Vermont Castings Defiant 1A reburn screen

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mywaynow

Minister of Fire
Dec 13, 2010
1,369
Northeast
Does anyone have a pic of the reburn screen that is located in the rear compartment of the VC Defiant? I understand that this part usually rots out quickly and is no longer effective. My intention is to replicate the screen with expanded metal mesh, and hope it works as effectively and lasts longer. I have no idea of the shape or how it is held in the stove.
 
If i recall from rebuilding them, it was like a T shape screen. A flat mesh that was bent long ways to the shape of a capital T. It may have been about 18" long and maybe 5" wide before the bending. I wish I could draw an example but I am not very puter friendly. If you took a piece of paper though and folded like you were making a paper airplane, but with keeping the edges parallel, you would kind of get the idea.
 
When one buys the Defiant fireback kit, it comes with pretty detailed instructions, and in recent years the screena have not been coming through pre-bent so there's even instructions regarding that. I don't know but that the publication is somehow available from V.C.? I think it's actually titled "Defiant: The Inside Story". Good luck! By the way, the screen things never wear out independantly of the fireback/baffle. If it were me, I'd not worry unless there were some other issue to deal with in there. Just my opinion after twenty something years of Defiant rebuilds...
 
I intend to rebuild the 1975 over the summer. It has multiple but minor issues like; seals leaking where the lid meets the sides causing lost draft and smoke exhaust when the door is open, cracked upper fireback and no screen. I have read on the forum that the screens usually don't last long, and are most times in pieces in the rear compartment floor. I would like to try the expanded metal in that screen placement, just in hopes that it performs better. Epanded metal has a range of metal thickness from an 1/8th down to knife edge thickness at the edges. In my thinking, the heavier metal should hold good heat and radiate it toward the thin edge creating an excellent ignition point. Of course, I am not a versed stove builder. But I am bold (or stupid) enough to try it.
 
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