info on fisher wood stove (Honey Bear)
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Its old. It weighs about as much as an econo-car. It was built from boiler plate steel. Its pre-epa phase anything. It will still be burning for your grandchildren if allowed in service that long. Anything else I can help with? :cheese:
On a more serious note: it is a tank of an old stove. Very functional, but unless handled with care, quite a dirty burner - or "smoke dragon". Many of these things hit the market years ago. Many are still in use. Be aware that it is gonna eat wood compared to the newer stoves. Also be aware that if you are gonna install this "by the book" many local codes may not allow it to be installed. Something to check on.
Almost forgot: WELCOME to the forum.
To add: if it is installed, I believe that this is gonna need clearance to combustible measured in yards, not inches. (yeah, that was a little over the edge, but I wanted to get you thinking)
On a more serious note: it is a tank of an old stove. Very functional, but unless handled with care, quite a dirty burner - or "smoke dragon". Many of these things hit the market years ago. Many are still in use. Be aware that it is gonna eat wood compared to the newer stoves. Also be aware that if you are gonna install this "by the book" many local codes may not allow it to be installed. Something to check on.
Almost forgot: WELCOME to the forum.
To add: if it is installed, I believe that this is gonna need clearance to combustible measured in yards, not inches. (yeah, that was a little over the edge, but I wanted to get you thinking)
SlyFerret
Minister of Fire
I love my modern stove, but I still get nostalgic for the old Fisher stoves.
My father and grandfather both had Fisher's when I was a kid. Neither of them burn wood any more. My parents house isn't conducive to wood heat (way too big and broken up to heat effectively with wood), and my grandparents spend their winters in Florida now.
I have such fond memories of sitting around in front of the old Fisher and watching TV or listening to a story being read to me and my brother, sister, and cousins.
I'll second the comment about that stove lasting for ever. Clean it up good and slap a fresh coat of stove paint on it, and it'll be good as new!
As mentioned, it'll be hungry... but no hungrier than it ever was!
-SF
My father and grandfather both had Fisher's when I was a kid. Neither of them burn wood any more. My parents house isn't conducive to wood heat (way too big and broken up to heat effectively with wood), and my grandparents spend their winters in Florida now.
I have such fond memories of sitting around in front of the old Fisher and watching TV or listening to a story being read to me and my brother, sister, and cousins.
I'll second the comment about that stove lasting for ever. Clean it up good and slap a fresh coat of stove paint on it, and it'll be good as new!
As mentioned, it'll be hungry... but no hungrier than it ever was!
-SF
thanks guys, i was just wondering about it, i know it isnt very effecient, i always wanted a wood burning stove, my uncle had one in his house, and i get that nostalgic feeling around them. i just plan on using this one in my small office/storage building (16x20) and i was always told that Fishers were one of the oldie but goodies. i just never seen one like this.
What are the dimensions? it looks like it might be smaller than the grandma bear. Here's a copy of my brochure w/ some dimensions. See how it compares to the Grandma Bear
hareball
Member
My Grandma is Grandfathered :D
As I've learned here 500 degrees is nothing for this stove. I've found on good seasoned oak and running at 450 degrees she burns very clean. I live in a neighborhood where houses are only around 15' apart and neighbor complaints are at 0. I've also learned to keep it hot during reload. I used to burn it to coals and load it up and let it sit there and enjoy watching the new load slowly ignite. That did create alot of smoke and loss of heat. I now load 2 or 3 splits every 3-4 hours and leave one door closed and one about an inch open for a good draw of air and once the thermometer hits 400 again I close the doors and open the dampers around 4 full turns and then damper down 1-2 turns to maintain 450-550. Of course this will vary with types of wood and a few other factors that i'm also still learning here.
As I've learned here 500 degrees is nothing for this stove. I've found on good seasoned oak and running at 450 degrees she burns very clean. I live in a neighborhood where houses are only around 15' apart and neighbor complaints are at 0. I've also learned to keep it hot during reload. I used to burn it to coals and load it up and let it sit there and enjoy watching the new load slowly ignite. That did create alot of smoke and loss of heat. I now load 2 or 3 splits every 3-4 hours and leave one door closed and one about an inch open for a good draw of air and once the thermometer hits 400 again I close the doors and open the dampers around 4 full turns and then damper down 1-2 turns to maintain 450-550. Of course this will vary with types of wood and a few other factors that i'm also still learning here.
hareball
Member
jonathandavis said:
Yeah I'd say thats a pretty old Fisher. I wish there was a way to know the years. I'm pretty sure my Father installed ours in 1975.
WES999
Minister of Fire
Gotta love those old Fishers. You may find this interesting, Fisher manual and brochure.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Fisher_Stoves/
Here is a pic of mine.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Fisher_Stoves/
Here is a pic of mine.
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summit
Minister of Fire
Next one I get a hold of one on a trade, I'm installing a 2ndary system and submitting it for testing...
fredarm
Minister of Fire
jonathandavis,
Is there a tag on the back of pedestal that says "Honey" ? This looks like a Honey Bear with solid doors. The ash fender with no edge is the Honey Bear style. This would have a UL listed tag on the side or back of pedestal with "Honey" at top. Most were sold with glass and brass doors, so yours looks strange without the fancy doors.
Is there a tag on the back of pedestal that says "Honey" ? This looks like a Honey Bear with solid doors. The ash fender with no edge is the Honey Bear style. This would have a UL listed tag on the side or back of pedestal with "Honey" at top. Most were sold with glass and brass doors, so yours looks strange without the fancy doors.
summit
Minister of Fire
pen said:What are the dimensions? it looks like it might be smaller than the grandma bear. Here's a copy of my brochure w/ some dimensions. See how it compares to the Grandma Bear
look at the prices scribbled in the corner of the brochure... for @800 you got a 50 yr lifetime stove w/ all the bling... amazing. we'll sell those for that now, without all the trim for 800 used...
summit
Minister of Fire
[quote author="summit" date="1265529524"][quote author="pen" date="1262057518"]What are the dimensions? it looks like it might be smaller than the grandma bear. Here's a copy of my brochure w/ some dimensions. See how it compares to the Grandma Bear
That brochure is for the pre-1980 older unlisted stoves. He has a newer listed stove from the 80's. No comparison in size, they are all far larger stoves than his.
Honey Bear is much smaller and HUD approved on a pedestal base or 4 leg version.
That brochure is for the pre-1980 older unlisted stoves. He has a newer listed stove from the 80's. No comparison in size, they are all far larger stoves than his.
Honey Bear is much smaller and HUD approved on a pedestal base or 4 leg version.
summit
Minister of Fire
brother bart posted a link in a previous thread to a site in new zealand or austrailia (i forget which) where they still make fisher stoves.
Hi coaly and everyone I was just surfing and came across this thread and great site. I thought I would add what I know about the early honey bear stove. Its not much but it all adds up. Anyway in the early 80s I lived in tillamook county oregon and my parents bought a freestanding honey bear at the county fair it looked just like the 1 in the photo in this thread and the pedistal was just a u shape open in the back and the air controle on the front worked just like most fishers , it cut their wood consumption down from 7.5 to 3 cords a year. Well I was looking for a wood stove yesterday and found this on craigslist
the tag on the side of the pedistal says it is a honey bear and was tested at the northwest testing labratory 7-7-81 report # 237278. I believe this might be the first production model of the honey bear stove as it came with a glass door that fits like a screen on the top door hinges when the doors are open I will get some photos of the glass door when it gets light out. Anyway its going to get referbished as I will be using is as my main heat source.
Robert
Welcome to the forum;
It will be interesting to see the alternate glass door, and where the air intake is when it's installed.
The Honey Bears with glass doors have a sliding plate above and below the doors to allow air across the glass and to the fire. That is the only intake on the stoves with glass.
I recently found a 1980 color brochure that I have to scan and post. It doesn't have the Honey Bear listed, Goldilocks was the only pedestal type in their line. So you have an early one.
I have a 1982 poster called "The Wood Heater Leader" that shows the Honey Bear at the top right corner.
It features a picture of the Brass and Glass, and an inset with the black solid cast doors.
It will be interesting to see the alternate glass door, and where the air intake is when it's installed.
The Honey Bears with glass doors have a sliding plate above and below the doors to allow air across the glass and to the fire. That is the only intake on the stoves with glass.
I recently found a 1980 color brochure that I have to scan and post. It doesn't have the Honey Bear listed, Goldilocks was the only pedestal type in their line. So you have an early one.
I have a 1982 poster called "The Wood Heater Leader" that shows the Honey Bear at the top right corner.
It features a picture of the Brass and Glass, and an inset with the black solid cast doors.
Ok heres the glass door/cover
The air comes in through slots in the top and sides of the cover and the bottom stradles the door channel for aditional air.
I've looked it over and this is the same stove we had in oregon but we didnt have the glass cover
The stove doesnt look to have been used much It just looks like a stove that sat outside in a wash in az for 25 years. It should clean up nice.
The guy I got it from said it might have been made in flagstaff az.
Robert
The air comes in through slots in the top and sides of the cover and the bottom stradles the door channel for aditional air.
I've looked it over and this is the same stove we had in oregon but we didnt have the glass cover
The stove doesnt look to have been used much It just looks like a stove that sat outside in a wash in az for 25 years. It should clean up nice.
The guy I got it from said it might have been made in flagstaff az.
Robert
Coaly it has the baffle plate as in your photos, a warning tag rivited to the ash tray and 2 stickers on the right side of the pedestal 1 is a clearance diagram and 1 has the testing data and a place for mfg and date at the bottom but it looks like it was never compleatly filled out. I dont see a UL tag or a place where 1 might have been. I will be taking photos of everything as I go through the prosses . I'm hoping to find some evidence of what color it was from the factory. The 1 my parents had was black but they had it a few years and painted it before I saw it the first time.
Robert
Robert
Thanks, appears they were designed with the flat plate, probably since the firebox is so small, the smoke shelf baffle that was being developed would infringe on the firebox area.
The later shields are mouted on 1/4 -20 threaded studs welded to the stove back and nutted. If your shield is removable, the original color should be found on the back. For your main heat source, a fan is available that mounts on the back at the bottom, and blows up the back between the shield and stove, and out the top. Camfan on this forum has them in black or brown.
The later shields are mouted on 1/4 -20 threaded studs welded to the stove back and nutted. If your shield is removable, the original color should be found on the back. For your main heat source, a fan is available that mounts on the back at the bottom, and blows up the back between the shield and stove, and out the top. Camfan on this forum has them in black or brown.
So I had a few hours to spend on the stove and I took some more photos. Heres the tags on the right side of the pedestal. There is some paint left on the base and it looks to be grey.
I started by taking the air valves off and cleaning up the doors and thats when I found this.
It seems the doors were mfg 10-15-84 for a polar bear.
Polar bear doors on a honey bear stove in the AZ desert?
Robert
I started by taking the air valves off and cleaning up the doors and thats when I found this.
It seems the doors were mfg 10-15-84 for a polar bear.
Polar bear doors on a honey bear stove in the AZ desert?
Robert
The Honey Bear Insert (a downsized smaller insert) was available in brass and glass, or solid doors. Polar Bear doors.
The Polar Bear is a downsized Insert for zero clearance prefab fireplaces. Like the Insert uses full size Grandma doors, the Freestanding Honey Bear must have used Polar Bear doors when solid doors were needed as well.
I would guess that means the Honey Bear testing date was back in '81 and yours was manufactured after 10-15-1984? Is the mfg. date at the bottom right on the tag scribed or punched?
The Polar Bear is a downsized Insert for zero clearance prefab fireplaces. Like the Insert uses full size Grandma doors, the Freestanding Honey Bear must have used Polar Bear doors when solid doors were needed as well.
I would guess that means the Honey Bear testing date was back in '81 and yours was manufactured after 10-15-1984? Is the mfg. date at the bottom right on the tag scribed or punched?
I cant see any evidence of marking by the mfg (lower left) or date(lower right) on the honey bear tag.
The nortwest testing tag is thicker than the honey bear tag and the info is stamped.
This 1 must have been mfg in 85 or later.
Robert
The nortwest testing tag is thicker than the honey bear tag and the info is stamped.
This 1 must have been mfg in 85 or later.
Robert
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