Anyone know about Fisher stoves?

[Dbl5003]

I just bought a house that has a fisher stove in it. The firebrick inside it is almost gone and I need to replace it but it appears to be something special. Anyone know what kind of fisher this is and where I can get firebrick for it? It looks like it has vent holes in it.

 

[bsruther]

Maybe a coal stove. That thing has been glowing red at least once.

 

[BrotherBart]

Moving this to the Fisher stove forum room. The fount of knowledge for all things Bobby Fisher hath wrought.

 

[bholler]

coal stove for sure

 

[coaly]

Search "Coal Bear" on this forum.
Nothing special about the bricks. Regular size. Masonry supply stores are the cheapest. Also available at Ace Hardware by the box.

That looks like a manual damper in the pipe at the top of your picture. It should be a barometric damper that will control the draft better. (preventing the discoloration of door getting so hot) A manual damper is a restriction in the exhaust compared to a barometric type that controls draft automatically without making a restriction in the pipe. Strong draft through coal is what causes the fire to burn too hard. Draft control is much more critical in a coal stove and must remain constant, which is the object of a barometric damper.

You will control fire with the bottom air intakes and just crack the intake in upper door to allow oxygen into the firebox above the fire. This ignites coal gas causing it to burn blue over the top of fire. When the fire consumes all oxygen going through fire bed, additional heat from igniting coal gas is lost.

 

[Dbl5003]

So this is actually a coal stove? Does that mean I can't burn wood in it? Because from what I understand that is all the previous owners did burn in it

 

[coaly]

Yes, it's a coal stove. You "can" burn wood in a coal stove, but not as efficient as a stove built for wood.
Wood burns by getting oxygen from any direction. It's best to burn wood on an inch of ash to prolong coals, and you end up with a glowing coal bed. When air gets to it on a grate, it burns much faster. Coals and embers drop into the ash pan and you don't get extended burn time with a coal pile in the morning. If you try coal, chances are you will never go back to wood in it.
Coal only burns on a grate with the oxygen coming up through it. This stove is much more efficient on coal.
So you can burn wood in a coal stove, but you can't burn coal in a wood stove.

 

[coaly]

This tag should be on the back. Chances are being from PA, it will have a PA xxxx number written in weld on the bottom shield. (made in Factoryville Pa)

 

[Dbl5003]

Yea I looked for a serial plate on it and couldn't find one. We'll I have a PILE of wood here so I think that is what I will be burning this year, but as long as I can just use regular fire bricks in it, and it will be ok?

 

[coaly]

Yes, your firebox picture doesn't show what are left of the bricks. They set on a shelf.
If the grates still work smoothly, it is an indication it has never burned coal much. Grates cool themselves by the air coming up through them, and if the ash is allowed to build up to the bottom of grate before emptying, that causes them to overheat and coal is hot enough to start to melt them and make them sag. That is the number one cause of needing any parts and scrapping this stove model. If you have good straight grates, take care of them !
I haven't found any patterns to make them, and they are the most needed part.

 

[Dbl5003]

We'll good to know. The grates do seem to work fine in it but I was just worried about the fire brick since it appeared to have vent holes in it but I guess that wouldn't matter ? Just put solid fire brick in it?

 

[Dbl5003]

I don't know if these pics help at all

 

[coaly]

Here's a pic of regular cheap bricks in one that needed grates. They keep the intense heat from the steel plate sides.This one has a homemade grate as most are found today. To burn coal, it would have to be poked from the bottom to clean the fire. (with a bent poker rod) NEVER poke a coal fire from the top. You only want to knock loose ash from the bottom through the grate to allow air up through the coal bed. (ash packs under the coal stopping air flow) That's the reason for movable grates. There is a knack to rocking them, called shaking, only until red coals start to fall through and you stop.
I would not be putting coal on those pristine grates being a collectors item today.
Keep them in the flat position for wood to slow the air from coming up through the fire.

Notice without the angled pieces there is more room for wood. Like I mentioned, wood burns well no matter where the air comes from, so yours will get most from the top intake without the slots.

They get clogged with ash anyway under the brick; here's the inside of firebox with the brick and all grate supports removed. Notice the air holes on the sides of ash plates. They are usually clogged when taken apart.

 

[coaly]

And you're OK with a manual damper with wood only.

 

[coaly]

The Coal Bear in my collection;

Outside ready to cure paint. Originally, the top draft cap was not painted like the lower as shown.

Notice your doors overlap and are made to not be able to open the lower door only. If the lower door only was opened, it would draft too heavily with far too much air overheating stove and pipe. Opening the upper door first to open the lower door gives the chimney all the air from the upper door above fire, stopping the airflow through fire bed. (coal)

Too pretty to burn, but I had to cure the paint;



This model was also available with nickel plated doors;

 

[Dbl5003]

Thanks for the help. This is all good info. So I can take those two angled pieces on the sides out and put new fire bricks in it and I'll have and even bigger firebox? Is there supposed to rope around the doors to seal them?

 

[coaly]

The door seals are the metal channel iron welded to the stove. No gasket material necessary. This makes a 3 point contact between door and stove face, and considered "air tight" as built. Just make sure the contact surfaces are clean and rust free.

Yes, removing the angled lower pieces will give you more room for wood. The upper air adjustment will be open more than normal since it will no longer get as much air from the bottom primary intakes through the slots in angled bricks. The angled sides make a hopper shape to direct coal down to the grates without having any "floor" to collect ash. Coal will only burn where air comes up through it, so the entire bottom has to open for air when burning coal. You will have a wood burner only.

There is also an upper course of brick not shown in your photos, so I don't know if its there. The bottom picture I posted in message #13 in this thread shows the "shelf" they sit on. They are installed upright, and the top is inserted first under the angle iron retainer on the sides at top. The retainer is about 3 inches below the level of front step top. It is angle iron welded to the back and sides and holds the bricks against the sides.

 

[Dbl5003]

I got my stove all dismantled and cleaned out. I didn't even realize those pieces on the sides with the holes in them were metal! I thought they were firebrick that crumbled because so much of them were missing! They just melted away. The previous people must have had it glowing! Here's some pics of the dismemberment. So now I just lay firebrick in alongside the grate in the bottom and up the sides where those melted metal pieces were?

 

[coaly]

The plates, grates and doors are the only cast parts.
When burning coal as it was designed, the air that comes up through the grates and side plate slots cools the grates and plates. (notice the air slots on the sides of the grate support plate - that's the area I mentioned that gets clogged with ash and prevents air flow)
Also if the ash is allowed to accumulate under grates, filling the pan to bottom of grates, the metal overheats and can deform or melt grates. This is the number one cause of coal stoves needing any parts. Hence most every Coal Bear found is in need of grates or plates since the available stock has dried up LONG ago. I've been looking for a set of all inner cast parts for years to use as templates or molds to have replacement pieces made. Pouring cast iron is not difficult nor expensive.

Your grates are the best condition set I've ever seen. You have enough side pieces (I call them "hopper") left to make wood patterns from the pieces you have there. A foundry then presses the wood pattern into mold sand and pours molten iron in the pattern left in the sand. I'd be willing to pay the shipping to get them to me if you're tossing them. Or pick them up if we're not too far away!

 

[Dbl5003]

Where in pa do you live? I'm not sure I would give them up just yet but if I could get them back I might be ok with it. Maybe we could cast 2 sets? You've helped me out quite a bit with this thing.

 

[coaly]

Since you mentioned you believe the previous owner only burned wood, they could have been burning with the upper air intake far too open (as I mentioned, wood doesn't care where the air comes from) and they probably closed the bottom vents to slow the fire down. This stops all the incoming air from cooling the "hopper" that should be coming up through from the bottom........
This is how you would have an entire melt down using coal and that manual damper; The manual damper doesn't open and close automatically controlling draft. So left in the open position, the chimney flue gets too hot, drafts too hard, allowing even more air into the stove. More draft, lower pressure area in stove. More air enters, burning harder. So draft becomes very critical with burning coal that is capable of melting iron.

I gave you a private message.

 

[Dbl5003]

So I've been playing around with this thing and it looks like I'll have to cut the firebricks to make them work in here is that right?