repurpose of faux hob - brunnhilde

I keep a notepad in Brunnhilde to jog down ideas or things that requires attention. Of course many things I jogged down but never get above the cut line. Some are enhancement projects that I let simmer often from a rough concept.
One item on the long list is to address a nuisance in the kitchen sink where there is no place to hold a dishing washing sponge and scrub pad, or a piece of hand soap. So far I have been just laying them any space I could find that is not subject to accidental scorching of the burner hob..

I have been wanting to modifying the faux hob, the third burner hob that is a manufacturing option of the Dometic sink and burner combination assembly. My initial idea is to remove or modify the steel wire grate into a soap dish like holder for these cleaning implements.

I found this stainless steel dish that I banished to the garage to hold screws and fasteners because I deem it too ugly for the kitchen - I dislike the embellishment of tiny circles in it. Measuring the diameter it is perfect for this project. In short often I came up with the design, all with parts I have laying around. Like farmers and ranchers I like to do my best to make use of things I have around, instead of running to the store which is very inefficient in my view.

the young male robin has been slow to learn his duty - must be a first time father; he has been getting better and today he was feeding the chicks too

the chicks are growing fast just in a few days

i device a way to see if the gauge is stuck - i was wise not to try removing the pop on gauge as the snap on plastic tabs will definite break

a piece of very strong magnet from hard drive sure move the (ferrous part inside and hence the) needle

i try to see if the red dust caps that come with gas appliances can be repurposed to hide the bolt holes

test out Brunnhilde's new toaster - Camp-A-Toaster

very nice

i even find a place to store it

i want to be able to remove the "soap dish" for cleaning - the idea is to hold it in place with a hard disk drive magnet

the magnet have little effect on the stainless of the cook top as well as the dish; some stainless has less chromium and is more ferrous that the magnet can stick to it; not these

i need a piece of ferrous plate on the cook top side for the magnet to stick to - tin can lid

to create a secure platform for the soap dish i found just the perfect can lid with the right diameter and depression - this is important to accommodate the thickness of the magnet and to provide a stable support for the soap dish

i painted the can lid to protect it from rust - it may eventually corrode but hay it is cheap to replace

i inject a judicious amount of polyurethane foam - they look like eyeballs; i plan to trim them flat and paint them

glued down the painted lid with silicone caulking - this modification is reversible too

magnet is glued to the stainless dish with epoxy; a hole is to be drilled for drainage

the can lid keeps the soap dish center where i want it to

plenty of clearance for the glass cover

nice and organized

it also still can be used to set a pot if needed

just one drainage hole - note that the center of the dish is raised; here you can see the embellishment of the small swirling circles that i dislike; it is such a shame as this dish has the best shape and construction (heavy gauge), but ruined by tasteless aesthetics; actually one can buff out the embellishment

the diameter is perfect- just clear the front burner grate; you can see the single drainage hole i drilled

testing out the proper channeling of the drainge - thanks to the raised cross shape of the faux hob

here you can see that the water is channeled by the raise cross shape of the faux burner hob

It is a simple project but finding just the right stainless steel dish is the hardest part. Just need to find some rubber blind grommets to replace the white silicone rubber ones next time I go to the hardware store.

Update - 2015.06.07 11:33
I knew that I can improvise something that I already have to solve the four silicone rubber grommets that are now prone to let water through into the kitchen cabinet now the hob grate is removed. My thought is the plastic plugs for the drip irrigation hose for the garden. They are stored in a box in the garage which I can only access when the Mini Cooper is pulled out of the garage.

Today I went grocery shopping and coming home I parked it outside the garage because it is scorching 90F here in Portland. This gave me the opportunity to retrieve the box of sprinkler parts that is stored high in the garage.

the box of sprinkler parts that contain the plastic plugs for the drip irrigation hoses

there are two kinds of plastic plugs - one wih a finger grip

and the diameter of the barbed end is just about perfect WRT the diameter of the steel grate

my thought is to select one that will protrude high enough to restrain the movement of the soap dish

i trimmed off the injection mold stem with my favorite OLFA utility knife

i tried the ones with the finger grip but they turned out too tall

the ones without the finger grip is just perfect to act as a plug for the holes of the silicone rubber grommets as well as help center the soap dish; by not removing the silicone grommets there are there as spares without the need to store them elsewhere

here you can see they help to center the soap dish

this 9mm Olfa utility knife is one of my favorite hand tools; the blade is less then half the width of common utility knife but it is far far superior in design; i use it to do home renovation including cutting drywall and even cement boards; the stainless steel blade support tip keeps the tiny blade from snapping and in perfect alignment under intense pressure; the benefit of the narrow blade is there is very little friction; i have so many of these laying around my house; Olfa is a Japanese company that makes many of the most innovative cutting tools