britannia Castings which resulted in the exclusive rights for Cast Tec to distribute what became the Portman Collection range of cast-iron products in the UK.
1999 heralded the end of an era with the closure of The Victorian Fireplace Co. shop in Camden Lock due to the increasing difficulty of obtaining original fireplaces with demand outstripping supply.
That year Tony Byrne, who ran the London shop from 1995-99, became the first sales/delivery driver for Cast Tec progressing on to become Sales Director. 
2002 saw Cast Tec become a Limited Company and the following year they gained the exclusive rights to import and distribute the Agnews range of quality cast-iron fireplaces throughout the UK mainland.
2005 saw the established Firemaster name and range of products being brought into the Cast Tec stable on behalf of the Ouzledale Foundry Co. Ltd.
2006 heralded an exciting move for the 20 staff of Cast Tec Ltd. to a new 30,000 sq ft. factory premises inside the Port Of Tyne in South Shields where they have access to the Port’s outstanding facilities.

How To Childproof Your Fireplace

There's nothing more exciting for babies who've just started crawling, than exploring what's around them, whether it's a cupboard, a shoe or a staircase. And there's nothing more horrifying for a parent than seeing their little bundle of joy approaching an unprotected fireplace. That's why it's really important to make sure that your fireplace is fully protected and inaccessible for your child, no matter how fast they become.
First things first, make sure that any small, loose objects, such as matches and gas keys, are well out of reach of curious little fingers.
Ensure that the tools that you use for your fire, like pokers, brushes and tongs, cannot be pulled or knocked over.
Invest in a good quality Fire Guard, which will be cool to touch, should your little darling escape your clutches.
Before they even get to the hearth, a fireplace hearth isn't the most friendly place to be, with sharp edges and hard surfaces. To keep your child from the hearth, it could be worth using a gate to keep children away from fire, tools and hearth.
But while they protect your child, they're not very attractive and might ruin the aesthetic of your romantic fire on a cold night. Therefore, if a gate isn't the look you're going for, you could try foam hearth cushions or adhesive padding, which are easily removed once a certain someone is getting its beauty sleep.
Most importantly, don't leave your child unattended near a fire, whether it's burning or not - even without the flames, it's a not a good place for a small person.
It's worth remembering that even if you take all these steps, fireplaces are still hazardous, however big or small you are. Think about what a fireplace might look like to you if you hadn't been in the world very long and what other measures you need to take to make it safe. After all, once you've put in the effort to make it safe, you can all enjoy the comfort and warmth that your fireplace brings.

Will my fire fit? Flat wall, chimneys and fireplace rebate explained

What is a Fireplace Surround Rebate?

Understanding the fireplace rebate you require is central to ensuring your fireplace will fit your required application.

Essentially all you need to work out is the depth needed to fully recess you fire against your flat wall or in your chimney recess.

If the fireplace is being fitted against a flat wall then the full depth of the fire needs to be recessed within the fire surround. However, if the fire surround is being fitted against a chimney then the depth of the fire can be recessed within the cavity of the chimney.

Rebate Explained:

The rebate is the distance from the back of the wall to the front of the panel. To work out the fire recess, you subtract the rebate by 20mm to accommodate the thickness of the panel. Hence 100mm rebate gives you 80mm fire recess depth (100mm -20mm for the back panel).

The below video helps explain everything with images and certainly should you get your head around what a Fireplace Rebate Is.

Apex Samson Gas Fire

We have just been informed by our colleagues over at The Fireplace Megastore that they have just had the Apex Samson Balanced Flue Gas Fire installed and put onto display. This means you can see the build quality and feel the heat generated by this incredibly popular balanced flue gas fire.

The Apex Samson balanced flue gas fire is ideal for properties without a chimney, these fires flue directly through the external wall and are incredibly efficient. With the Samson boasting an 85% efficiency rating, which is highly impressive considering the other option for a similar fire would be a powerflue gas fire, with even the most efficient of these only generating 69% efficiency, a near 20% improvement and unlike a powered flue fire there is no noisy extractor fan on the outside wall and no possibility of drafts during cold or windy weather conditions.

The Samson is highly flexible with the choice of six different trims, driftwood, coal or pebble fuel effect and nine different frets to choose from, meaning the fire has the flexibility to be either contemporary silver or very traditional in brass with an indiana fret.

The fire is on display is proudly displayed with the polished stainless steel trim and the Chrome Washington Fret and fully functioning allowing you to see the living flame effect in action with the coal fuel effect.

The Apex Samson is displayed prominently in one of their best selling natural limestone surrounds, The Europa Crete Limestone surround is made of real portuguese limestone giving that authentic cool to the touch feel that is unmatched by more modern synthetic or micro marble fireplace surrounds. Comes with 51inch top shelf and features a gentle curve to the mantle shelf to add to the classic styling. This high quality stone fireplace comes with a three-piece back panel for ease of handling and installation. It also has the added bonus of free mainland UK delivery!

Visit the Fireplace Megastore HERE and view this high-quality balanced flue gas fire.

Wood Veneer for Fire Surrounds

Wood veneers or “real” wood veneers are creating a resurgence in the fireplace mantle industry with many manufacturers keen to move toward a more economical and ecological real wood alternative.

When an object is veneered a thin covering is applied to the surface to cover the true appearance of the object, mainly to make the veneered object more aesthetically pleasing. This process has mostly been used in woodwork, but now commonly used in masonry, stonework and dentistry, and lends itself perfectly to the fireplace surrounds industry. Pictured here is the Europa Beaufort in a natural oak real wood veneer finish.

Fire surrounds or mantles are now using an array or desirable woods in the veneering process, creating appealing lightweight surrounds from renewable sources. Generally a wood veneer is no more than three millimeters in thickness and is obtained by peeling or slicing a tree trunk to the desired thickness. A process widely believed to derive from the Egyptians as they veneered many items, usually furniture.

The veneer process has been used widely within the fireplace sector and some manufacturers have now moved on from wooden veneers whereby the veneer is fixed usually with glue to a less alluring wood, i.e. particle board or medium density board, and use a stone or marble effect material known as micro-marble as the veneer, and in some cases veneer onto metal apposed to the more common place MDF. Shown is the Europa Lancaster surround in the veneered off white stone effect.

Unfortunately veneer is often seen as tacky, cheep, and undesirable from previous generations of manufacturing, but be assured, veneering is now a well honed process, often appearing exactly the same as more expensive solid wood surrounds and thus will be around for generations to come.