An old Fisher

[Mike B]

I was given this old stove by a friend who no longer wanted it due to his homeowners insurance so I put it in my garage. For code the firebox had to be 16" off the floor so cinder blocks worked perfect. It went through more wood than normal this winter so I started hunting for information on the internet and found this forum on Hearth.com.
You guys are fantastic! What I've learned in a couple hours is immeasurable! I had some 5/16 and will make a baffle but looking inside the firebox raises a few questions.
A second row of brick is apparently in use but the corners are all that remain on this one. Do I run them all across the back before installing the baffle? Is the second row even necessary?
I plan to use a masonry saw to angle cut the support bricks on each side; What angle do you recommend?
It's 25 1/2 across so I'm guessing this is a Grandma. I have the screen but have never used it. The door handle knobs are wood and the right handle is bent. I don't know if that was from extreme heat or age but they look original.
The air damper on the right is also very loose like the threads are worn down. Is it worth trying to replace the bolt? It appears to be welded in place.
Would I benefit from installing an air deflector plate inside each damper to further stir up the intake air?
The doors look different from any I've found so far on your site. Any idea of the age of this stove? I can't locate any identifying numbers on it but as you can see it needs a good cleaning.
Thank you for all the information you make available to us, any and all assistance you can provide would be appreciated.
Mike

 

[Lake Girl]

Sorry Mike, I would have moved your thread sooner but couldn't see the characteristic front in the first photo...

 

[coaly]

Welcome to the Forum;
Your stove is a Grandma III.
The doors should be the same as pictured on any Grandma or Fireplace Insert that has the arched top "Cathedral" doors. Do you mean the Fir tree design is possibly different?
The handles are not original, and the correct springs can be purchased from Woodman's Part # RH-LDN. (Nickel plate are correct for your stove)

The second row of bricks are not necessary. The baffle can rest on rear brick retainers and be angled up wards aiming for the lower bend in top. You can usually stand bricks on their edge to support front of plate. Only 1 brick per side and by sliding forward and back, will adjust front height. If too high, you may have to clip corners, but not always.

The age is difficult since the doors were available as an option in 1979. (This is the style of box that was made up until 1980 with the older flat top doors) 1980, the flat top doors ceased and all were made with your style doors, however the UL listed box for 1980 had rounded bent corners instead of the angle iron corners that become legs like yours. Many fabricators continued to make the old style box for $100 less than the new UL style. The old style was used more for in front of a fireplace on a non-combustible hearth. Shields were also on the bent corner models that were not required on a brick hearth. So yours could be any year from 1979 up, made as the cheaper un-listed model.

There are threads with air deflector pictures inside other stove makes and have been tried, since they are easy to add on the draft cap bolt. The final consensus is NOT to add them since it makes combustion worse. You get a better air mix with the flammable gasses expelled from the wood from higher velocity movement through the intakes.

Some builders tack welded intake bolts inside and must be ground off to remove. It is not necessary to weld the inner nut to the door. Threads can be worn on bolt, or inside draft cap. If you remove cap, see if they have steel threaded inserts in draft cap. Some aluminum draft caps are threaded without the steel insert nut and wear more. They are available at Barr Castings which has the original patterns. Specify that you want the draft cap with threaded insert. Keeping them greased through the hole in the door prevents wear. High temp grease is OK, but I've found silver anti-seize lasts longer is capable of higher temps.

If your right door is latched in the photos, the right door handle latch rod needs adjusting so the handle angle is the same as the fixed left side when latched. Over tightening the door latch when hot causes this.
Heat the bend on inside of door latch rod with a torch and bend rod slightly into a sharper bed at the 90* bend on latch rod. There is a wedge at the top that latch rod contacts to pull door tight. If your latch rod straitens out much more, the latch will slip off the wedge (ramp) allowing door to open.
You can bend it cold easily, but they tend to go back when heated if not red when bent. It doesn't take much to make a big difference!

 

[Mike B]

Sorry Mike, I would have moved your thread sooner but couldn't see the characteristic front in the first photo...

thank you...I'm unfamiliar with this process, did I put it in the wrong place?

 

[Lake Girl]

There is a sub-forum in the classic stoves just for Fisher stoves... Once posted there, coaly, the resident expert shows up