I recently picked up a Little Moe 'All nighter' stove. I'm completely new to this world and am wondering if this is a steel or a cast iron stove? I've researched and can't seem to find the answer. Please let me know if anyone knows. Thanks!
Little Moe Question
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Steel stove with a cast iron door. More info on All Nighters here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/all-nighter-stove-co/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/all-nighter-stove-co/
If you use the search feature in the Fisher Forum (keyword All Nighter) you will come up with lots of information since the builder was a Fisher licensed fabricator that lost his license to build Fisher Stoves and became a competitor.
You will find there is an asbestos mat inside under the firebrick you should not tamper with or try to remove. This was due to the shorter than 6 inch legs required on all stoves for floor clearance. They were built lower than other stoves to fit under the hearth opening of an open fireplace on a non-combustible surface, hence extra bottom heat protection.
The stove box is made of 1/4 inch thick plate steel and your top may be 5/16 thick if built like a Fisher. (the air tubes when provided were the thinnest part of firebox and most susceptible to rusting through) You can measure the top thickness easily with an open end wrench (1/4 inch or 5/16 fit over the edge to measure thickness). Cast iron and steel plate is the same molten iron, simply pored in a mold when cast or rolled hot or cold into sheets when used as steel plate. The molecular structure cools differently giving them different characteristics, good and bad for stove use. Cast iron is much more brittle and difficult to weld but moves heat more readily, so it was favored for stove building until Bob Fisher was credited with building the first steel plate stove. (some still favor cast iron) It was much faster to cast a door with hinges and air intakes than to fabricate one from steel plate fro mass stove production. A cast iron stove is multiple pieces bolted together which requires periodic replacement of gasket material and sealing of joints where assembled. They are not a welded one piece unit such as yours.
You will find there is an asbestos mat inside under the firebrick you should not tamper with or try to remove. This was due to the shorter than 6 inch legs required on all stoves for floor clearance. They were built lower than other stoves to fit under the hearth opening of an open fireplace on a non-combustible surface, hence extra bottom heat protection.
The stove box is made of 1/4 inch thick plate steel and your top may be 5/16 thick if built like a Fisher. (the air tubes when provided were the thinnest part of firebox and most susceptible to rusting through) You can measure the top thickness easily with an open end wrench (1/4 inch or 5/16 fit over the edge to measure thickness). Cast iron and steel plate is the same molten iron, simply pored in a mold when cast or rolled hot or cold into sheets when used as steel plate. The molecular structure cools differently giving them different characteristics, good and bad for stove use. Cast iron is much more brittle and difficult to weld but moves heat more readily, so it was favored for stove building until Bob Fisher was credited with building the first steel plate stove. (some still favor cast iron) It was much faster to cast a door with hinges and air intakes than to fabricate one from steel plate fro mass stove production. A cast iron stove is multiple pieces bolted together which requires periodic replacement of gasket material and sealing of joints where assembled. They are not a welded one piece unit such as yours.
Well that depends on your definition of great. They are very durable and well made. But not efficient or clean burning at as ll
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