Replacing a baffle

[jrypka]

First, thanks to the kind folks on my other thread who pointed me toward the BK Princess...I think that is the way I'm going to go. So, now I need to decide what to do with my 15-year old Century. There are no dealers up here, and I can't find a manufacturer phone number, so I doubt I'm going to be able to find a baffle for it. Besides the baffle, firebrick, and gasket, I think it is in really good shape. Used stoves bring a pretty penny up here, so I was thinking I'd try to repair it enough to make it sellable.

The baffle in the Century is 2 pieces of steel, with some fiberglass-looking filling about 1.5 inches thick sandwiched between them. Does anyone know what that filling material is? It looks really good so I figured I could reuse it. The top piece of steel for the baffle is also in good shape. It is just the bottom part that is warped and has a hole in it. That steel is like 1/4" thick, and bent up in the front and rear to make a broad, shallow, U-shape to hold the filling. I was thinking of getting steel for the baffle from the local steel vendor, but I doubt I can get it bent like that, so figured I'd have it welded into the U shape. My question is, do I need a certain kind of steel for the heat, or just standard 1/4" plate steel?

Any other ideas or suggestions would be appreciated as well. Thanks all for the wonderful site. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute some as I learn more too. -Jeff

 

[begreen]

The material between the layers of steel is probably a ceramic wool insulation like kaowool. You should be able to have a local metal shop make you a new bottom baffle piece,.

 

[BrotherBart]

It is cold rolled mild steel. Your local iron works should be able to cut and bend a piece for you. Used to get the one here to do it to make a new baffle for my Sierra stove every few years.