Baby Bear

[Don H]

Just purchased this Baby Bear and would like to determine the date and place of manufacture.
This is a nice little stove with not a lot of use on it.

 

[turn_n_burn]

I have the exact same stove in my shop and wouldn't EVER get rid of it. Based on the ash catcher and the fir tree design to strengthen the door against cracking (the old flat door ones had this issue, albeit rarely). The legs are fairly straight, based on what I can see I would peg it about 1975 to 1977, hard to tell, I don't think that is any original factory proofmark. After 1980, they changed the door design to a "cathedral" with the Fisher logo sloping up from left to right. I wanna say 1976 based on the look of the draft cap. Made in Springfield, Oregon. This article is pretty helpful if you want to learn more .https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/fisher-papa-mama-and-baby-bear-details-bear-series.86736/

This one is the original factory manual.

https://www.hearth.com/images/uploads/Bear_VI_Series_Early_Manual.pdf
Hope this helps!

 

[turn_n_burn]

That one is in REALLY nice shape.

 

[Don H]

Here's a picture of the stove after I cleaned it up. It has straight legs and no mfg. tags, just the B-11-39 numbered welded under the ash pan and the door patent number. I found it on Craigslist from a guy who was remodeling a shore home and just wanted it out of the house. The seller said he bought it new in 1980. I paid $150 for it and plan on adding a baffle inside.

This is my second Fisher. I also have a 1985 Mama Bear in my basement which is used as a back up heat source. The Baby Bear will be installed in a small cabin I plan to build as soon as I can find some property in WV.

 

[turn_n_burn]

Beautiful stove, you weren't kidding about the condition. Nice clean up job too! I might have been wrong about the date, but if it sat on the dealer's shelf for a year or 2, I might be in the ballpark somewhere. Mine is pretty rough looking right now, it's been used and abused in the shop for about a decade now, been stuffed full of everything from pine and spruce lumber to huge chunks of Black Locust (find some of this if you can. The baby bears love it, just as much as locust honey, ironically). That keeps my 1000 sq ft shop warm on nights where it's 15 below outside out here in Idaho (western siberia). We heat our cabin up north with a Mama too, but I doubt it needs any help right now. The Teepee springs fire (which is running rafters off the Salmon river) is burning right down the canyon its built in. The firefighters are keeping things along the highway pretty safe though. I just hope my cabin doesn't turn into kindling, but I think it's gonna be OK. Hope your build goes well, WV is gorgeous country.

 

[coaly]

'75 and '76 would have a stainless tightly wound spring, and 4 fin draft cap. Probably '77 since shortly after, they had a bent handle with spring facing forward. (the patented motion to lift handle, open a crack to delay opening for a second and opening with down swing) Yours will be a lift and open, capable of opening quickly allowing smoke to roll in if you try.

'79 would have been available with flat top or Cathedral door but would have had a longer bent handle. PA welded PA and stove number under stove and tapered legs.

Stoves back then didn't set around a year or two. They couldn't keep up and many were back ordered (60,000 around the time this one was made before Hesston in Kansas made boxes in bulk).

Can't give you any info on the weld - yet.
Is the vent pipe welded on the inside or out?

The manual link in the above post is not your stove. That manual is the actual manual copy sent to fabricators from UL due to a change of a diagram within the manual. Notice the MH10876 file number on the front. That is the UL file number. That manual and stove was from '78. Notice the bent handle on front as well.
That manual is for later stoves with shields rear and bottom.

 

[Don H]

The vent pipe is welded from the outside.
Lift and open door latch, unlike my '85 Mama Bear with the two step latch.
There are no heat shields.

The previous owner claimed he bought it new in '80 but may have been mistaken or just off a few years. He said it had little use since it was in his
shore/vacation home on the upper Chesapeake Bay which was rarely used during the winter.

 

[Don H]

When I first cleaned up this stove I used stove black on it. After reading some posts here I discovered that Stove Bright, Satin was the correct finish. I looked in the big box hardware stores but they don't carry it. I looked on line but wasn't willing to pay $30 a can for spray paint. Well today I was in my little local hardware store and what do I find but Stove Bright in stock for $10 a can! So I bought 2 cans and a can of acetate. A few hours later I had the stove black off and fresh paint on. The little stove looks great.

 

[coaly]

Good, stove black allows water (and water vapor) right through and will rust, requiring cleaning and reapplication. That's the normal price at most hearth stores around here too.

 

[Don H]

Here's what the Baby Bear looks like all painted up.

 

[coaly]

Much better. Handle it very carefully before firing since that will harden the paint during final cure. You should put a couple pipes on it and fire outside to prevent smoke and smell inside.

 

[CamFan]

Coaly, Whoever welded the box signed it at our shop. Who ever hung the door, vented and install the ash pan put serial number or a code under the ash pan. This may be what it is.

 

[coaly]

I know. But this one's missing the S !

 

[Don H]

Can anyone recommend which way to install the stove pipe; male end to the stove, in the thimble or female end to the stove over the thimble. Neither way seems to fit.

 

[CamFan]

Get a Dura vent 1672 double skirted adapter. It fits the stove and the male end goes to the stove. Good luck.

 

[CamFan]

1672 is 6"

 

[Don H]

Hopefully I can find one locally. Thanks!

 

[coaly]

If you can't find one, and already have a hand crimper, you can over-crimp the end going into stove. As you squeeze to crimp, bend outward to keep it straighter than a funnel shape. You can squeeze down the male end of an elbow the same way if you have to. I find A Tee goes right over the flue connector, and cap the bottom.

 

[Don H]

Thanks! I think I'll try to work the elbow. I just need to hook up a pipe temporarily so I can fire the stove to cure the paint.

Found this Baby Bear on Craig's list (broken link removed to http://easternshore.craigslist.org/for/5221090688.html) What I find interesting is that this stove has a rounded ash shelf unlike mine which is square with rounded corners. Same handle, straight legs, same door as mine but a different damper knob (4 fin). And the price of $750, wow!

 

[coaly]

That does look quite round.



And yours is more square than "correct". The first stoves used the wasted side piece from the angle cut at top, so the angle of the step top matched the angle of the ash fender. That was the angle they stayed with. I believe CamFan still has the machine used to make them from the largest production plant. Fisher Stoves South East.
Here's a normal angle from an early stove in my collection from Idaho;



The Ash Fender for yours, or Part number 112-BB and the Fender Edge; number 113-BB was drawn "and should be" as shown below. Notice the radius and angle is "typical" given as suggestion only. 1/4 inch HRS Plate 12 3/4 wide to project out 4 3/4 inches with radius as shown giving the 22* angle at sides.

Baby Bear Ash Fender

Baby Bear Ash Fender Edge

 

[Don H]

Interesting. So I guess each manufacturer made them a little differently.

Found this one on the web that looks exactly like my stove. Most stoves that I found pictures of have the shelf in the diagram. It would be interesting to see what number is welded underneath the shelf.