Yikes, the door pin just snapped.

The pin on the bottom hinge on the right side door just snapped on the Vigilant..

Crap.

Anyone know of a good replacement for the part?

Duct tape?

I think any pin/screw whatever will fit for now. You will probably have to order the part from somewhere.

I am trying to think of one particular parts supplier in NH, but I cannot seem to remember the name at the moment. I believe they supply parts for the old stoves. Hopefully someone will remember.

I'm pretty sure I just found it at Black Swan. Need to call them tomorrow to make sure it is for the old Vig and not the new one as I think the hinges are different. I will stop by ACE Hardware as well.

Take the broke pin to the hardware store and get a bolt the is the same size. Will work planty good in the interum

Not yet. The stove is still burning and each half of the split pin is still in both sides of the hinge. I seem to have a decent seal at this point so I'm not too worried about this burn.

I'm going to pop the pin out in the morning and saunter on down to the hardware store.

Did you find a pin, or something that can serve as a pin?

In the end, the pins were fused to the hinges. I had to drill new holes in the hinges on the right side door and on the front casting of the stove. I went through 8 drill bits, snapping 6 of them, lodging one shard into the index finger of my right hand.

I also snapped the top hinge on the front casting of the stove due to the amount of force I was using to drill through the hinge.

What followed was a LOT of cursing.

A lot.

The good news? Since it was the top right hinge, this meant that the door still sealed completely as the right door contains the locking handle to close the double doors. It just meant ash removal and cold starts were a gigantic pain. It also meant that I slept in the same room with the stove for the next two nights to be sure the door didn't fall off while I was sleeping.

Never even thought of the propane torch. I would how that would have turned out.

In the end, after about 30 straight minutes of obscene cursing and ranting, the stove was still functional and the door sealed well. You just had to remove the right side door when you started the stove and top load the stove from that point on. A little annoying, a little messy, but it worked and it appeared safe as the top left door latch and bottom right hinge kept the door in place very well. It even passed the dollar bill test from all sides.

Due to the inefficiency of the stove, and a milder winter than we've had the previous three years, the Vigilant was run far less than the previous three years.

But, as of Sunday afternoon, it is now retired and a Catalytic Defiant is burning in its place.

I've got a front w/doors if you get ambitious...