Baby Bear Door Frame Bowed Out

[ChillyB]

Found a Baby Bear for a nice price (had to drive 6 hr round trip) but door doesnt close. Looks like rust formed between the c-channel door frame (for rope seal) and the stove body. The swollen rust pushed the c-channel away from the body.

Seems like an easy fix: cut welds for frame then clean or replace the c-channel. Any ideas on sealing the joint between frame and stove body? Weld the ID seam? Stove RTV? Refractory joint compound?

Stove is well rusted but was $125 and includes feet. Brick seems fine. Square door with trees and aluminum damper knob.

 

[ChillyB]

Ok, just discovered it doesnt use a rope seal.

 

[coaly]

Grind off weld that holds door seal (1 inch channel iron) to stove front plate. Clean with wire wheel or grinder as necessary and tack weld the door seal back on.

To do this you lay stove on its back. Remove door and remove door seal. Clean front plate and door sealing channel iron. When installing door seal, lay channel iron on stove around door opening. Lay door on seal and install hinge pins. Center seal so the raised portion on back of door is centered in door seal channel before welding.

Wire wheel back of door as well so the raised portion contacts the center web of door seal. The edges of channel iron door seal also must contact back side of door all the way around for a 3 point seal. Notice the door makes contact on seal, not front plate of stove. The space between door and faceplate should be the thickness of the channel iron web.

 

[coaly]

If you don’t have access to a welder, Stove and Gasket Cement can be used around door seal after buffing as good as you can with wire wheel around door seal. Clean under the door seal between seal and front plate as good as you can if emery cloth or sandpaper fits between the gap. Push gasket cement into crack. It will last quite a few years.

You can always light an incense stick to smoke test around door seal with stove going. Smoke will be drawn into opening if there is a leak.

 

[warburtonplayer]

Does anyone know how long and what size the bolt should be fro the damper on a baby bear? Thanks

 

[coaly]

Does anyone know how long and what size the bolt should be fro the damper on a baby bear? Thanks

1/2 -13 X 4 inch Full thread.

The original was mild steel, with unmarked head.
When installing the bolt head should protrude out of the air damper enough to get a wrench on when closed. A half but was normally used on the outside of door under damper, but a full nut will work if you’re missing the original.

When installing, spin damper down bolt until head sticks out just enough to get a wrench on bolt head. Spin a half nut on if you have it, or a full nut down bolt close to damper. Do not tighten. Thread into door until damper touches door. This will be the depth bolt is installed into door. Hold bolt from turning from inside and spin damper open. Tighten outer nut against door and install second nut on bolt inside door.
This allows you to get a wrench on bolt head when damper is closed.

 

[ChillyB]

Here are the feet that came with my Baby Bear. Some corrosion but seem like solid “working stove” feet. No cracks, and my new-old stove will be nicely textured even once de-rusted and painted.

 

[clancey]

They are just beautiful feet..clancey

 

[ChillyB]

It begins...

 

[ChillyB]

Corrosion swelling the seal channel from the box.

 

[coaly]

I was looking for a Mama Bear for a friend years ago and put a wanted ad on Craigslist. A local guy contacted me not knowing what he had to sell thinking it was a Mama Bear. I had him explain it over the phone and made the deduction it was a Baby having only one air intake. After I told him it was too small for what I was looking for he mentioned it came with “really cool feet”. He was asking $40, so I stammered out, well maybe I can make it work for the guy..... and picked it up. He had the brand new feet sitting on the stove when I got there and said it had been in his workshop many years and never had the feet under it. I handed him the cash and carried them to my truck front seat first trying not to be too giddy. I was planning on selling the stove and keeping the feet, but never got around to listing the stove yet. Just as well, they are worth more every year!

 

[coaly]

Corrosion swelling the seal channel from the box.

View attachment 283598

I would wire wheel it clean and scrape the groove clean, then use the Stove and Gasket Cement in the groove. The stuff dries like cement and adheres very well. I always used Rutland in the tube since it is the easiest to apply and has a thinner texture like toothpaste than the Imperial in a tub, that is stiffer. I find that now sold in the big box stores cheaper than Rutland and easier to find. Either is fine. When people add a door gasket and you have to wire wheel it off for a proper seal it is like buffing cement. Can’t always chisel it off. It is also used on stove joints when bolting cast iron stove pieces together. So it’s made to seal cracks as well as hold gaskets in place. Final cure is with heat, so do it just before painting when you should take it outside and cure the paint with a test fire. Always put a couple pieces of connector pipe on for the test fire.

 

[ChillyB]

Seal channel removed. Thats enough for tonight.

 

[ChillyB]

I doubt I could clean out that rust well enough to tuck the seal channel back down flat. I actually think cutting and welding new ones is easier. But I havent proven it yet.

 

[ChillyB]

New metal cut and test-fit to the door. The sealing lip seems well centered in the channel.

 

[Frankdozer]

Looks Awsome so far

 

[coaly]

Yep. Just tack it in place and try the door before the final weld.
When finished, buff, then lube the hinge pins with silver anti-seize or high temp grease. Also grease the bolt threads through the air intake hole in door to prevent wear of the air damper threads. With grease on the moving parts these stoves will last many more generations.

 

[ChillyB]

Intake air knob is fairly floppy. I may helicoil. Someday.

 

[ChillyB]

Reading a fair amount about old stoves and modern stoves here, and merits of each. Relating to something I know, a Fisher seems to be the Remington 870 of wood stoves. There are faster, lighter, more modern autoloading shotguns out there, and I have some. But my go-to if I can have just one, and the one leaning in corner by my bed's headboard, is still a walnut and steel 1960's Wingmaster stoked with 00 buck. And if I can keep just one it'll be an 870 Wingmaster. It's not fussy about ammo. It'll digest top shelf hot loads and crappy reloads with equal enthusiasm. It doesnt have screw in chokes so I learn to use it with fixed IC. It flat out will not fail and will last for generations if not abused.

I'm not a stove expert. But I do like durable things that work, and last, and are forgiving of input variables that may deviate from "ideal".

 

[ChillyB]

Ground off welds around door, fitted seal channel, closed door, opened to check fit at corners. Looks pretty good to me. Thats enough for tonight.

 

[ChillyB]

Welded in, crappy welds ground down. Good enough, door closes up nicely.

 

[ChillyB]

Found a cracked weld along bottom. I'll cut out some weld and repair it.

 

[ChillyB]

That should hold it.

 

[ChillyB]

Sanded, washed, rinsed, dried with a propane weed burner. About ready for paint.

 

[ChillyB]

Debating: paint or stove polish. Stove is near completely and nicely pitted but sanded smooth. Thoughts?