Break In Fires

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RayBurner

New Member
Feb 23, 2013
25
Romeo, MI
What is the purpose of break-in fires?

How many should be done and how long should they last before firing away??
 
Purpose with a steel stove is to cure the paint and cook the oils used in processing the metal out. With steel a couple of kindling fires up to 300 stovetop and then cool it down and then one up to 500 will get most of the job done. Then after you reach each new high temp you will probably get a little more curing smell.

With a cast iron stove the fires cook latent moisture out of the furnace cement in the seams, cures the paint and also cures the castings to keep them from cracking from the shock of going straight to a high temp.
 
One other purpose is to gently drive the moisture out of the firebrick.
 
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