Super Bear or XL questions

[Spotted Owl]

I have looked, until I went cross eyed, but can't find anything. Does anyone have or know where to look for the dimensions of the super bear. Either way the stove is coming home but I would like to know what I am looking at. The guy said that it is a fair size bigger than his Gramps and the flue is close to 10. The flue size anchors it for me but would like the rest of the dimensions if possible. I''ll keep looking but am starting to run in circles now.

Thanks folks



Owl

 

[coaly]

Lets start with what style doors you have, and leg style. "Fireplace scroll" legs with chrome ball feet? Top or rear vent with or without baffle plate ?
Let me know which stove you have, and I can measure one up. 33 1/2" wide top plate will determine if it's an XL.

 

[Spotted Owl]

I called and asked him these questions. I won't see this thing up close until probably next weekend, when our schedules meet. The doors are steel flat tops, with trees, the trees and Fisher are painted a silvery color, the top plate is 341/8", and 1/2" sheet, the feet he said are the Fisher angle iron that run the corners and down. I asked about rounded corners and no, it's angle iron. Top vent he said just a hair under 10". Somethings add up to be an XL but others don't. I suppose it could be an early built in the shop type instead of having pieces made. Prototype maybe?. It is a three piece top he said. I was unaware that they even came with a three top, I thought that by that time all the tops were one piece and bent. He said that there are some studs welded onto the inside at very slight angle, I would assume that this would be a rest for a baffle?

That's all I know about it for now. Now I'm even more curious about the dimensions. To have a three piece XL would phenomenal, to me anyway. This may turn out to be a fantastic barn find, He wants $200. All I have seen of it is the fisher doors and the stove just looked big. It was buried under what looks like 50+ years of barn junk. But I'm a Fisher junkie and can spot them doors a mile away in pea soup fog, ha. If it is an XL that will fill out my collection. Of three piece tops, and steel doors that I thought was already complete.

 

[coaly]

Sounds like a homemade box with Grandpa Doors. You'll know when you get it and open the doors if there's a GP L and GP R inside them. (most doors are marked, but you may find some not) All XL's had arched top doors (so far as found and in ads) with the new style trees and angled lettering like on all newer arched top doors. All XL's so far are a bent one piece 5/16" thick top. All my 3 piece stoves are 5/16 as well.
XL was the first stove in 1978 ads with the new cathedral doors, Fisher script lettering and bent corners. No angle iron down the corners. All the ads show them with "Fireplace Style" legs with chrome ball feet. This style stove box and door was later made available as an option in 1979 on the Grandma and Grandpa III.
If your top is 1/2" thick, I'd have to say it's not a Fisher product. The first one and prototypes were 5/16 as well. The size isn't Fisher either. So far the Smoke Shelf Baffle has sat on angle iron welded inside on all Fisher's. Never saw one with welded studs inside. Nothing about the stove sounds like Fisher materials except the doors so far.
People that made their own Fisher copies didn't have a way to bend the tops, so they are put together the old way in pieces.
Those are the reasons I believe everything is pointing to a homemade stove with Grandpa doors.

 

[Finest Fishers]

Solid Brass XL doors beautiful sporting brilliant nickel, heavy as an anchor. Early door, not hacked up or butchered resto....but nice

 

[Finest Fishers]

There is an XL in the Sierra Foothills that did NOT come with ball feet....nor has the provision to thread some in. The bluish original steel hasnt even the slightest blemish to show where anything has been altered since fabrication. So not ALL came with ball feet.

 

[coaly]

Since it wasn't neutered, (removed) perhaps someone ran out of balls, or the threaded tubing that is welded inside the leg, or the threaded rod that goes into the tubing? All the ads and manuals that show the fireplace legs on any stove model, show them with ball feet. ??
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TLdSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-n8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5472,3966402&dq=fisher stove&hl=en

 

[Finest Fishers]

As well as screens sent out with stoves and certain models, many different screens to the thoudsands of stoves, and tab locations on square...they can varry. Wonder what material the ball feet were made out of? Different screen designs for stoves too, how many different unique styles? Were all XL screens alike, or what different screens were made? What materials were the XL doors cast from, and where?

 

[Finest Fishers]

The XL with just the scrollel metal lower skirt on botton......sold with out ball feet appears to be made in Utah, not Pennsylvania......doubt they ran out of balls. Each stove was assembled individualy, options and neat feautures can be cool, rare or unique to each stove......though most were hammered out as "utilitarian" functional heating units, goal to make money and provide a nice product.

 

[coaly]

My XL is from Utah as well. Serial number UT 11469. Don't know if they were made anywhere else. Most, if not all the ads I've found for them are from the Deseret News, Salt Lake City Utah.
Ball feet are chrome plated white metal, non magnetic. Same material as the old door handles and smaller ball feet on the smaller stoves.
The inside of my doors have a casting mark that looks like the state of Utah as well;



My screen is stainless with a stainless frame. It's the only XL screen I've ever seen.