Glass doors on an older VC Defiant

[mywaynow]

Has anyone done this or have information on the ability to do so: Vermont Casting Defiant 1A with solid doors, can they be replaced with a glass door? I looked into parts lists for this product and did not see an available door that was glass. It was an older schematic though.

 

[fraxinus]

As far as I know, no glass doors were ever made for the original Defiants. I'm pretty sure modern ceramic glass was not even in existence when these stoves were made. Fire viewing was possible by using the screen that came with the stoves. This screen basically changed the stove from an "airtight" to an old fashioned Franklin stove. It was OK for ambience, but most of the heat went straight up the chimney and smoke tended to enter the room.

 

[Fsappo]

Not available as a retrofit from the manufacturer. Even if you managed to cob something together, the glasss wouldnt stay clean.

 

[Battenkiller]

Even if you managed to cob something together, the glasss wouldnt stay clean.

My local VC repairman said he could put glass in the doors of my Vigilant. He didn't say how he would do it, but he did say they would be black within 15 minutes. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but if it would work I would do it even if it cost a lot.

I wouldn't see any Northern Lights with my stove's design, but it would be nice seeing just what's going on in there. It wouldn't be for watching. We have a real nice fireplace upstairs when we want to waste some wood, and I prefer the way an open fire looks and sounds anyway. I must have sat by at least a thousand campfires in my life. Those secondaries rolling and boiling behind the glass give me the heebie-jeebies.