Blaze King Princess Bypass Frame Repair

[kgrant]

I bought this princess a few years ago, I'm finally getting around to fixing it.

When I bought it I noticed a few cracks around the door frame, didn't think much of them. I wish I had looked closer and seen the rest of the damage. After I got it home and really looked it over I felt like a fool for buying it.

There was no burnt paint, no external warping. No external signs of overheating. I think this was caused by burning with the bypass open. I don't have many before pictures, just pics of repairs in progress.

The bypass door frame was 50% gone. Zero gasket left. The bottom of the cat frame is warped a bit. I may not have to straighten it, I need to test fit the new cat, see how big of a gap there is.

Plan is to weld in a new bypass door frame and weld cracked door frame welds. I cut out the piece of channel so I could gain better access to the bypass door frame. I might paint her green too!

Piece of bypass frame


Cat goes in hole below this warped piece.


This thing has been hot!


Mostly cleaned up, just need to get steel to weld in.

 

[Woody Stover]

I hope you document the entire project with as many pics as you've initially posted...good job so far.

The bottom of the cat frame is warped a bit. I may not have to straighten it, I need to test fit the new cat, see how big of a gap there is.

If the gap isn't too bad, maybe just use some extra interam gasket, which expands as it is heated, in that area.
Where was the piece of channel that you cut out? It looks like it got hot as well..

 

[kgrant]

I'm hoping the expanding gasket that comes on the cat will be enough to fill the gap.

All these pictures are taken with the stove upside down. Much easier to work on her while she's flipped on her lid.

The only reason I cut the channel out was to to gain access to the bypass door trim. I would have been grinding and welding blind if I had left it. To remove the channel I ground out the 3 welds in front, and bent the channel back into the stove which broke 3 inner welds.

I'm going to have to use a mirror or braille when I weld the channel back in.

 

[kgrant]

Here's the cracked weld.

 

[Highbeam]

Supposedly you should have been able to buzz in a new bypass frame in 15 minutes! I always thought that was a bit optimistic but I didn't realize that you would also have to remove the channel dome reinforcement to access the bypass frame weldments. I wonder how they do it in the factory.

Take this opportunity to grind out the old style welded in door latch nut so that you can adjust the door latch in more than full-turn increments.

Current production and my princess have a safety bar across the bypass opening as well. Yours is MIA.

Thank you for the photos.

 

[kgrant]

If I was a pro and had all the tools, I'd say I could do this in an hour.

I picked up $15 worth of steel and borrowed a plasma cutter to shorten one leg on the angle iron. I bought 3/16" 1"x1" angle iron. I was going to use 1/4" angle iron but they didn't have any in the scrap pile. The channel is 2".

You done have to remove the channel, makes access easier though.

 

[kgrant]

Tacked up the frame, and it fits! I made a cardboard template to help. It's not perfect, but it'll do. I'm only concerned with the gasket surface being level. Now to finish up the welding, hopefully keeping everything nice and flat. I should go get a gasket, before the store closes. I thought I had the right size gasket, but it's too small.



Sorry for the dark photo, best I could do.

 

[kgrant]

Take this opportunity to grind out the old style welded in door latch nut so that you can adjust the door latch in more than full-turn increments.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[kgrant]

Gaskets will have to wait until tomorrow. Store closes soon. Now the question is do I gamble a $15 gasket on my old cat? This cat came out of my Princess insert, and I don't really remember how it was performing when I removed it. I know it wasn't dead, probably just lazy. I think it'll work ok at the cabin, if I can get it there in one piece. Used ceramic cats are brittle!

I would like to try cleaning it but I'm afraid I'll break it.

 

[Woody Stover]

Great work so far! I'd be tempted to just slap a new cat in there while I was at it. @Highbeam said a ceramic can be had for $186 including shipping..
Can you get an angle grinder or a Dremel in there to flatten out that gasket surface a little bit?

 

[kgrant]

Got the frame and channel welded back in. Not pretty, but it shouldn't fall apart! I'm not going to show you the back side of the channel...

I had to adjust the tab on the bypass door quite a bit, I think this frame is a bit taller than the original. It still cams over and locks the door down.

Using bottle jack to hold frame in place so I could center it and tack weld.


Square enough, I used a 3/8" socket extension for a feeler gauge to even things out.


The frame turned out nice and flat!

 

[Woody Stover]

Man, you don't mess around, do ya?

 

[kgrant]

Here's the other crack in the door frame.

 

[Woody Stover]

You could try the old cat..you might even simmer it out with the 50/50 distilled vinegar/distilled water treatment..

 

[kgrant]

You could try the old cat..you might even simmer it out with the 50/50 distilled vinegar/distilled water treatment..
View attachment 217654

I'm tempted to clean it, I'm afraid it'll crumble apart....

I guess I could always try it.

The stove won't see much use, maybe 1/2 cord a year. Hate to waste a new cat on it.

 

[moresnow]

Nice save. Makes a guy wonder how many others are out there in this shape.

If your cabin is close I guess you could try the existing cat? Better yet. Give it, and the stove a driveway/back yard test to make sure the whole package is working before you load it up. Guessing the cabin might be a (no fun zone) for additional serious repairs? Maybe not.

Bet that stove has seen a far or two! I wonder if water damage occurred here as well? Kind of looks that way to me. The two weld failures look to be from looong ago. Good luck. Continue documenting the outcome if you have time.

 

[Highbeam]

So you did not buy replacement bypass gasket retainers from bk? Just made your own from scrap?

 

[kgrant]

So you did not buy replacement bypass gasket retainers from bk? Just made your own from scrap?

I made my own.

 

[kgrant]

Nice save. Makes a guy wonder how many others are out there in this shape.

If your cabin is close I guess you could try the existing cat? Better yet. Give it, and the stove a driveway/back yard test to make sure the whole package is working before you load it up. Guessing the cabin might be a (no fun zone) for additional serious repairs? Maybe not.

Bet that stove has seen a far or two! I wonder if water damage occurred here as well? Kind of looks that way to me. The two weld failures look to be from looong ago. Good luck. Continue documenting the outcome if you have time.

I hope there aren't many in this shape. This damage was caused from misuse/abuse.

I might try it in the driveway, we'll see. Not setup at the cabin to do any repairs like this.

 

[Highbeam]

Do you think the previous owner may have been burning salt driftwood?

 

[kgrant]

Do you think the previous owner may have been burning salt driftwood?

Not likely unless it was imported from the coast. The guy I bought it from hadn't used it, I don't know where he got it from.

 

[kgrant]

Current production and my princess have a safety bar across the bypass opening as well. Yours is MIA.

This stove was produced in 2009. My insert has the bar, it is a few years newer. What is the bar for?

 

[kgrant]

This stove was produced in 2009. My insert has the bar, it is a few years newer. What is the bar for?

This stove may have HAD the bar. The bypass frame was so badly damaged if the bar were there it would have been long gone.

 

[Highbeam]

I believe the bar is meant to prevent the accidental insertion of a split into the bypass door area which would prevent closing the bypass. That’s a great way to melt those retainers!

 

[kgrant]

I believe the bar is meant to prevent the accidental insertion of a split into the bypass door area which would prevent closing the bypass. That’s a great way to melt those retainers!

I just looked back and I installed my insert in December 2010. The bar makes sense for its purpose, though I do tend to catch it when I'm trying to stuff the box full.